New Albany Tops Terre Haute North 65-57, Advances to Class 4A Semistate Final

New Albany needed every bit of its fourth-quarter firepower to survive Terre Haute North Vigo at New Castle Fieldhouse on Saturday. The No. 9 Bulldogs outlasted the No. 7 Patriots 65-57 in the second semifinal of the Class 4A New Castle Semistate, booking a spot in the championship game against Mt. Vernon (Fortville) at 8 p.m.

Ashton McKee led New Albany with 23 points, while TJ Washington and Seth Winslow each added 11. Blake Hammond paced Terre Haute North with 22.

The Bulldogs controlled the first half, outscoring the Patriots 20-16 in the first quarter and 18-14 in the second. But Terre Haute North responded with a dominant third quarter, holding New Albany to just six points while scoring 16 of their own. That 16-2 run flipped the scoreboard and gave the Patriots the lead heading into the fourth.

New Albany reclaimed momentum almost immediately. A Karson Stoudemire layup in transition gave the Bulldogs a 46-45 lead with just over six minutes remaining. Terre Haute's Woelfle was sent to the bench with four fouls at the 5:07 mark, a development that further complicated the Patriots' closing options.

With 2:30 left and the score 52-50 in New Albany's favor, Nate Millington was whistled for an offensive foul, killing a Patriots possession at a critical moment. New Albany then converted: Seth Winslow drew an and-1 after a Terre Haute turnover to push the lead to 58-50 with 1:14 remaining. The Patriots answered with free throws to cut it to 58-53 with 50 seconds left, but New Albany closed it out, finishing the fourth quarter on a 21-11 run to seal the 65-57 final.

The Bulldogs, who entered at 23-5 on the season, now advance to face Mt. Vernon (Fortville) in the Class 4A New Castle Semistate championship.