Spartans slay the ranked Dragons
The Connersville Spartans hosted the #10 Ranked 4-A New Palestine Dragons on Saturday evening. The game was a back-and-forth affair that the Spartans pulled out at the end. The Dragons are the second top ranked team the Spartans have beaten in a week. Coach Kerry Brown’s team looks primed to make a deep run in the 3-A tournament with the Spartan defense playing great and the CHS scorers getting open looks, they will be a tough out.
New Palestine got the first points of the game from Blaine Nunnally with two free throws. CHS scored next with a Braxton Myers basket and a Lucas Barron freebie. NP’s big man Ben Slagley scored the next field goal, then the Spartans went up by three after another Myers basket and a Gavin Pearson score making the score 7-4. NP scored twice in a row before Josh Williams finished the quarter with a basket that put CHS up 9-8.
An Ian Stephens three-pointer gave the Dragons a lead to start the second quarter, Barron tied the game up, but New Pal started a 6-1 run that put them up 17-12. Williams scored again for CHS, New Pal hit a pair of free throws, then the Spartans went on a 7-0 run with Williams, Myers, and Barron scoring to put Connersville up 21-19 midway through the frame. New Pal scored twice to regain the lead, but a Barron basket and freebie tied it back up. Slagley scored the final three-points of the half and the Dragons led at the break 27-24.
The third quarter featured several lead changes and ties with the Spartans scoring 16-points in the period and the Dragons scoring 12 over the eight minutes of play. Connersville led through three quarters 40-39. Myers scored the first four-points in the fourth quarter and the Spartans were up five. New Pal got three more points and so did Barron for CHS, the Spartans led with four minutes to go 47-42. CHS scored again then New Pal hit back-to-back, making it a three-point game. With just one minute remaining the Dragons were forced to foul, Myers went to the line and hit four of four in two trips down the court. The Dragons hit a three-pointer, then fouled Myers again, He again hit both shots. Nullany hit another deep shot, but Williams finished of the game going three of four on his foul shots and the Spartans won 58-52.
Myers led the Spartans in scoring with 20-points, Jo. Williams added 19, Barron 13, James Williams 4, Pearson 2.
Connersville moves to 15-4 on the season with the win and are riding a three-game win streak. The have three games remaining this season, Franklin County on 2/17, Lawrenceburg on 2/18, and Northeastern on 2/21.