PENDLETON — Pendleton Heights boys basketball could not avenge the earlier girls loss to New Palestine, leaving the Dragons boys with HHC dreams of their own after defeating the Arabians 71-65 in the second game of a doubleheader on Friday.
It appeared as if the Dragons would run away with this one, as the score at the end of the first quarter was 19-5, but Pendleton Heights would not go away quietly.
“After we got down 22-5 I felt like we relaxed and played good basketball,” Arabian coach Kevin Bates said.
“It was nice seeing the shots fall in the first quarter,” Dragons coach Trent Whitaker said afterward. “But it’s always tough playing here, so we knew they would come back at us.”
The Arabians pulled together a 23-point second quarter to end the half four points behind the Dragons.
“Tristen Spinks did a great job for us in the first half. As a team we only had eight turnovers, and five of them were on offensive fouls, so I felt we handled the ball really good,” Bates said.
The shots were certainly falling for Dragons senior guard Matthew True, who finished 5-6 from the 3-point line en route to a game-leading 22 points.
But once the Arabians began to come back, it was behind the front court duo of Tristan Ross and Damieon Warrum, who combined for 35 points. Warrum had 16 points in the contest, while Ross pumped in a team high of 19.
“We did a great job of finding the open player and making scoring plays. New Pal just made more plays than we did,” Bates said.
“I give a lot of credit to our kids,” Bates said. “They never gave up, and kept fighting. But we’ve had a lot of games like this one tonight, where we just start out behind.”
Things were looking a bit dicey for the Dragons in the third and fourth quarters. In the third, the Arabians cut the lead to 34-33.
But the Dragons then made nine of their next 10 shots to counter each and every basket the Arabians were making and take a six-point lead into the final quarter.
Ross and Warrum kept battling, though, and the game was tied 62-62 with three minutes remaining. Matthew True then stepped in with a dagger 3 and two free throws to give New Palestine the breathing room it would need to close out the win.
“They are a very good team, and I thought we played them very tough,” Bates said. “I was very proud of our effort, fight, and our team tonight.
“It comes down to confidence,” Bates said. “We play great after making a tough shot or making a hustle play. If we can play with that enthusiasm in the first quarter of games, then we can get where we want to go.”
Because of the heavy snow over the weekend, the game with Shelbyville was canceled. The Arabians (4-9) played at Delta Wednesday, Jan. 16 (after press time), and face University High School at home Friday, Jan. 18.
