Roncalli has won seven straight games at home, while New Palestine has won seven straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Roncalli Royals will host the New Palestine Dragons at 7:30 p.m. The two teams are at an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2015, but likely not for long.
Roncalli will head into Wednesday's match out to bounce back: they won a close one the last time they played, but unfortunately they suffered a serious change of fortune on Wednesday. They lost 57-37 to Pike. The Royals have struggled against the Red Devils recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Luke Feldman, who went 5 for 8 en route to 13 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Schmaltz, who posted seven points.
Meanwhile, New Palestine beat Pendleton Heights 59-51 on Friday. Given the Dragons' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked tenth, while the Arabians are ranked 110th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
New Palestine's win came from a few key players Roncalli will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Julius Gizzi, who went 8 of 16 on his way to 23 points and five boards. His evening made it 15 games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Moses Haynes was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on ten points and nine assists.
New Palestine's win bumped their record up to 11-2. As for Roncalli, their loss dropped their record down to 10-3.
Friday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Roncalli has been crazy accurate this season, having made 49.4% of their field goals per game. However, it's not like New Palestine struggles in that department as they've made 54.3% of their shots this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Roncalli lost to New Palestine at home by a decisive 77-60 margin in their previous meeting back in January of 2024. Will Roncalli have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
