Basketball Recap: Pendleton Heights Snaps Three-Game Streak of Wins at Home

Pendleton Heights lost a heartbreaker to New Palestine when they met back in January of 2024, and they left with a heavy heart again on Friday. The Pendleton Heights Arabians took a 59-51 hit to the loss column at the hands of the New Palestine Dragons. While losing is never fun, the Arabians can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 133rd, while the Dragons are ranked sixth).

When it comes to explaining why Pendleton Heights lost, don't look at Cooper Sims. Despite the final result, he went 8 for 13 en route to 20 points. Sims' evening made it seven games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Hayden Fox, who posted ten points.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead New Palestine to victory, but perhaps none more so than Julius Gizzi, who went 8 of 16 on his way to 23 points and five rebounds. Gizzi is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last 15 games he's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Moses Haynes, who almost dropped a double-double on ten points and nine assists.

Pendleton Heights' loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 5-7. As for New Palestine, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 11-2.

Pendleton Heights wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next game, a 62-42 defeat against Shelbyville on the 18th. New Palestine has also already played their next contest, a 64-62 victory against Roncalli on the 24th.