NEW PARIS —The National Trail boys’ basketball team picked up its first win of the season, defeating Centerville (Indiana) 50-35, on Saturday, Dec. 19.
The Blazers used back-to-back three-pointers to end the first half on a 6-0 run, before starting the second half with an 8-3 run to take a 30-20 lead in the third quarter.
The third quarter ended after Dylan Haas grabbed an offensive rebound and kicked the ball out to Peyton Harrison, who knocked down a three-pointer to extend the Blazers’ lead to 11 before the start of the fourth quarter.
The Blazers closed the door early as they scored 11 of the first 13 points in the quarter, holding Centerville to just two points in the first seven minutes of the final frame.
Dalton Mason led the Blazers in scoring with 22 points and pulled down eight rebounds in the game.
Trail Head Coach Mike Harrison talked about his team’s willingness to feed the ball to his big man inside.
“We did a great job getting the ball inside and Dalton Mason was very efficient around the basket to provide us with a consistent scoring punch,” the coach said.
The Blazers out-rebounded the visitors by 14, with National Trail grabbing 36 compared to Centerville’s 22.
Peyton Harrison scored 14 points and Kaleb Deardorff led the team with 11 rebounds.
“The young kids have been working hard all year and it is great to see those efforts pay off in the win column,” Harrison said of his young team. “We have to keep focusing on playing the game the right way and more nights will fall our way as we continue to grow together.”
The team battled with Middletown Christian earlier in the week on Tuesday, Dec. 15, and fell 45-40.
The Blazers took an early lead and led after the first quarter, 11-9.
Middletown Christian however turned up the defense pressure and held the Blazers to just five points in the second quarter while the visitors took a 19-16 lead heading into halftime.
The Eagles caught fire in third quarter, scoring 18 points, after only scoring 19 in the first half. The score was tied 23-23 when the Eagles’ offense started a 14-3 run to end the quarter and grab an 11-point lead.
The Blazers started the fourth with a 10-0 run and were back in game, but were unable to grab the lead as Middletown Christian went on to win 45-40.
Peyton Harrison had 17 points, including five three-pointers. Mason had 11 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Travis Hunt added five assists.
The Blazers are now 1-6 and were scheduled to travel to Miami East on Tuesday, Dec. 22.
