Anxious would be the best word to describe the Noblesville Millers prior to their semifinal matchup with Fishers. As fans walked through the doors, they were in the hall outside the gym, almost greeting everyone that came in. With the crazy, snowy weather that has hit Central Indiana lately, mix in after work traffic on 86th street from 5:00 on and that equaled Fishers' bus being late.
Friday's first semifinal between two ranked teams was put on hold until around 6:25. The much longer than anticipated bus ride must have given Fishers the right mental preparations. The Tigers got off the bus and were into the locker room and back out with their warm-ups on in fast fashion. They kept this speed up throughout the entire game, like they all drank some caffeine on the ride to North Central. To say the least, Fishers wanted revenge on Noblesville and that's exactly what they got in a 58-43 drubbing of the Millers to advance to the Sectional Championship on Saturday.
4A #14 Fishers 58, 4A #15 Noblesville 43 (Sectional Semifinal at North Central)
Millers 9 10 8 16 -- 43
Tigers 12 16 21 9 -- 58
Fishers' quest to get revenge from their 48-46 home loss to Noblesville was written all over their faces from the start. A tight game from the start, the Millers knew that this would be a full-on sprint to the finish.
Senior Alex Hochstedler got things started with a quick bucket for the Tigers, but we were tied 2-2 right away at the other end with Kayleigh Herron slashing and driving her way through the lane for two.
Noblesville was able to force a couple turnovers and turned those into points off turnovers. Fast break layups by Alexis Shannon and Cori Cain gave the Millers a 6-2 lead on a 6-0 run, forcing Fishers head coach Michael Gaines to burn a timeout.
Just out of the timeout, the Tigers seemed pretty poised. Hochstedler brought in back to a one possession game with a basket, leaving Noblesville up 6-4. Then, Kara Gerka got herself into a groove, scoring 5 consecutive points to put Fishers up 9-6 with 0:55 left in the first.
The Millers were able to tie it up again when Kayleigh Herron dropped a pass down to Erin Wood for a soft layup. Wood was fouled by Hochstedler and made the free throw for a 9-9 tie. Fishers had enough time on their next trip down the court to set up the perfect play. Hochstedler swished a three as time expired, giving she and her Tigers a 12-9 edge after one.
It didn't take long for the Millers to knot things up again. Kayleigh Herron found a seam in the Tiger defense and sliced her way for a layup and managed to get fouled. The 5'5 junior point guard got the and-1, sinking the attempt from the charity stripe and we were tied 12-12.
The next Tiger possession, Gerka was fouled, making just 1 of 2 for a 13-12 lead. Fishers' lead grew to 18-14 and 21-14 on consecutive makes from three by Brooke Sugg and Hochstedler. Point guard Adrianna Murphy knocked down two points for a 23-14 lead.
Kayleigh Herron knocked down a three to bring it back to a two possession game, 23-17. Gerka added another score for her 8th point of the first half and the Tigers now led 25-17. Cori Cain made her way to the basket for a layup with 1:36 left until halftime, hoping to keep it at that six-point deficit. Just at the right time, Murphy caught a pass, made a move and launched a trey that swished at the buzzer.
Two quarters, two buzzer-beater shots. Fishers now had a 28-19 lead and a big surge of momentum heading into the locker room.
After halftime, things went from bad to worse for the Millers. Fishers wasted no time in tacking more points on the scoreboard. Brooke Sugg nailed a three on the Tigers' first possession of the third for a 31-19. Fishers' lead grew to its biggest of the game at the end of the third at 49-27. This was the second quarter in a row that Adrianna Murphy hit a buzzer-beating three. Murphy's three gave Fishers the momentum it needed.
They held Noblesville to single digits twice in three quarters, which hasn't been done in quite some time, the Millers were held to just 8.
Fishers (19-4) cruised from there despite being outscored 16-9 by the Millers in the final quarter. Senior all-state candidate Alex Hochstedler led all scorers with a game-high 18 points on six field goals, three from outside the arc. Kara Gerka (14) and Brooke Sugg (10) were both also able to get into double-figures.
Noblesville finished their season with its best record (16-5) since the 2001-02 campaign when then-head coach Leah Wooldridge led the Millers to an 18-3 final mark.
The Millers were led in scoring by junior guard Cori Cain with 9 points. Kayleigh Herron, Alexis Shannon and Erin Wood all three were second with 8 points apiece. Jessica Kiser finished with 4 points in the final high school game of her four-year varsity career. Brooke Herron and Katelyn O'Reilly rounded out the Noblesville numbers, tallying 3 each.
The Tigers earned themselves a berth in the 4A Sectional 8 Championship game against Hoosier Crossroads Conference foe Westfield. The Shamrocks narrowly edged another HCC rival in Hamilton Southeastern in the second semifinal on Friday, 44-40.
The Tigers were able to slide past Westfield for their first ever sectional championship, 46-34. Fishers (20-4) will play this Saturday in the Kokomo Regional. The #14 Tigers meet up with the #4 Homestead Spartans (23-1) at 10 a.m. for the right to play for the title that night against the winner of Carroll (Allen) (10-12) and the #7 Logansport Berries (22-2).
As per usual, thank you for reading my season-long blog about Noblesville Miller girls basketball! We all wish that the season would have extended longer than it did, but what a great season it was! Stay tuned for my final blog of the season, as I recap this 2013-14 season (16-5, 7-2 HCC), Donna Keck's best yet at the helm of the Millers!
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
IHSAA Girls State Tournament: Class 4A predictions
CLASS 4A
Sectional 1 (at Lowell)
Tuesday:
Hammond Morton over East Chicago Central
Wednesday:
#10 Lake Central over Highland
Gary West Side over Munster
Friday:
Lowell over Hammond Morton
#10 Lake Central over Gary West Side
Championship: #10 LAKE CENTRAL over Lowell
Sectional 2 (at Hobart)
Tuesday:
Crown Point over Portage
#6 LaPorte over Hobart
Wednesday:
Chesterton over Michigan City
#13 Merrillville over Valparaiso
Friday:
#6 LaPorte over Crown Point
#13 Merrillville over Chesterton
Championship: #6 LaPORTE over #13 Merrillville
Sectional 3 (at South Bend Clay)
Tuesday:
#4 Penn over South Bend Riley
Wednesday:
#12 Mishawaka over South Bend Washington
Plymouth over South Bend Clay
Friday:
#4 Penn over South Bend Adams
#12 Mishawaka over Plymouth
Championship: #4 PENN over #12 Mishawaka
Sectional 4 (at Northridge)
Tuesday:
Warsaw over Elkhart Memorial
Concord over Elkhart Central
Friday:
Northridge over Warsaw
Goshen over Concord
Championship: NORTHRIDGE over Goshen
Sectional 5 (at Fort Wayne Northrop)
Tuesday:
East Noble over Fort Wayne Northrop
DeKalb over Carroll (Allen)
Friday:
East Noble over Fort Wayne Snider
DeKalb over Fort Wayne North
Championship: EAST NOBLE over DeKalb
Sectional 6 (at Fort Wayne South)
Tuesday:
#5 Homestead over Fort Wayne Wayne
Friday:
Fort Wayne South over Jay County
#4 Homestead over Huntington North
Championship: #4 HOMESTEAD over Fort Wayne South
Sectional 7 (at Logansport)
Tuesday:
Marion over Lafayette Jeff
#7 Logansport over McCutcheon
Friday:
Kokomo over Marion
#7 Logansport over Harrison (West Lafayette)
Championship: #7 LOGANSPORT over Kokomo
Sectional 8 (at North Central)
Tuesday:
#14 Fishers over Zionsville
Wednesday:
Hamilton Southeastern over Carmel
Westfield over North Central
Friday:
#15 Noblesville over #14 Fishers
Westfield over Hamilton Southeastern
Championship: #15 NOBLESVILLE over Westfield
SOUTH
Sectional 9 (at Connersville)
Tuesday:
Mt. Vernon (Fortville) over Greenfield-Central
Wednesday:
New Castle over Pendleton Heights
Anderson over Richmond
Friday:
Mt. Vernon (Fortville) over Connersville
Anderson over New Castle
Championship: MT. VERNON (FORTVILLE) over Anderson
Sectional 10 (at Indianapolis Arsenal Tech)
Tuesday:
#9 Indianapolis Roncalli over Lawrence Central
#1 Lawrence North over Indianapolis Cathedral
Friday:
#9 Indianapolis Roncalli over Indianapolis Arsenal Tech
#1 Lawrence North over Warren Central
Championship: #1 LAWRENCE NORTH over #9 Indianapolis Roncalli
Sectional 11 (at Pike)
Tuesday:
Perry Meridian over Decatur Central
Pike over Southport
Friday:
Perry Meridian over Indianapolis Northwest
Pike over Ben Davis
Championship: PIKE over Perry Meridian
Sectional 12 (at Terre Haute North)
Tuesday:
Terre Haute North over Martinsville
Wednesday:
Brownsburg over Avon
Plainfield over Terre Haute South
Friday:
#8 Mooresville over Terry Haute North
Brownsburg over Plainfield
Championship: #8 MOORESVILLE over Brownsburg
Sectional 13 (at Whiteland)
Tuesday:
#7 Center Grove over #16 Franklin Central
Greenwood over Whiteland
Friday:
#7 Center Grove over Franklin
Greenwood over New Palestine
Championship: #7 CENTER GROVE over Greenwood
Sectional 14 (at Bloomington South)
Tuesday:
East Central over Bloomington South
#3 Columbus North over Shelbyville
Friday:
East Central over Bloomington North
#3 Columbus North over Columbus East
Championship: #3 COLUMBUS NORTH over East Central
Sectional 15 (at Jennings County)
Tuesday:
Seymour over New Albany
#2 Bedford North Lawrence over Floyd Central
Friday:
Jeffersonville over Seymour
#2 Bedford North Lawrence over Jennings County
Championship: #2 BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE over Jeffersonville
Sectional 16 (at Evansville Central)
Tuesday:
Evansville Central over Evansville Reitz
Friday:
Castle over Evansville North
Evansville Central over Evansville Harrison
Championship: EVANSVILLE CENTRAL over Castle
IHSAA Girls State Tournament: Class 3A predictions
CLASS 3A
Sectional 17 (at Griffith)
Tuesday:
Griffith over Lighthouse CPA
Wednesday:
Gary Wallace over Hammond Gavit
Hammond Clark over Gary Roosevelt
Friday:
Griffith over Hammond
Hammond Clark over Gary Wallace
Championship: GRIFFITH over Hammond Clark
Sectional 18 (at Hanover Central)
Tuesday:
Wheeler over Knox
Wednesday:
Andrean over Calumet
Hanover Central over New Prairie
Friday:
Kankakee Valley over Wheeler
Hanover Central over Andrean
Championship: Kankakee Valley over Hanover Central
Sectional 19 (at John Glenn)
Tuesday:
#13 South Bend St. Joe's over Culver Academy
John Glenn over Rochester
Friday:
#13 South Bend St. Joe's over Jimtown
John Glenn over Mishawaka Marian
Championship: JOHN GLENN over #13 South Bend St. Joe's
Sectional 20 (at Western)
Tuesday:
West Lafayette over Twin Lakes
Wednesday:
Northwestern over Peru
#6 Western over Maconaquah
Friday:
#8 Benton Central over West Lafayette
#6 Western over Northwestern
Championship: #6 WESTERN over #8 Benton Central
Sectional 21 (at Northwood)
Tuesday:
Whitko over West Noble
Wednesday:
Fairfield over Tippecanoe Valley
#11 Northwood over Wawasee
Friday:
Whitko over Lakeland
#11 Northwood over Fairfield
Championship: #11 Northwood over Whitko
Sectional 22 (at Garrett)
Tuesday:
#3 Garrett over Angola
Wednesday:
#10 Fort Wayne Luers over #5 Fort Wayne Concordia
New Haven over Fort Wayne Dwenger
Friday:
#3 Garrett over Leo
#10 Fort Wayne Luers over New Haven
Championship: #3 GARRETT over #10 Fort Wayne Luers
Sectional 23 (at Bellmont)
Tuesday:
#12 Norwell over Bellmont
Eastbrook over Columbia City
Friday:
#12 Norwell over Heritage
Eastbrook over Mississinewa
Championship: #12 NORWELL over Eastbrook
Sectional 24 (at Blackford)
Tuesday:
Delta over Muncie South
Muncie Central over Blackford
Friday:
Hamilton Heights over Delta
Muncie Central over Yorktown
Championship: Muncie Central over Hamilton Heights
SOUTH
Sectional 25 (at Western Boone)
Tuesday:
#16 Lebanon over North Montgomery
Friday:
#15 Western Boone over Crawfordsville
#16 Lebanon over Frankfort
Championship: #15 Western Boone over #16 Lebanon
Sectional 26 (at Brebeuf Jesuit)
Tuesday:
#14 Indianapolis Chatard over Brebeuf Jesuit
Friday:
Guerin Catholic over Indianapolis Marshall
#14 Indianapolis Chatard over Indianapolis Herron
Championship: #14 INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD over Guerin Catholic
Sectional 27 (at Danville)
Tuesday:
Danville over Greencastle
Friday:
Tri-West over Beech Grove
Danville over Indian Creek
Championship: TRI-WEST over Danville
Sectional 28 (at West Vigo)
Tuesday:
Brown County over Edgewood
Friday:
West Vigo over Owen Valley
Brown County over Northview
Championship: BROWN COUNTY over West Vigo
Sectional 29 (at Rushville)
Tuesday:
Lawrenceburg over Franklin County
Batesville over Greensburg
Friday:
#4 Rushville over Lawrenceburg
Batesville over South Dearborn
Championship: #4 RUSHVILLE over Batesville
Sectional 30 (at Charlestown)
Tuesday:
Scottsburg over North Harrison
Brownstown Central over Charlestown
Wednesday:
Salem over Silver Creek
#7 Madison over Corydon Central
Friday:
Brownstown Central over Scottsburg
#7 Madison over Salem
Championship: BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL over #7 Madison
Sectional 31 (at Vincennes Lincoln)
Tuesday:
Vincennes Lincoln over Heritage Hills
Wednesday:
Southridge over Jasper
#9 Washington over Pike Central
Friday:
Vincennes Lincoln over Mitchell
#9 Washington over Southridge
Championship: #9 WASHINGTON over Vincennes Lincoln
Sectional 32 (at Boonville)
Tuesday:
#2 Evansville Mater Dei over Mt. Vernon (Posey)
Wednesday:
Boonville over Evansville Memorial
#1 Princeton over Gibson Southern
Friday:
#2 Evansville Mater Dei over Evansville Bosse
#1 Princeton over Boonville
Championship: #2 EVANSVILLE MATER DEI over #1 Princeton
IHSAA Girls State Tournament: Class 2A predictions
CLASS 2A
NORTH
Sectional 33 (at Whiting)
Tuesday:
#6 Hammond Noll over Hebron
Wednesday:
Bowman Academy over Lake Station
Whiting over River Forest
Friday:
#6 Hammond Noll over Boone Grove
Bowman Academy over Whiting
Championship: #6 HAMMOND NOLL over Bowman Academy
Sectional 34 (at Winamac)
Tuesday:
Delphi over Rensselaer Central
Friday:
North Judson over North Newton
Winamac over Delphi
Championship: WINAMAC over North Judson
Sectional 35 (at Central Noble)
Tuesday:
LaVille over Bremen
Fremont over Central Noble
Friday:
#12 Westview over LaVille
Fremont over Prairie Heights
Championship: #12 WESTVIEW over Fremont
Sectional 36 (at Bluffton)
Tuesday:
South Adams over Woodlan
Wednesday:
Churubusco over Bluffton
#3 Fort Wayne Canterbury over Adams Central
Friday:
South Adams over Eastside
#3 Fort Wayne Canterbury over Churubusco
Championship: #3 FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY over South Adams
Sectional 37 (at Northfield)
Tuesday:
Southwood over North Miami
Wednesday:
#8 Oak Hill over Manchester
Northfield over Lewis Cass
Friday:
#4 Wabash over Southwood
#8 Oak Hill over Northfield
Championship: #4 WABASH over #8 Oak Hill
Sectional 38 (at Southmont)
Tuesday:
Southmont over Riverton Parke
South Vermillion over Clinton Central
Friday:
#19 Seeger over Southmont
Fountain Central over South Vermillion
Championship: #19 SEEGER over Fountain Central
Sectional 39 (at Elwood)
Tuesday:
#5 Tipton over Eastern (Greentown)
Wednesday:
Alexandria over Madison-Grant
#14 Elwood over Taylor
Friday:
#5 Tipton over Sheridan
#14 Elwood over Alexandria
Championship: #5 TIPTON over #14 Elwood
Sectional 40 (at Shenandoah)
Tuesday:
#10 Lapel over Winchester
Wapahani over Frankton
Friday:
#10 Lapel over Shenandoah
Wapahani over Muncie Burris
Championship: #10 LAPEL over Wapahani
SOUTH
Sectional 41 (at Eastern Hancock)
Tuesday:
Knightstown over Union County
Wednesday:
Hagerstown over Centerville
#7 Eastern Hancock over Cambridge City Lincoln
Friday:
Knightstown over Northeastern
#7 Eastern Hancock over Hagerstown
Championship: #7 EASTERN HANCOCK over Knightstown
Sectional 42 (at Indianapolis Howe)
Tuesday:
#1 Heritage Christian over Indianapolis Shortridge
Indianapolis Scecina over Park Tudor
Friday:
#1 Heritage Christian over Indianapolis Howe
Indianapolis Scecina over Indianapolis Broad Ripple
Championship: #1 HERITAGE CHRISTIAN over Indianapolis Scecina
Sectional 43 (at Indianapolis Manual)
Tuesday:
Triton Central over Indianapolis Crispus Attucks
#2 Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter over Indianapolis Washington
Friday:
Triton Central over Irvington Prep Academy
#2 Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter over Indianapolis Manual
Championship: #2 INDIANAPOLIS CARDINAL RITTER over Triton Central
Sectional 44 (at Speedway)
Tuesday:
Monrovia over North Putnam
Wednesday:
Cloverdale over South Putnam
Speedway over #15 Covenant Christian
Tuesday:
Monrovia over North Putnam
Wednesday:
Cloverdale over South Putnam
Speedway over #15 Covenant Christian
Friday:
Cascade over Monrovia
Speedway over Cloverdale
Championship: SPEEDWAY over Cascade
Sectional 45 (at Milan)
Tuesday:
Switzerland County over Milan
#18 Austin over North Decatur
Friday:
Switzerland County over Southwestern (Hanover)
#18 Austin over South Ripley
Championship: SWITZERLAND COUNTY over #18 Austin
Sectional 46 (at Eastern-Pekin)
Tuesday:
#16 Paoli over Henryville
Crawford County over Clarksville
Friday:
Providence over #16 Paoli
#17 Eastern (Pekin) over Crawford County
Championship: PROVIDENCE over #17 Eastern (Pekin)
Sectional 47 (at North Knox)
Tuesday:
Eastern Greene over South Knox
Sullivan over Linton-Stockton
Friday:
North Central (Farmersburg) over Eastern Greene
#11 North Knox over Sullivan
Championship: #11 NORTH KNOX over North Central (Farmersburg)
Sectional 48 (at Forest Park)
Tuesday:
#13 North Posey over Perry Central
Friday:
Tell City over South Spencer
#13 North Posey over #20 Forest Park
Championship: #13 NORTH POSEY over Tell City
Cascade over Monrovia
Speedway over Cloverdale
Championship: SPEEDWAY over Cascade
Sectional 45 (at Milan)
Tuesday:
Switzerland County over Milan
#18 Austin over North Decatur
Friday:
Switzerland County over Southwestern (Hanover)
#18 Austin over South Ripley
Championship: SWITZERLAND COUNTY over #18 Austin
Sectional 46 (at Eastern-Pekin)
Tuesday:
#16 Paoli over Henryville
Crawford County over Clarksville
Friday:
Providence over #16 Paoli
#17 Eastern (Pekin) over Crawford County
Championship: PROVIDENCE over #17 Eastern (Pekin)
Sectional 47 (at North Knox)
Tuesday:
Eastern Greene over South Knox
Sullivan over Linton-Stockton
Friday:
North Central (Farmersburg) over Eastern Greene
#11 North Knox over Sullivan
Championship: #11 NORTH KNOX over North Central (Farmersburg)
Sectional 48 (at Forest Park)
Tuesday:
#13 North Posey over Perry Central
Friday:
Tell City over South Spencer
#13 North Posey over #20 Forest Park
Championship: #13 NORTH POSEY over Tell City
IHSAA Girls State Tournament: Class 1A predictions
CLASS 1A
NORTH
Sectional 49 (at Kouts)
Tuesday:
Washington Township over Covenant Christian (DeMotte)
Wednesday:
Morgan Township over Gary 21st Century
Kouts over Westville
Friday:
Washington Township over Michigan City Marquette Catholic
Morgan Township over Kouts
Championship: MORGAN TOWNSHIP over Washington Township
Sectional 50 (at West Central)
Tuesday:
North White over South Newton
Caston over Pioneer
Friday:
#5 West Central over North White
Caston over Tri-County
Championship: #5 WEST CENTRAL over Caston
Sectional 51 (at Triton)
Tuesday:
#1 Oregon-Davis over #12 South Central (Union Mills)
Triton over Lacrosse
Friday:
#1 Oregon-Davis over #10 Culver
Triton over Argos
Championship: #1 OREGON-DAVIS over Triton
Sectional 52 (at Hamilton)
Tuesday:
Bethany Christian over Lakewood Park
Wednesday:
Elkhart Christian over Hamilton
Lakeland Christian over Howe School
Friday:
Bethany Christian over Fort Wayne Blackhawk
Elkhart Christian over Lakeland Christian
Championship: BETHANY CHRISTIAN over Elkhart Christian
Sectional 53 (at North Vermillion)
Tuesday:
#3 Attica over #7 Lafayette Central Catholic
North Vermillion over Turkey Run
Friday:
#3 Attica over Covington
North Vermillion over Rockville
Championship: #3 ATTICA over North Vermillion
Sectional 54 (at Rossville)
Tuesday:
Tri-Central over Rossville
Carroll (Flora) over Frontier
Friday:
Clinton Prairie over Tri-Central
Carroll (Flora) over Faith Christian
Championship: CARROLL (FLORA) over Clinton Prairie
Sectional 55 (at Southern Wells)
Tuesday:
Cowan over Daleville
Monroe Central over Liberty Christian
Friday:
Southern Wells over Cowan
Monroe Central over Wes-Del
Championship: SOUTHERN WELLS over Monroe Central
Sectional 56 (at Randolph Southern)
Tuesday:
#11 Tri over Union City
Randolph Southern over Blue River
Friday:
#11 Tri over Seton Catholic
Randolph Southern over Union (Modoc)
Championship: RANDOLPH SOUTHERN over #11 Tri
SOUTH
Sectional 57 (at Clay City)
Tuesday:
Shakamak over Bloomfield
Union (Dugger) over Eminence
Friday:
Shakamak over Clay City
White River Valley over Union (Dugger)
Championship: WHITE RIVER VALLEY over Shakamak
Sectional 58 (at Bethesda Christian)
Tuesday:
Indiana Deaf over Indianapolis Tindley
Indianapolis International over University
Wednesday:
Bethesda Christian over Indianapolis Metropolitan
Fall Creek Academy over Indiana Math & Science
Friday:
Indiana Deaf over Indianapolis International
Bethesda Christian over Fall Creek Academy
Championship: BETHESDA CHRISTIAN over Indiana Deaf
Sectional 59 (at Morristown)
Tuesday:
Indianapolis Lutheran over Baptist Academy
Edinburgh over Greenwood Christian
Wednesday:
#2 Southwestern (Shelbyville) over Waldron
Morristown over Indianapolis Arlington
Friday:
Indianapolis Lutheran over Edinburgh
#2 Southwestern (Shelbyville) over Morristown
Championship: #2 SOUTHWESTERN (SHELBYVILLE) over Indianapolis Lutheran
Sectional 60 (at Jac-Cen-Del)
Tuesday:
Oldenburg Academy over Hauser
South Decatur over Shawe Memorial
Friday:
#8 Jac-Cen-Del over Oldenburg Academy
South Decatur over Rising Sun
Championship: #8 JAC-CEN-DEL
Sectional 61 (at Orleans)
Tuesday:
Orleans over Crothersville
West Washington over Springs Valley
Friday:
Trinity Lutheran over Orleans
West Washington over Medora
Championship: TRINITY LUTHERAN over West Washington
Sectional 62 (at New Washington)
Tuesday:
Lanesville over Rock Creek Academy
New Washington over South Central (Elizabeth)
Friday:
#9 Borden over Lanesville
New Washington over Christian Academy
Championship: #9 BORDEN over New Washington
Sectional 63 (at Loogootee)
Tuesday:
Shoals over Washington Catholic
#6 Barr-Reeve over Loogootee
Friday:
#4 Vincennes Rivet over Shoals
#6 Barr-Reeve over North Daviess
Championship: #4 VINCENNES RIVET over #6 Barr-Reeve
Sectional 64 (at Wood Memorial)
Friday:
Northeast Dubois over Cannelton
#13 Wood Memorial over Tecumseh
Championship: NORTHEAST DUBOIS over #13 Wood Memorial
4A #14 Millers route Harrison in Kiser's final game at The Mill
It was a game that had been postponed twice because of the different snow storms that have hampered travel for activities and just made things a little more difficult than the usual winter. First, it was originally scheduled for Thursday, January 9 and then was pushed to Monday, January 27th, both of which were obviously postponed due to weather. Finally, the Harrison vs. Noblesville girls game was re-scheduled for a date that snow wasn't involved! This past Friday, February 7th, the two met at The Mill in Noblesville as the first game of a girls/boys doubleheader.
It was the regular season finale and a tune-up for sectionals next week at North Central, but more importantly, it was the final time that 5'9 senior four-year varsity player Jessica Kiser would play at The Mill.
Kiser is one of those players who has had quite an impact on the Noblesville Millers girls basketball program, both on and off the court. Her teammates look up to her and her attitude is contagious. She's the lone senior graduating from a team that will by vying for the Class 4A Sectional 8 championship this week and looks to make a run past sectionals. Jessica Kiser will be missed once this basketball season comes to an end, but the Millers don't plan on ending the 2013-14 campaign yet!
4A #14 Noblesville 63, Harrison (West Lafayette) 38 (at The Mill - Noblesville)
Raiders 7 15 9 7 -- 38
Millers 18 15 15 15 -- 63
The Millers started off on a 6-0 run in the first couple minutes, thanks in big part to 4 from Alexis Shannon, the second basket coming from a steal near mid-court.
Super sub freshman Brooke Herron was the first off the bench and made an early impact. Joining her older sister Kayleigh in the backcourt, Brooke took a pass from KH and knocked down a three for a 10-5 NHS lead. Minutes later, the younger Herron dished down low to Katelyn O'Reilly to double up the Raiders 14-7. The next trip up the court, Kiser got fouled while banking a layup, but missed the free throw. The Millers led after one, 18-7.
Harrison 5'11 senior Autumn Ringen did what she could to bring she and her Raider teammates back to within striking distance. Ringen showed that she wasn't afraid to shoot, scoring 11 of her team-high 14 in the second, highlighted by three baskets from three-point land. Her efforts helped Harrison trail 33-22 at halftime.
If it was consistency that head coach Donna Keck was looking for, that's what she got from her Millers. Each of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters, Noblesville scored 15 per quarter to really pull away from Harrison.
Noblesville extended its lead to 17 by the end of the 3rd, 48-31. Kiser, O'Reilly and Cori Cain combined for the Millers' 15 in the third.
The 4th was somewhat of a quiet quarter that Noblesville took 15-7, but the highlights of the 4th didn't happen until the final couple minutes. Keck had emptied her bench so that everyone got the chance to play. One particular player decided to make the most of her few minutes of action. 6'0 sophomore Haley Conway knocked down a couple three-pointers from the top of the key for a quick 6 for Conway. Those treys capped off a great Friday night for Noblesville and an outstanding regular season, 63-38 over Harrison, in the final meeting between the Hoosier Crossroads Conference foes. Harrison (West Lafayette) will be moving on to the North Central Conference in the fall of 2014.
Harrison (7-13, 3-6 HCC) was led in scoring by Autumn Ringen with 14 points on five field goals, four being three-pointers. Maren McCarty chipped in 6 off the bench, while Claire Muller and Maya Mengler each added 4.
The Raiders got a similar sectional draw like that of the Millers. Harrison will be playing the 4A Sectional 7 tournament at Logansport. They also drew the bye, one of two at Logansport. The winner of Tuesday night's Logansport (19-2) vs. McCutcheon (11-10) matchup will face Harrison in the second game on Friday nights at the home of the Berries.
Noblesville (16-4, 7-2 HCC) finished in a three-way tie for second place in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference with Westfield and Fishers.
The Millers were led in scoring in this regular season finale by Katelyn O'Reilly's 13 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. Erin Wood also found herself in double digits with 10. Wood also blocked two shots and stole a couple Raider passes. Alexis Shannon (3 steals), Cori Cain (2 steals) and Brooke Herron (4 assists) all added 8 points each. Haley Conway knocked down a pair of treys for her 6 and Jessica Kiser had 6 while dishing out two assists and adding a couple steals to her credit in her final game at The Mill.
Noblesville got a great draw in the 4A Sectional 8 tournament at North Central. The Millers will play in the bye game against the winner of tonight's lone game. Zionsville (7-13) is pitted against Fishers (17-4) with a rematch with Noblesville on the line. The season continues for Noblesville against the winner of the Eagles and Tigers this Friday night at 6 p.m. at North Central.
It was the regular season finale and a tune-up for sectionals next week at North Central, but more importantly, it was the final time that 5'9 senior four-year varsity player Jessica Kiser would play at The Mill.
Kiser is one of those players who has had quite an impact on the Noblesville Millers girls basketball program, both on and off the court. Her teammates look up to her and her attitude is contagious. She's the lone senior graduating from a team that will by vying for the Class 4A Sectional 8 championship this week and looks to make a run past sectionals. Jessica Kiser will be missed once this basketball season comes to an end, but the Millers don't plan on ending the 2013-14 campaign yet!
4A #14 Noblesville 63, Harrison (West Lafayette) 38 (at The Mill - Noblesville)
Raiders 7 15 9 7 -- 38
Millers 18 15 15 15 -- 63
The Millers started off on a 6-0 run in the first couple minutes, thanks in big part to 4 from Alexis Shannon, the second basket coming from a steal near mid-court.
Super sub freshman Brooke Herron was the first off the bench and made an early impact. Joining her older sister Kayleigh in the backcourt, Brooke took a pass from KH and knocked down a three for a 10-5 NHS lead. Minutes later, the younger Herron dished down low to Katelyn O'Reilly to double up the Raiders 14-7. The next trip up the court, Kiser got fouled while banking a layup, but missed the free throw. The Millers led after one, 18-7.
Harrison 5'11 senior Autumn Ringen did what she could to bring she and her Raider teammates back to within striking distance. Ringen showed that she wasn't afraid to shoot, scoring 11 of her team-high 14 in the second, highlighted by three baskets from three-point land. Her efforts helped Harrison trail 33-22 at halftime.
If it was consistency that head coach Donna Keck was looking for, that's what she got from her Millers. Each of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters, Noblesville scored 15 per quarter to really pull away from Harrison.
Noblesville extended its lead to 17 by the end of the 3rd, 48-31. Kiser, O'Reilly and Cori Cain combined for the Millers' 15 in the third.
The 4th was somewhat of a quiet quarter that Noblesville took 15-7, but the highlights of the 4th didn't happen until the final couple minutes. Keck had emptied her bench so that everyone got the chance to play. One particular player decided to make the most of her few minutes of action. 6'0 sophomore Haley Conway knocked down a couple three-pointers from the top of the key for a quick 6 for Conway. Those treys capped off a great Friday night for Noblesville and an outstanding regular season, 63-38 over Harrison, in the final meeting between the Hoosier Crossroads Conference foes. Harrison (West Lafayette) will be moving on to the North Central Conference in the fall of 2014.
Harrison (7-13, 3-6 HCC) was led in scoring by Autumn Ringen with 14 points on five field goals, four being three-pointers. Maren McCarty chipped in 6 off the bench, while Claire Muller and Maya Mengler each added 4.
The Raiders got a similar sectional draw like that of the Millers. Harrison will be playing the 4A Sectional 7 tournament at Logansport. They also drew the bye, one of two at Logansport. The winner of Tuesday night's Logansport (19-2) vs. McCutcheon (11-10) matchup will face Harrison in the second game on Friday nights at the home of the Berries.
Noblesville (16-4, 7-2 HCC) finished in a three-way tie for second place in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference with Westfield and Fishers.
The Millers were led in scoring in this regular season finale by Katelyn O'Reilly's 13 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. Erin Wood also found herself in double digits with 10. Wood also blocked two shots and stole a couple Raider passes. Alexis Shannon (3 steals), Cori Cain (2 steals) and Brooke Herron (4 assists) all added 8 points each. Haley Conway knocked down a pair of treys for her 6 and Jessica Kiser had 6 while dishing out two assists and adding a couple steals to her credit in her final game at The Mill.
Noblesville got a great draw in the 4A Sectional 8 tournament at North Central. The Millers will play in the bye game against the winner of tonight's lone game. Zionsville (7-13) is pitted against Fishers (17-4) with a rematch with Noblesville on the line. The season continues for Noblesville against the winner of the Eagles and Tigers this Friday night at 6 p.m. at North Central.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
4A#1 Lawrence North defends home court, gives 4A #14 Noblesville 72-51 setback
4A #1 Lawrence North 72, 4A #14 Noblesville 51 (at Lawrence North)
Millers 16 8 14 13 -- 51
Wildcats 16 22 19 15 -- 72
It was pretty obvious right away that Noblesville was not intimidated one bit that they were playing the #1 team in the state of Indiana in their second to last regular season game on Thursday, February 6. The Millers held their own, for the most part, but Lawrence North's speed and finesse (at times) would get the best of Noblesville and the host Wildcats held true to their #1 ranking with a 72-51 victory, halting the Millers' 7-game winning streak.
Noblesville caught Lawrence North slightly off guard to start the game. Keeping it at a back-and-forth, chess match sort of pace in the first half of the first quarter, the Millers found ways to agitate the Wildcats.
With 4:10 left in the 1st, LN's lead was cut to 8-7 with two Erin Wood free throws. Quickly back down to the other end of the court, University of Cincinnati signee Ana Owens knocked down a trey for an 11-7 Lawrence North edge.
After an Alexis Shannon basket, Wood got a pass from Kayleigh Herron to tie it at 11. Owens and Jordan Hankins scored the next 5 for a five-point cushion, 16-11. The Millers jetted back down and worked on their inside-out game, with Katelyn O'Reilly dishing out to Brooke Herron for a three to trail just 16-14. Then, after a steal, the younger Herron (Brooke) laid the ball off the glass and just like that, it was tied at the end of the first, 16-16.
Jade Wilson broke the tie to start the quarter and it was then knotted at 18-18, as O'Reilly took a Wood pass off the board and in. The next Wildcat trip down the court would make things a little easier for 2nd year head coach Chris Giffin. Owens nailed a long two for a 20-18 Lawrence North lead, which was one they wouldn't give up the rest of the night.
Toward the latter portion of the 2nd quarter, LN went on a 10-0 run to take a 38-24 lead into the halftime locker room. But, there was a little controversy as the 2nd quarter buzzer sounded.
Alexis Shannon was fouled as time expired heading into halftime. The official near the Noblesville bench granted the foul call against Lawrence North. That gave Shannon the free throw line by herself to shoot one and possibly the bonus. The controversy of the play is that every Lawrence North Wildcat had already jogged to their locker room. Noblesville's bench stayed put, per the request of the coaching staff. LN's coaching staff stood and watched as Alexis missed her free throw, sending the game to halftime.
What the Noblesville staff, team and fans were up in arms about was the fact that Lawrence North's team was not even present on their sideline during this Shannon free throw attempt, as Keck's Millers were. To be honest, everyone thought that if the opponent left the floor, there would be a technical foul assessed to the Wildcats. With officials not even willing to talk to Noblesville coaches, the Millers retreated to the locker room, end the half.
Coming back out in the third quarter, it became a matter of who would turn the ball over less. Lawrence North was able to force Noblesville into 9 third period turnovers, while the Wildcats committed just 5. What also helped LN tremendously was starting out the 3rd on an 8-0 run, to jump out to their biggest lead of the night at 46-24. Scoring spurts by the duo of O'Reilly and Shannon combined for 12 of the Millers' 14 points in the third to trail 57-38.
Lawrence North (20-1) relied on Destiny Washington to keep Noblesville at a distance in the 4th. The 5'11 senior forward scored 8 points in the final five minutes of the ball game. Junior forward Lamina Cooper led all with 18 points on six field goals and 4-5 on free throws. Ana Owens (17), Jordan Hankins (11) and Washington (10) all three managed to get themselves into double-figures on this hot shooting night for the Wildcats.
Noblesville (15-4) was able to, once again, balance out its scoring. Alexis Shannon had a team-high 14 points (7 rebounds) and freshman reserve Brooke Herron was second on the team in scoring with 10. Katelyn O'Reilly and Erin Wood each finished with 8 points apiece.
There were numerous things that Noblesville can take out of this 21-point road loss, many of which they will hopefully forget before Friday night. Also, there are some things that the Millers learned from and will use as building blocks for the remainder of their 2013-14 season and beyond.
The Millers (15-4, 6-2 HCC) quickly get back to work tomorrow night on their home floor of The Mill and host the Harrison (West Lafayette) Raiders (7-12, 3-5 HCC). It will be a Varsity only, girls/boys doubleheader with the girls starting the night off with a 6 p.m. tipoff, followed by the boys. JV will play just down the road on Field Drive at the Freshman Center, also with girls starting at 6 p.m., followed by the boys.
Millers 16 8 14 13 -- 51
Wildcats 16 22 19 15 -- 72
It was pretty obvious right away that Noblesville was not intimidated one bit that they were playing the #1 team in the state of Indiana in their second to last regular season game on Thursday, February 6. The Millers held their own, for the most part, but Lawrence North's speed and finesse (at times) would get the best of Noblesville and the host Wildcats held true to their #1 ranking with a 72-51 victory, halting the Millers' 7-game winning streak.
Noblesville caught Lawrence North slightly off guard to start the game. Keeping it at a back-and-forth, chess match sort of pace in the first half of the first quarter, the Millers found ways to agitate the Wildcats.
With 4:10 left in the 1st, LN's lead was cut to 8-7 with two Erin Wood free throws. Quickly back down to the other end of the court, University of Cincinnati signee Ana Owens knocked down a trey for an 11-7 Lawrence North edge.
After an Alexis Shannon basket, Wood got a pass from Kayleigh Herron to tie it at 11. Owens and Jordan Hankins scored the next 5 for a five-point cushion, 16-11. The Millers jetted back down and worked on their inside-out game, with Katelyn O'Reilly dishing out to Brooke Herron for a three to trail just 16-14. Then, after a steal, the younger Herron (Brooke) laid the ball off the glass and just like that, it was tied at the end of the first, 16-16.
Jade Wilson broke the tie to start the quarter and it was then knotted at 18-18, as O'Reilly took a Wood pass off the board and in. The next Wildcat trip down the court would make things a little easier for 2nd year head coach Chris Giffin. Owens nailed a long two for a 20-18 Lawrence North lead, which was one they wouldn't give up the rest of the night.
Toward the latter portion of the 2nd quarter, LN went on a 10-0 run to take a 38-24 lead into the halftime locker room. But, there was a little controversy as the 2nd quarter buzzer sounded.
Alexis Shannon was fouled as time expired heading into halftime. The official near the Noblesville bench granted the foul call against Lawrence North. That gave Shannon the free throw line by herself to shoot one and possibly the bonus. The controversy of the play is that every Lawrence North Wildcat had already jogged to their locker room. Noblesville's bench stayed put, per the request of the coaching staff. LN's coaching staff stood and watched as Alexis missed her free throw, sending the game to halftime.
What the Noblesville staff, team and fans were up in arms about was the fact that Lawrence North's team was not even present on their sideline during this Shannon free throw attempt, as Keck's Millers were. To be honest, everyone thought that if the opponent left the floor, there would be a technical foul assessed to the Wildcats. With officials not even willing to talk to Noblesville coaches, the Millers retreated to the locker room, end the half.
Coming back out in the third quarter, it became a matter of who would turn the ball over less. Lawrence North was able to force Noblesville into 9 third period turnovers, while the Wildcats committed just 5. What also helped LN tremendously was starting out the 3rd on an 8-0 run, to jump out to their biggest lead of the night at 46-24. Scoring spurts by the duo of O'Reilly and Shannon combined for 12 of the Millers' 14 points in the third to trail 57-38.
Lawrence North (20-1) relied on Destiny Washington to keep Noblesville at a distance in the 4th. The 5'11 senior forward scored 8 points in the final five minutes of the ball game. Junior forward Lamina Cooper led all with 18 points on six field goals and 4-5 on free throws. Ana Owens (17), Jordan Hankins (11) and Washington (10) all three managed to get themselves into double-figures on this hot shooting night for the Wildcats.
Noblesville (15-4) was able to, once again, balance out its scoring. Alexis Shannon had a team-high 14 points (7 rebounds) and freshman reserve Brooke Herron was second on the team in scoring with 10. Katelyn O'Reilly and Erin Wood each finished with 8 points apiece.
There were numerous things that Noblesville can take out of this 21-point road loss, many of which they will hopefully forget before Friday night. Also, there are some things that the Millers learned from and will use as building blocks for the remainder of their 2013-14 season and beyond.
The Millers (15-4, 6-2 HCC) quickly get back to work tomorrow night on their home floor of The Mill and host the Harrison (West Lafayette) Raiders (7-12, 3-5 HCC). It will be a Varsity only, girls/boys doubleheader with the girls starting the night off with a 6 p.m. tipoff, followed by the boys. JV will play just down the road on Field Drive at the Freshman Center, also with girls starting at 6 p.m., followed by the boys.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Millers streak to 7 with wins at Pendleton Heights, Lafayette Jeff
We Are Together. That's the motto of the Noblesville Millers and how they break every huddle. This team defines the word together, they stay together during the game and off the court, no matter what the circumstances and they play together oh so well. The total selflessness as a whole by this basketball team is simply uncanny.
Noblesville 68, Pendleton Heights 61 (Wednesday, Jan. 29 at Pendleton Heights)
Millers 14 21 15 18 -- 68
Arabians 12 18 13 18 -- 61
The upswing Millers had a tough task, but ultimately were able to keep their streak rolling. They headed just north to Pendleton and escaped the feisty host Arabians with a 68-61 road win.
Pendleton Heights normally has a pretty decent season every year and the Millers knew this would be a tight game throughout. Head coach Donna Keck knew that she might have different personnel step up to score.
The sophomore duo of Katelyn O'Reilly and Alexis Shannon have now given the Noblesville offense a different dimension.
The Millers jumped out in front of the Arabians 14-12 after one quarter and narrowly outscored Pendleton Heights 21-18 in the 2nd to take a 35-30 lead in to the locker room at halftime.
Noblesville kept the upper hand on the road by leading 50-43 thru three and, despite Pendleton Heights tying the 4th 18-18, the Millers escaped with a 68-61 win.
Pendleton Heights dropped to 12-6 with the loss. The Arabians got three into double-digit scoring with Hammel (17), Siefken (15) and Cottrell (10) leading the way.
The Arabians shot pretty decent overall from the floor, going 26-55 (47%) and 2-7 (29%) from three-point range. What really shot Pendleton Heights in the foot and took away any chances to beat Noblesville, was the fact that they were a dismal 7-18 (39%) from the free throw line. They also turned the ball over 23 times to Noblesville's 15.
One thing the Millers figured out that it really isn't a must to excel from outside the three-point arc every single game. Noblesville couldn't make a three (0-13) on this particular night and it didn't really seem to matter. Keck's girls shot 23-58 overall (40%) from the field, but what sealed things was NHS sinking 22 of 29 (76%) free throws.
The scoring duo of Katelyn O'Reilly and Alexis Shannon just couldn't be stopped at all. O'Reilly led all with a game-high 24 points and snagged 11 rebounds, not to mention 3 assists and a pair of steals. Shannon also finished with a double-double, going for 18 points and 10 rebounds, while also picking up two steals. The two sophomores combined to shoot 17-22 from the floor (O'Reilly 10-11, Shannon 7-11) and converted 8-10 free throws. That's 42 points, 21 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals between the two!
Other notables for Noblesville were Erin Wood with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. Audrey DeFoe also had 8 points on four field goals. Kayleigh "Nikita" Herron pitched in with a pretty balanced stat line of 4 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Cori Cain added 4 and Jessica Kiser had 2.
Noblesville 75, Lafayette Jeff 54 (Friday, Jan. 31 at Marion Crawley Center, Lafayette)
Millers 20 26 16 17 -- 79
Bronchos 13 6 12 23 -- 54
It doesn't matter what the matchup is in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference, it's going to be an extremely competitive game. That being said, the Millers didn't take last Friday's opponent lightly at all. It's been quite a struggle so far this season for head coach Andy Baker. He and his Lady Bronchos sit at 0-8 in HCC play and a 1-17 overall mark.
That trend for the home standing Lafayette Jeff Bronchos didn't change on Friday, January 31, as the streaking Noblesville Millers came to the historic Marion Crawley Center and easily handled the hosts with a convincing 79-54 win.
Jeff kept up with Noblesville in the first quarter, trailing just 20-13 after eight minutes of play. After that, it was almost like the Millers shifted gears and the Bronchos were just completely baffled and trailed Noblesville 46-19 at halftime.
It didn't really get any better after halftime, as the Millers were now doubling up Lafayette Jeff, 62-31.
Head coach Donna Keck had a lot more freedom with her bench in this ballgame and let her bench do a majority of the work in the fourth, but they were outscored by the hosts 23-17, and eventually put this one to bed in blowout fashion, 79-54.
Lafayette Jeff turned the ball over 22 times to Noblesville's 11. The Bronchos really struggled shooting the basketball, going 19-58 overall (33%) and making just 5-19 (26%) from three-point land.
The sophomore pair of O'Reilly and Shannon did it once again, leading the Millers in the scoring column for the third consecutive game. Alexis Shannon led all scorers with 22 points on 10-15 field goals, while her best friend Katelyn O'Reilly added a really balanced game with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
Erin Wood had 9 points and 5 rebounds, but she did a majority of her production at the free throw stripe, making 7 of her 10 attempts. Nikita Herron upped her stats again for the second straight game, scoring 8, while dishing out 5 assists and grabbing 4 steals. Her freshman sister Brooke scored 8 points on 2-5 from 3-point range and also managed to grab a pair of boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Erin "Paco" Flynn had a solid performance off the Miller bench with 8 points on 4-8 shooting. Jessica Kiser had another good night with 7 points and 7 rebounds, while Cori Cain added 5 assists to go with her 4 points.
Lafayette Jeff dropped to 1-16 with this loss to Noblesville, but have now sunk to 1-17 (0-8 HCC) with a 72-34 defeat at Hamilton Southeastern last night, Monday, February 3.
Noblesville continues their streak to 7 games and improves their overall record to 15-3 (6-2 HCC) with their two wins over Pendleton Heights and Lafayette Jeff. With two regular season games left on the docket, Noblesville could be riding tremendous momentum heading into the IHSAA Girls Basketball State Tournament.
The Millers face their toughest test to date this Thursday, February 6th, when the hit the road again and face 4A #1 Lawrence North (19-1). The Lady Wildcats have the 2nd highest scoring average in the state of Indiana at 77.5 points per game. They also allow just 39 per game and their average margin of defeat is 38 points per outing. LN started out the 2013-14 season on a 14-game winning streak, but that streak was snapped by fellow MIC foe 4A #16 Pike, 53-50 on January 11 at Lawrence North.
4A #14 Noblesville concludes the regular season this Friday, February 7, when they'll play the 6 p.m. game of a girls/boys doubleheader at The Mill when the Harrison (West Lafayette) Raiders (6-12, 2-5 HCC) come to town. The boys game will follow at around 7:45.
Stay tuned prior to the 2014 4A Sectional 8 tournament at North Central for a complete breakdown of our particular sectional, as well as my predictions for how things will go throughout the state of Indiana!
As always, if you like what you're reading and want to give me a follow on Twitter, please do so. I did change my Twitter name from irishcub4life to MillerVoiceNDCB!
GO MILLERS!
Noblesville 68, Pendleton Heights 61 (Wednesday, Jan. 29 at Pendleton Heights)
Millers 14 21 15 18 -- 68
Arabians 12 18 13 18 -- 61
The upswing Millers had a tough task, but ultimately were able to keep their streak rolling. They headed just north to Pendleton and escaped the feisty host Arabians with a 68-61 road win.
Pendleton Heights normally has a pretty decent season every year and the Millers knew this would be a tight game throughout. Head coach Donna Keck knew that she might have different personnel step up to score.
The sophomore duo of Katelyn O'Reilly and Alexis Shannon have now given the Noblesville offense a different dimension.
The Millers jumped out in front of the Arabians 14-12 after one quarter and narrowly outscored Pendleton Heights 21-18 in the 2nd to take a 35-30 lead in to the locker room at halftime.
Noblesville kept the upper hand on the road by leading 50-43 thru three and, despite Pendleton Heights tying the 4th 18-18, the Millers escaped with a 68-61 win.
Pendleton Heights dropped to 12-6 with the loss. The Arabians got three into double-digit scoring with Hammel (17), Siefken (15) and Cottrell (10) leading the way.
The Arabians shot pretty decent overall from the floor, going 26-55 (47%) and 2-7 (29%) from three-point range. What really shot Pendleton Heights in the foot and took away any chances to beat Noblesville, was the fact that they were a dismal 7-18 (39%) from the free throw line. They also turned the ball over 23 times to Noblesville's 15.
One thing the Millers figured out that it really isn't a must to excel from outside the three-point arc every single game. Noblesville couldn't make a three (0-13) on this particular night and it didn't really seem to matter. Keck's girls shot 23-58 overall (40%) from the field, but what sealed things was NHS sinking 22 of 29 (76%) free throws.
The scoring duo of Katelyn O'Reilly and Alexis Shannon just couldn't be stopped at all. O'Reilly led all with a game-high 24 points and snagged 11 rebounds, not to mention 3 assists and a pair of steals. Shannon also finished with a double-double, going for 18 points and 10 rebounds, while also picking up two steals. The two sophomores combined to shoot 17-22 from the floor (O'Reilly 10-11, Shannon 7-11) and converted 8-10 free throws. That's 42 points, 21 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals between the two!
Other notables for Noblesville were Erin Wood with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. Audrey DeFoe also had 8 points on four field goals. Kayleigh "Nikita" Herron pitched in with a pretty balanced stat line of 4 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Cori Cain added 4 and Jessica Kiser had 2.
Noblesville 75, Lafayette Jeff 54 (Friday, Jan. 31 at Marion Crawley Center, Lafayette)
Millers 20 26 16 17 -- 79
Bronchos 13 6 12 23 -- 54
It doesn't matter what the matchup is in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference, it's going to be an extremely competitive game. That being said, the Millers didn't take last Friday's opponent lightly at all. It's been quite a struggle so far this season for head coach Andy Baker. He and his Lady Bronchos sit at 0-8 in HCC play and a 1-17 overall mark.
That trend for the home standing Lafayette Jeff Bronchos didn't change on Friday, January 31, as the streaking Noblesville Millers came to the historic Marion Crawley Center and easily handled the hosts with a convincing 79-54 win.
Jeff kept up with Noblesville in the first quarter, trailing just 20-13 after eight minutes of play. After that, it was almost like the Millers shifted gears and the Bronchos were just completely baffled and trailed Noblesville 46-19 at halftime.
It didn't really get any better after halftime, as the Millers were now doubling up Lafayette Jeff, 62-31.
Head coach Donna Keck had a lot more freedom with her bench in this ballgame and let her bench do a majority of the work in the fourth, but they were outscored by the hosts 23-17, and eventually put this one to bed in blowout fashion, 79-54.
Lafayette Jeff turned the ball over 22 times to Noblesville's 11. The Bronchos really struggled shooting the basketball, going 19-58 overall (33%) and making just 5-19 (26%) from three-point land.
The sophomore pair of O'Reilly and Shannon did it once again, leading the Millers in the scoring column for the third consecutive game. Alexis Shannon led all scorers with 22 points on 10-15 field goals, while her best friend Katelyn O'Reilly added a really balanced game with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
Erin Wood had 9 points and 5 rebounds, but she did a majority of her production at the free throw stripe, making 7 of her 10 attempts. Nikita Herron upped her stats again for the second straight game, scoring 8, while dishing out 5 assists and grabbing 4 steals. Her freshman sister Brooke scored 8 points on 2-5 from 3-point range and also managed to grab a pair of boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Erin "Paco" Flynn had a solid performance off the Miller bench with 8 points on 4-8 shooting. Jessica Kiser had another good night with 7 points and 7 rebounds, while Cori Cain added 5 assists to go with her 4 points.
Lafayette Jeff dropped to 1-16 with this loss to Noblesville, but have now sunk to 1-17 (0-8 HCC) with a 72-34 defeat at Hamilton Southeastern last night, Monday, February 3.
Noblesville continues their streak to 7 games and improves their overall record to 15-3 (6-2 HCC) with their two wins over Pendleton Heights and Lafayette Jeff. With two regular season games left on the docket, Noblesville could be riding tremendous momentum heading into the IHSAA Girls Basketball State Tournament.
The Millers face their toughest test to date this Thursday, February 6th, when the hit the road again and face 4A #1 Lawrence North (19-1). The Lady Wildcats have the 2nd highest scoring average in the state of Indiana at 77.5 points per game. They also allow just 39 per game and their average margin of defeat is 38 points per outing. LN started out the 2013-14 season on a 14-game winning streak, but that streak was snapped by fellow MIC foe 4A #16 Pike, 53-50 on January 11 at Lawrence North.
4A #14 Noblesville concludes the regular season this Friday, February 7, when they'll play the 6 p.m. game of a girls/boys doubleheader at The Mill when the Harrison (West Lafayette) Raiders (6-12, 2-5 HCC) come to town. The boys game will follow at around 7:45.
Stay tuned prior to the 2014 4A Sectional 8 tournament at North Central for a complete breakdown of our particular sectional, as well as my predictions for how things will go throughout the state of Indiana!
As always, if you like what you're reading and want to give me a follow on Twitter, please do so. I did change my Twitter name from irishcub4life to MillerVoiceNDCB!
GO MILLERS!
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
4A #16 Noblesville gets Senior Night win over HCC foe Zionsville
This past Saturday at The Mill in Noblesville, it was a night where four Noblesville seniors were honored. Managers Brennen Greer, Johnathon Skene and Zach Taylor have all been a great part of the Miller girls basketball program and head coach Donna Keck and her staff cannot thank them enough for their contributions.
The highlight of the pre-game ceremony honored one of my favorite players during my six seasons as the public address voice of Noblesville girls basketball. Jessica Kiser has spent all four of her great years as a very key part of the continuing success of the Noblesville girls basketball program and its climb back to prominence. She's got that tough, gritty playing attitude about her and those are just a couple reasons why she's such a vital part of the success of Noblesville Miller basketball. Jessica demonstrates what is means to be a Miller!
4A #16 Noblesville 58, Zionsville 42 - (Saturday, January 25 at The Mill)
Eagles 16 4 10 12 -- 42
Millers 18 15 13 12 -- 58
No game is easy from this point on out for the Noblesville Millers, especially in the gritty Hoosier Crossroads Conference. Last Saturday's opponent in Zionsville wouldn't be viewed any different.
Zionsville had upset on their mind from the get-go and they made their point in the first quarter. Maddie Yott and Elizabeth Schuler combined for 10 of the Eagles' 16, but trailed the hosts 18-16, thanks in big part to very balanced scoring by six different Millers.
Yott drained a couple treys, her second coming in the left corner with 1:32 left in the first to tie it at 13. Next possession down the floor, the ball rotated around and freshman Brooke Herron found junior Audrey DeFoe for a three to break the tie and give Noblesville a 16-13 lead that they wouldn't relinquish.
Noblesville took over in the 2nd frame and held the Eagles in check 15-4, with 5'9 junior forward Katelyn O'Reilly adding 5 points to outscore Zionsville by one to put the Millers up 33-20 at halftime.
Zionsville head coach Andy Maguire must have gotten his points across in the locker room, because his Eagles woke up a little to keep it close in the quarter. Noblesville had many moving parts contribute and keep Zionsville at a distance, including 4 more from O'Reilly, to extend their lead to 46-30 through 24 minutes.
The visitors had a lot of work to do in very little time, if they were going to try and put a dent in the Miller lead. Zionsville was at the foul line 16 times, making 10, but that also resulted in the Eagles only converting one field goal in the fourth.
Meanwhile, even though it was an even 12-12 final quarter, head coach Donna Keck's team relied of forcing turnovers and it worked. While only committing 3 themselves in the 4th, Noblesville forced Zionsville into 8 of their 25 miscues.
The Millers were only able to sink 3 of their 10 fourth quarter free throws, but with Zionsville struggling from the field, that allowed Noblesville to excel with the clock moving. All was in the Millers' favor down the stretch, as they ran away from the Eagles for another HCC victory, 58-42.
The win for Noblesville was their 10th in a row over Zionsville and 13th in their last 15 in the series over the Eagles.
Neither team shot any sort of good from the charity stripe. Zionsville was just 54% (15-28) and Noblesville was just a bit worse, making only 11 of their 23 attempts (48%).
Zionsville (6-11, 2-6 HCC) was led in scoring by two different players. Maddie Yott and Elizabeth Schuler each led the Eagles with 11 points, which Laurie King pitched in 8.
Noblesville (13-3, 5-2 HCC) got a couple into double-figures with Katelyn O'Reilly pacing the Millers with a game-high 14 points (9 rebounds), while best friend Alexis Shannon joined her with 11, combining to make 11 field goals as a duo. Jessica Kiser dropped in 7 on her Senior Night, while Cori Cain, Audrey DeFoe and Erin Wood all chipped in with 6 apiece.
Monday night's home game vs. Harrison was postponed because of the weather and school closings. There has been no new date announced yet, but the game will be made up because it's a Hoosier Crossroads Conference game.
Tomorrow night (Wednesday), Noblesville is slated to hit the road and head over to play the Pendleton Heights Arabians (12-5). JV starts at 6 p.m., followed by the Varsity.
The highlight of the pre-game ceremony honored one of my favorite players during my six seasons as the public address voice of Noblesville girls basketball. Jessica Kiser has spent all four of her great years as a very key part of the continuing success of the Noblesville girls basketball program and its climb back to prominence. She's got that tough, gritty playing attitude about her and those are just a couple reasons why she's such a vital part of the success of Noblesville Miller basketball. Jessica demonstrates what is means to be a Miller!
4A #16 Noblesville 58, Zionsville 42 - (Saturday, January 25 at The Mill)
Eagles 16 4 10 12 -- 42
Millers 18 15 13 12 -- 58
No game is easy from this point on out for the Noblesville Millers, especially in the gritty Hoosier Crossroads Conference. Last Saturday's opponent in Zionsville wouldn't be viewed any different.
Zionsville had upset on their mind from the get-go and they made their point in the first quarter. Maddie Yott and Elizabeth Schuler combined for 10 of the Eagles' 16, but trailed the hosts 18-16, thanks in big part to very balanced scoring by six different Millers.
Yott drained a couple treys, her second coming in the left corner with 1:32 left in the first to tie it at 13. Next possession down the floor, the ball rotated around and freshman Brooke Herron found junior Audrey DeFoe for a three to break the tie and give Noblesville a 16-13 lead that they wouldn't relinquish.
Noblesville took over in the 2nd frame and held the Eagles in check 15-4, with 5'9 junior forward Katelyn O'Reilly adding 5 points to outscore Zionsville by one to put the Millers up 33-20 at halftime.
Zionsville head coach Andy Maguire must have gotten his points across in the locker room, because his Eagles woke up a little to keep it close in the quarter. Noblesville had many moving parts contribute and keep Zionsville at a distance, including 4 more from O'Reilly, to extend their lead to 46-30 through 24 minutes.
The visitors had a lot of work to do in very little time, if they were going to try and put a dent in the Miller lead. Zionsville was at the foul line 16 times, making 10, but that also resulted in the Eagles only converting one field goal in the fourth.
Meanwhile, even though it was an even 12-12 final quarter, head coach Donna Keck's team relied of forcing turnovers and it worked. While only committing 3 themselves in the 4th, Noblesville forced Zionsville into 8 of their 25 miscues.
The Millers were only able to sink 3 of their 10 fourth quarter free throws, but with Zionsville struggling from the field, that allowed Noblesville to excel with the clock moving. All was in the Millers' favor down the stretch, as they ran away from the Eagles for another HCC victory, 58-42.
The win for Noblesville was their 10th in a row over Zionsville and 13th in their last 15 in the series over the Eagles.
Neither team shot any sort of good from the charity stripe. Zionsville was just 54% (15-28) and Noblesville was just a bit worse, making only 11 of their 23 attempts (48%).
Zionsville (6-11, 2-6 HCC) was led in scoring by two different players. Maddie Yott and Elizabeth Schuler each led the Eagles with 11 points, which Laurie King pitched in 8.
Noblesville (13-3, 5-2 HCC) got a couple into double-figures with Katelyn O'Reilly pacing the Millers with a game-high 14 points (9 rebounds), while best friend Alexis Shannon joined her with 11, combining to make 11 field goals as a duo. Jessica Kiser dropped in 7 on her Senior Night, while Cori Cain, Audrey DeFoe and Erin Wood all chipped in with 6 apiece.
Monday night's home game vs. Harrison was postponed because of the weather and school closings. There has been no new date announced yet, but the game will be made up because it's a Hoosier Crossroads Conference game.
Tomorrow night (Wednesday), Noblesville is slated to hit the road and head over to play the Pendleton Heights Arabians (12-5). JV starts at 6 p.m., followed by the Varsity.
Friday, January 24, 2014
4A #16 Noblesville notches road win at 3A #6 Western Boone
4A #16 Noblesville 53, 3A #6 Western Boone 48
Noblesville 8 9 11 25 -- 53
Western Boone 4 12 13 19 -- 48
Prior to Tuesday night's road trip west to Western Boone, it seemed like it was going to be quite the season changer in numerous ways and it now appears that it was. Donna Keck's 4A #16 Millers held strong and kept the host Stars exactly where and how they wanted them, picking up a road win, 53-48.
The Millers have a good history with WeBo in recent years, especially during Keck's coaching tenure. Since Donna's first season in 2008-09, she and her Millers are now 5-1 versus Western Boone, which normally resides in Class 3A's top 10 rankings throughout the season.
That trend didn't change during Tuesday night's non-conference meeting.
Noblesville controlled the tempo early, but Western Boone stayed right there in case the Millers were to falter. Leading 8-4 after one and a low-scoring 17-16 slight edge at half, something had a give in the second half for NHS to come up with the road victory.
Coach Rich Schelsky's Stars got a wake-up call from their coach at halftime and came out poised to defend their home court in the second half.
Western Boone played a great middle two quarters, outscoring the Millers in the 2nd (12-9) and 3rd (13-11) to take a 29-28 lead after three.
Lately, the 4th quarter has been where Noblesville decides to pour on the extra offensive effort. Three games in a row now, the Millers have averaged 20 points in the 4th. The Millers did that and held off the home-standing Stars, taking the lead and taking the 4th, 25-19 for a 53-48 win.
Western Boone's senior Indiana All-Star candidate had a pretty good night overall. Emily Harrison led the Stars and all scorers with 24 points on 6-11 field goals and 12-21 from the free throw line, while also snagging 11 rebounds. WeBo shot just 34% (15-44) as a team and only 1-6 from three-point range. Western Boone (13-3) suffered just its third defeat all season.
Noblesville (12-3) found a way to make the victory happen and they did it as one balanced team. The trio of Cori Cain, Jessica Kiser and Erin Wood shared team-high honors with 10 points apiece. Kayleigh "Nikita" Herron, Alexis Shannon and Katelyn O'Reilly each pitched in with 7 points each to highlight the Millers' scoring.
The Millers shot just 28% overall (14-50) and only 2-14 from long range. Free throws were the kindest for either squad, as Noblesville was 23-37 (62%) and Western Boone made just 17-31 (55%).
Noblesville (12-3, 4-2 HCC) comes home this Saturday, the 25th to face Hoosier Crossroads Conference rival Zionsville (6-10, 2-5 HCC). Junior varsity tips at 6 p.m. and Varsity follows.
Once again, if you like my work, follow me on Twitter: @irishcub4life
Noblesville 8 9 11 25 -- 53
Western Boone 4 12 13 19 -- 48
Prior to Tuesday night's road trip west to Western Boone, it seemed like it was going to be quite the season changer in numerous ways and it now appears that it was. Donna Keck's 4A #16 Millers held strong and kept the host Stars exactly where and how they wanted them, picking up a road win, 53-48.
The Millers have a good history with WeBo in recent years, especially during Keck's coaching tenure. Since Donna's first season in 2008-09, she and her Millers are now 5-1 versus Western Boone, which normally resides in Class 3A's top 10 rankings throughout the season.
That trend didn't change during Tuesday night's non-conference meeting.
Noblesville controlled the tempo early, but Western Boone stayed right there in case the Millers were to falter. Leading 8-4 after one and a low-scoring 17-16 slight edge at half, something had a give in the second half for NHS to come up with the road victory.
Coach Rich Schelsky's Stars got a wake-up call from their coach at halftime and came out poised to defend their home court in the second half.
Western Boone played a great middle two quarters, outscoring the Millers in the 2nd (12-9) and 3rd (13-11) to take a 29-28 lead after three.
Lately, the 4th quarter has been where Noblesville decides to pour on the extra offensive effort. Three games in a row now, the Millers have averaged 20 points in the 4th. The Millers did that and held off the home-standing Stars, taking the lead and taking the 4th, 25-19 for a 53-48 win.
Western Boone's senior Indiana All-Star candidate had a pretty good night overall. Emily Harrison led the Stars and all scorers with 24 points on 6-11 field goals and 12-21 from the free throw line, while also snagging 11 rebounds. WeBo shot just 34% (15-44) as a team and only 1-6 from three-point range. Western Boone (13-3) suffered just its third defeat all season.
Noblesville (12-3) found a way to make the victory happen and they did it as one balanced team. The trio of Cori Cain, Jessica Kiser and Erin Wood shared team-high honors with 10 points apiece. Kayleigh "Nikita" Herron, Alexis Shannon and Katelyn O'Reilly each pitched in with 7 points each to highlight the Millers' scoring.
The Millers shot just 28% overall (14-50) and only 2-14 from long range. Free throws were the kindest for either squad, as Noblesville was 23-37 (62%) and Western Boone made just 17-31 (55%).
Noblesville (12-3, 4-2 HCC) comes home this Saturday, the 25th to face Hoosier Crossroads Conference rival Zionsville (6-10, 2-5 HCC). Junior varsity tips at 6 p.m. and Varsity follows.
Once again, if you like my work, follow me on Twitter: @irishcub4life
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Millers run away from Avon girls, 68-48
Wood paces three in double-figures, balanced scoring attack for Millers
4A #15 Noblesville 68, Avon 48 - (Saturday, January 18 at The Mill)
Orioles 17 12 4 15 -- 48
Millers 19 12 15 22 -- 68
On paper, it was looked to be a blowout for Noblesville. We all know that how things are projected to be and how they end up are always completely different. That's exactly how it started in Saturday's midday matchup in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference. The host Millers eventually ran away with a 68-48 win over the visiting Orioles.
It was almost as if Erin Wood knew that a great game was expected out of her against this Avon squad. Wood posted up in the lane and Noblesville's guard spoon fed her as she dropped down four field goals and a pair of free throws in the first quarter alone to lead the Millers.
Wood wasn't the only scorer to start the game hot. Avon's Megan Hunt had six points to keep the Millers honest and her Orioles still in the ball game, trailing Noblesville just 19-17 in a tight first quarter.
The Orioles hung tight and kept the Millers on their toes for the remainder of the first half. One thing that was a big factor was that Noblesville had forced Avon into committing 9 personal fouls in the first quarter, so Keck's girls spent a majority of the second at the free throw line. Those trips to the charity stripe proved pivotal. Noblesville took full advantage by going 8-for-8 to take a 31-29 slight lead into the locker room.
Kiser's quarter was the theme of the third. She flipped a switch in her head and scored seven of her 14 points. Her seven, along with Wood and Brooke Herron each knocking down a three, got Noblesville the chance to open the game up with a 15-4 third and lead 46-33.
The Millers kept pouring it on in the fourth. Just into the quarter, Katelyn O'Reilly scored two buckets in a row on consecutive Avon turnovers for a 52-33 score.
Taking turns to help put this game to bed, Noblesville was exhausting Avon as it kept things up down the stretch. Cori Cain sank two free throws with 6:14 left for the Millers' biggest lead yet at 57-36.
With 2:14 left, two fast break layups from Alexis Shannon put Noblesville back up by 21 (65-44) and it was all but over. Donna Keck emptied her bench for the final couple minutes. Rachel Shipman's three in the final minute and a half put the icing on the cake as the Millers protected The Mill with pride, taking down Avon 68-48.
Avon (1-13, 1-6 HCC) was led in scoring by Megan Hunt (13), Monique Ellis (11) and Lexi Short (9).
Noblesville (11-3, 4-2) was led in a balanced scoring attack by Erin Wood's solid 18 point performance on six field goals and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. Jessica Kiser woke up her offense a little bit with 14 points, making 8-of-10 at the foul line. Alexis Shannon was the third Miller in double-figures with 12. Brooke Herron and Katelyn O'Reilly had 6 apiece and Cori Cain with 5.
The Millers hit the road tonight and face a fierce opponent in the Western Boone Stars (13-2). The Stars started out their season on a 12-game winning streak, but are reeling lately with dropping two of their last three. Losing on a neutral court to 4A #12 Logansport, 69-60 and at Brownsburg 58-57, whom Noblesville beat 91-70, Western Boone has since gotten back to winning with a 53-32 win at Frankfort on Friday, January 17.
Tonight at Western Boone, it's a 6 p.m. JV start, followed by the Varsity.
Noblesville comes home to host Zionsville for a Saturday night tilt this weekend on January 25.
If you want to check me out on Twitter, look me up... @irishcub4life
4A #15 Noblesville 68, Avon 48 - (Saturday, January 18 at The Mill)
Orioles 17 12 4 15 -- 48
Millers 19 12 15 22 -- 68
On paper, it was looked to be a blowout for Noblesville. We all know that how things are projected to be and how they end up are always completely different. That's exactly how it started in Saturday's midday matchup in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference. The host Millers eventually ran away with a 68-48 win over the visiting Orioles.
It was almost as if Erin Wood knew that a great game was expected out of her against this Avon squad. Wood posted up in the lane and Noblesville's guard spoon fed her as she dropped down four field goals and a pair of free throws in the first quarter alone to lead the Millers.
Wood wasn't the only scorer to start the game hot. Avon's Megan Hunt had six points to keep the Millers honest and her Orioles still in the ball game, trailing Noblesville just 19-17 in a tight first quarter.
The Orioles hung tight and kept the Millers on their toes for the remainder of the first half. One thing that was a big factor was that Noblesville had forced Avon into committing 9 personal fouls in the first quarter, so Keck's girls spent a majority of the second at the free throw line. Those trips to the charity stripe proved pivotal. Noblesville took full advantage by going 8-for-8 to take a 31-29 slight lead into the locker room.
Kiser's quarter was the theme of the third. She flipped a switch in her head and scored seven of her 14 points. Her seven, along with Wood and Brooke Herron each knocking down a three, got Noblesville the chance to open the game up with a 15-4 third and lead 46-33.
The Millers kept pouring it on in the fourth. Just into the quarter, Katelyn O'Reilly scored two buckets in a row on consecutive Avon turnovers for a 52-33 score.
Taking turns to help put this game to bed, Noblesville was exhausting Avon as it kept things up down the stretch. Cori Cain sank two free throws with 6:14 left for the Millers' biggest lead yet at 57-36.
With 2:14 left, two fast break layups from Alexis Shannon put Noblesville back up by 21 (65-44) and it was all but over. Donna Keck emptied her bench for the final couple minutes. Rachel Shipman's three in the final minute and a half put the icing on the cake as the Millers protected The Mill with pride, taking down Avon 68-48.
Avon (1-13, 1-6 HCC) was led in scoring by Megan Hunt (13), Monique Ellis (11) and Lexi Short (9).
Noblesville (11-3, 4-2) was led in a balanced scoring attack by Erin Wood's solid 18 point performance on six field goals and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. Jessica Kiser woke up her offense a little bit with 14 points, making 8-of-10 at the foul line. Alexis Shannon was the third Miller in double-figures with 12. Brooke Herron and Katelyn O'Reilly had 6 apiece and Cori Cain with 5.
The Millers hit the road tonight and face a fierce opponent in the Western Boone Stars (13-2). The Stars started out their season on a 12-game winning streak, but are reeling lately with dropping two of their last three. Losing on a neutral court to 4A #12 Logansport, 69-60 and at Brownsburg 58-57, whom Noblesville beat 91-70, Western Boone has since gotten back to winning with a 53-32 win at Frankfort on Friday, January 17.
Tonight at Western Boone, it's a 6 p.m. JV start, followed by the Varsity.
Noblesville comes home to host Zionsville for a Saturday night tilt this weekend on January 25.
If you want to check me out on Twitter, look me up... @irishcub4life
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Noblesville staves off late Fishers rally, gets big road win, 48-46, in Coaches vs. Cancer game
Anytime that two schools and the fans from their communities can get together to raise funds to help fight cancer, it tends to be a great atmosphere for all. Coaches vs. Cancer is an organization that is highlighted nationally by college basketball coaches that participate in pre-season basketball games that are televised on the ESPN networks.
Former North Carolina State men's basketball coach Jim Valvano gave one of the most memorable speeches. He gave this speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards on ESPN. It's such an inspiring and motivational display of words by such a great man and ambassador for the fight against cancer, that ESPN replays his speech numerous times during the beginning of the college basketball season.
The Jimmy V Classic at New York City's Madison Square Garden features four of the top men's college basketball programs in the country getting together to fight cancer. To donate to The V Foundation for cancer research, you can call 1-800-4-JIMMYV or head to www.jimmyv.org.
The partnership of the Noblesville and Fishers girls is just one of thousands that takes place throughout the country all year long in hopes of someday beating cancer with enough funds put toward the research. Many different businesses throughout Noblesville and Fishers take part and donate different items such as gift cards, gift baskets, autographed basketballs and other sports items that are part of the silent auction that usually raises upwards between $600 and $800 that all goes directly to cancer research.
Noblesville 48, 4A #16 Fishers 46 - (Wednesday, January 15 at Fishers)
Millers 12 12 13 11 -- 48
Tigers 4 14 10 18 -- 46
Noblesville was on a high, coming off of last Saturday's big home win over the 2012-13 3A State Champion Mt. Vernon (Fortville) Marauders, 56-46. Fishers had the idea of taking the Millers right down off of that great feeling. Noblesville's goal in mind was to put a halt to the Tigers' eight-game winning streak.
On a mission, the Millers got out in front early and kept their lead. After one, head coach Donna Keck's pink-clad crew jumped out 12-4.
Fishers woke up a little in the second to outscore Noblesville 14-12, but NHS led 24-18 after 16 minutes played.
Noblesville edged out the host Tigers 13-10 in the third to extend their lead to 37-28.
The 4th quarter became a little dicey for the Millers. Fishers figured out that their eight-game winning streak was about to be snapped and topped Noblesville 18-11. For a majority of the 4th, Keck had to devise a lineup that had no Erin Wood or Jessica Kiser on the floor until the final few minutes. Both Miller veterans picked up their fourth fouls early in the quarter.
Wood dropped in half of her 12 points in the final frame, despite being hampered with 4 fouls before fouling out in the final couple minutes.
The Millers were able to get the Tigers into foul trouble when it mattered most in the second half, forcing Fishers to foul within the final minute. That being said, the hosts had run out of time and options in their comeback and Noblesville escaped with a big 48-46 Hoosier Crossroads Conference win.
Alex Hochstedler led all scorers with a game-high 23 points on 5-of-11 field goals, while sinking 13-for-15 from the free throw line.
Fishers shot just 36% (13-36), but missed every long range shot (0-6). The big factor that helped the Tigers stay in the game was their stellar 20-25 (80%) free throw shooting.
Noblesville was led by Audrey DeFoe's 13 on 3 three-pointers made. AD scored in double-figures for the sixth time in 12 games played and her fifth time in the Millers' last six outings. Erin Wood had another solid game with 12 points (5-8 FGs) and 7 rebounds. Alexis Shannon managed to pitch in with 7 points, 5 rebounds and dish out 3 assists.
As a team, Noblesville shot 44% overall (16-36) and 40% (4-10) from the three-point arc. Another plus was their improvement at the charity stripe, making 12-of-16 attempts.
Fishers' (12-4, 4-2 HCC) week doesn't get any easier. They'll host 4A #6 Westfield (11-0, 6-0 HCC) in an early afternoon home game on Saturday.
Noblesville (10-3, 3-2 HCC) gets to host its own Saturday afternoon HCC matchup. The Millers welcome in the Avon Orioles (1-12, 1-5 HCC). JV tip is set for 11 a.m., followed by the varsity at approximately 12:30 p.m. at The Mill.
Former North Carolina State men's basketball coach Jim Valvano gave one of the most memorable speeches. He gave this speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards on ESPN. It's such an inspiring and motivational display of words by such a great man and ambassador for the fight against cancer, that ESPN replays his speech numerous times during the beginning of the college basketball season.
The Jimmy V Classic at New York City's Madison Square Garden features four of the top men's college basketball programs in the country getting together to fight cancer. To donate to The V Foundation for cancer research, you can call 1-800-4-JIMMYV or head to www.jimmyv.org.
The partnership of the Noblesville and Fishers girls is just one of thousands that takes place throughout the country all year long in hopes of someday beating cancer with enough funds put toward the research. Many different businesses throughout Noblesville and Fishers take part and donate different items such as gift cards, gift baskets, autographed basketballs and other sports items that are part of the silent auction that usually raises upwards between $600 and $800 that all goes directly to cancer research.
Noblesville 48, 4A #16 Fishers 46 - (Wednesday, January 15 at Fishers)
Millers 12 12 13 11 -- 48
Tigers 4 14 10 18 -- 46
Noblesville was on a high, coming off of last Saturday's big home win over the 2012-13 3A State Champion Mt. Vernon (Fortville) Marauders, 56-46. Fishers had the idea of taking the Millers right down off of that great feeling. Noblesville's goal in mind was to put a halt to the Tigers' eight-game winning streak.
On a mission, the Millers got out in front early and kept their lead. After one, head coach Donna Keck's pink-clad crew jumped out 12-4.
Fishers woke up a little in the second to outscore Noblesville 14-12, but NHS led 24-18 after 16 minutes played.
Noblesville edged out the host Tigers 13-10 in the third to extend their lead to 37-28.
The 4th quarter became a little dicey for the Millers. Fishers figured out that their eight-game winning streak was about to be snapped and topped Noblesville 18-11. For a majority of the 4th, Keck had to devise a lineup that had no Erin Wood or Jessica Kiser on the floor until the final few minutes. Both Miller veterans picked up their fourth fouls early in the quarter.
Wood dropped in half of her 12 points in the final frame, despite being hampered with 4 fouls before fouling out in the final couple minutes.
The Millers were able to get the Tigers into foul trouble when it mattered most in the second half, forcing Fishers to foul within the final minute. That being said, the hosts had run out of time and options in their comeback and Noblesville escaped with a big 48-46 Hoosier Crossroads Conference win.
Alex Hochstedler led all scorers with a game-high 23 points on 5-of-11 field goals, while sinking 13-for-15 from the free throw line.
Fishers shot just 36% (13-36), but missed every long range shot (0-6). The big factor that helped the Tigers stay in the game was their stellar 20-25 (80%) free throw shooting.
Noblesville was led by Audrey DeFoe's 13 on 3 three-pointers made. AD scored in double-figures for the sixth time in 12 games played and her fifth time in the Millers' last six outings. Erin Wood had another solid game with 12 points (5-8 FGs) and 7 rebounds. Alexis Shannon managed to pitch in with 7 points, 5 rebounds and dish out 3 assists.
As a team, Noblesville shot 44% overall (16-36) and 40% (4-10) from the three-point arc. Another plus was their improvement at the charity stripe, making 12-of-16 attempts.
Fishers' (12-4, 4-2 HCC) week doesn't get any easier. They'll host 4A #6 Westfield (11-0, 6-0 HCC) in an early afternoon home game on Saturday.
Noblesville (10-3, 3-2 HCC) gets to host its own Saturday afternoon HCC matchup. The Millers welcome in the Avon Orioles (1-12, 1-5 HCC). JV tip is set for 11 a.m., followed by the varsity at approximately 12:30 p.m. at The Mill.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Millers explode in 4th, outlast Mt. Vernon, 56-46
Noblesville 56, Mt. Vernon (Fortville) 46 - (Saturday, January 11 at The Mill)
Mt. Vernon 12 11 9 14 -- 46
Noblesville 10 16 7 23 -- 56
It was going to be a tough task any way you look at it, but the Noblesville Miller girls basketball team could be described with a few words following Saturday's big win over Mt. Vernon (Fortville).
Poised. Relentless. Focused.
Head coach Donna Keck's Millers were bound and determined to come out with a win, no matter what. Mt. Vernon was without the services of 6'1 senior Indiana All-Star candidate Erica Moore due to injury, but the visiting Marauders were just as focused in trying to get the road win as Noblesville was to hand Julie Shelton's squad their third loss of the season.
With a lot of offensive help from the coach's daughter, 5'8 sophomore guard Sydney Shelton, Mt. Vernon kept Noblesville on their toes for a solid 32 minutes.
After a little bit of small ball to start out, the Marauders took a 12-10 edge on a Shaely Duff three, to lead after one.
A quick trey by Shelton to start the second got Mt. Vernon up 15-10. Noblesville's frontcourt had something else in mind that the Marauders weren't expecting to begin the quarter. Keck found a way to get her two forwards involved in the offense more and it worked.
Erin Wood dished out a couple of assists to Alexis Shannon for consecutive buckets to get within one. The next trip up the floor, Shannon returned the favor and Wood put up a soft layup with 5:10 left until halftime for a 16-15 Miller lead.
Just before halftime, the Marauders tied the game up at 23 and looked to hold things even through two. The Millers found a way to defy that. Jessica Kiser found junior Audrey DeFoe outside the three point arc for her second three of the quarter, swishing it for a 26-23 Noblesville lead heading into the locker room.
DeFoe began the 3rd knocking down her third trey of the game, putting the Millers up 33-28 and on a 7-5 run, forcing the Mt. Vernon bench to call a full timeout. The Marauders got a couple baskets out of Sadie Baugh and Olivia Coleman to close the third quarter out and trail 33-32 to Noblesville.
From the vantage point at the far right side of the scorers tables, it seemed like an extremely intense Mt. Vernon huddle. Shelton got her point across. A play was drawn up and Coleman drove through the lane for two to give the visitors their first lead since the end of the first (12-10).
A turnover by the Millers and back down the court went the Marauders, led by sophomore Sydney Shelton. She had the presence of mind to cut through defenders and get fouled while nailing a jumper. Shelton sank the free throw and Mt. Vernon was up 37-33. This wouldn't last long...
Trading baskets for the next couple minutes, there was no way Noblesville would let this game completely slip away. Kiser was fouled converting a layup and then made the free throw for the old-fashioned three-point play. The Millers now trailed just 44-41 with 3:05 left.
Then, it became the Cori Cain long distance show. Cain played some intense defense all day and it was written all over her face that she had something up her sleeve.
She started her scoring spree with 2:10 left by swishing a three from the right side to give Noblesville a 47-46 lead, which they wouldn't give back.
As the Millers forced a couple more turnovers, Cain was fed the ball a couple more times to extend the advantage to 53-46. The game was sealed when Katelyn O'Reilly was fouled putting a layup off the glass. KO sank her free throw for the final tally of 56-46.
Sydney Shelton led all scorers with a game-high 23 points on eight field goals, while Olivia Coleman had 10 for Mt. Vernon (10-3).
Noblesville (9-3, 2-2 HCC) had a very balanced attack, with Audrey DeFoe (4 reb.) and Katelyn O'Reilly (7-9 FT) sharing team-high honors with 11 apiece. Cori Cain had 9 on three 3's, Erin Wood 8 and Jessica Kiser 7 (5-5 FTs). Alexis Shannon chipped in with 6 (7 reb.) and Brooke Herron added 4 (4 reb.).
The Millers connected on 6-of-15 (40%) three-point attempts and 18-for-22 (82%) at the free throw line to help propel them to the win.
Wednesday is going to be a real test for Donna Keck's squad. They'll head south to Fishers (12-3, 4-1 HCC) for a crucial Hoosier Crossroads Conference road game. The Tigers have won 8 straight and haven't lost since dropping a home game to Mooresville (51-48) on December 6.
Anderson 56, Noblesville 50 - (Friday, January 3 at The Mill)
Indians 16 11 18 11 -- 56
Millers 14 17 15 4 -- 50
This was simply a back and forth, full tilt battle between two great basketball teams. Balanced scoring from both Anderson and Noblesville and it was a shame that someone had to lose this fast-paced game.
Anderson led 16-14 thru one, but the host Millers forced the visiting Indians into seven turnovers to their six.
Noblesville took the second with a 17-11 output, thanks to a team effort of 5-for-5 at the foul line to lead 31-27 at that half.
The Indians came out firing in the 3rd and took the lead on a Dabriona Williams three, 37-36, midway through the quarter. The next trip down the floor, freshman Brooke Herron of Noblesville was fouled. She made both attempts from the charity stripe, tying it up at 37 and giving the Millers a 38-37 edge.
Anderson took a slight 39-38 lead on Da'Sha Boyd's two, but that just fired up the Noblesville sharp-shooters. Two consecutive threes by Brooke Herron and Audrey DeFoe bolted the Millers up 44-39 in the final two minutes of the third. The Indians cut it to a one-point deficit after three, 46-45.
The visitors figured out how to get to the Millers and it worked, unfortunately. Anderson was able to hold down the Millers on their home floor, limiting them 11-4 in the final eight minutes to take a 56-50 victory back to Howard county.
The Indians were able to get three into double figures. Chelsea Bentley led all scorers with 14, while Da'Sha Boyd and Dabriona Williams both wound up with 13.
Noblesville was led by Brooke Herron's team-high 13, followed by Audrey DeFoe's 11. Both were able to drill three from outside-the-arc. Erin Wood had 9 and Alexis Shannon finished with 8, while both grabbed 7 rebounds.
Noblesville 91, Brownsburg 70 - (Saturday, December 21 at Brownsburg)
Millers 10 30 21 30 -- 91
Bulldogs 14 22 5 29 -- 70
Brooke Herron 23 points, Alexis Shannon 14, Jessica Kiser 12, Kayleigh Herron 11, Audrey DeFoe 10, Katelyn O'Reilly 7, Erin Wood 6, Rachel Shipman 5, Erin Flynn 2, Cori Cain 1, Haley Conway 0 and Sam Salmon 0.
Hamilton Southeastern 54, Noblesville 44 - (Friday, December 13 at Hamilton Southeastern)
Millers 16 10 7 11 -- 44
Royals 10 18 15 11 -- 54
This was the first basketball broadcast by myself and Dusty Mills on highschoolcube.com. If you get a chance, head to highschoolcube.com and type Noblesville at Hamilton Southeastern in the search blank and enjoy the broadcast!
Gunning to end their 12-year, 16-game losing streak against Hamilton Southeastern, the Noblesville Millers made it a quick start out of the gate. Leading 16-10 after one, coach Donna Keck's squad was poised to keep the lead as long as they could in hopes of pulling out the long awaited W.
The host Royals climbed their way back with outscoring Noblesville 18-10 in the second quarter, from the trio of Taylor Graham, Bree Lloyd and Madi Taylor combining for a 9-for-9 effort from the free throw line.
Cori Cain led the Millers with 6 of her team-high 10 points in the second quarter, but Noblesville now trailed Hamilton Southeastern 28-26 at the half.
Down just two heading into the final two quarters, the Millers let the Royals play a mind game with them and the game was out of hand before they knew it.
Turning the ball over at-will and allowing Hamilton Southeastern's speedy backcourt to be a thorn in the Millers' side, Noblesville would trail the hosts by 10 after three (44-34) and that would also be the final margin (54-44).
Cori Cain and Erin Wood led Noblesville with 10 points each. Jessica Kiser added 9, while Brooke Herron pitched in with 7.
Hamilton Southeastern was led by both Taylor Graham and Madi Taylor with 15 points from each junior. Darie Kirschling and Megan Walton had 7 apiece and Bree Lloyd 6.
Mt. Vernon 12 11 9 14 -- 46
Noblesville 10 16 7 23 -- 56
It was going to be a tough task any way you look at it, but the Noblesville Miller girls basketball team could be described with a few words following Saturday's big win over Mt. Vernon (Fortville).
Poised. Relentless. Focused.
Head coach Donna Keck's Millers were bound and determined to come out with a win, no matter what. Mt. Vernon was without the services of 6'1 senior Indiana All-Star candidate Erica Moore due to injury, but the visiting Marauders were just as focused in trying to get the road win as Noblesville was to hand Julie Shelton's squad their third loss of the season.
With a lot of offensive help from the coach's daughter, 5'8 sophomore guard Sydney Shelton, Mt. Vernon kept Noblesville on their toes for a solid 32 minutes.
After a little bit of small ball to start out, the Marauders took a 12-10 edge on a Shaely Duff three, to lead after one.
A quick trey by Shelton to start the second got Mt. Vernon up 15-10. Noblesville's frontcourt had something else in mind that the Marauders weren't expecting to begin the quarter. Keck found a way to get her two forwards involved in the offense more and it worked.
Erin Wood dished out a couple of assists to Alexis Shannon for consecutive buckets to get within one. The next trip up the floor, Shannon returned the favor and Wood put up a soft layup with 5:10 left until halftime for a 16-15 Miller lead.
Just before halftime, the Marauders tied the game up at 23 and looked to hold things even through two. The Millers found a way to defy that. Jessica Kiser found junior Audrey DeFoe outside the three point arc for her second three of the quarter, swishing it for a 26-23 Noblesville lead heading into the locker room.
DeFoe began the 3rd knocking down her third trey of the game, putting the Millers up 33-28 and on a 7-5 run, forcing the Mt. Vernon bench to call a full timeout. The Marauders got a couple baskets out of Sadie Baugh and Olivia Coleman to close the third quarter out and trail 33-32 to Noblesville.
From the vantage point at the far right side of the scorers tables, it seemed like an extremely intense Mt. Vernon huddle. Shelton got her point across. A play was drawn up and Coleman drove through the lane for two to give the visitors their first lead since the end of the first (12-10).
A turnover by the Millers and back down the court went the Marauders, led by sophomore Sydney Shelton. She had the presence of mind to cut through defenders and get fouled while nailing a jumper. Shelton sank the free throw and Mt. Vernon was up 37-33. This wouldn't last long...
Trading baskets for the next couple minutes, there was no way Noblesville would let this game completely slip away. Kiser was fouled converting a layup and then made the free throw for the old-fashioned three-point play. The Millers now trailed just 44-41 with 3:05 left.
Then, it became the Cori Cain long distance show. Cain played some intense defense all day and it was written all over her face that she had something up her sleeve.
She started her scoring spree with 2:10 left by swishing a three from the right side to give Noblesville a 47-46 lead, which they wouldn't give back.
As the Millers forced a couple more turnovers, Cain was fed the ball a couple more times to extend the advantage to 53-46. The game was sealed when Katelyn O'Reilly was fouled putting a layup off the glass. KO sank her free throw for the final tally of 56-46.
Sydney Shelton led all scorers with a game-high 23 points on eight field goals, while Olivia Coleman had 10 for Mt. Vernon (10-3).
Noblesville (9-3, 2-2 HCC) had a very balanced attack, with Audrey DeFoe (4 reb.) and Katelyn O'Reilly (7-9 FT) sharing team-high honors with 11 apiece. Cori Cain had 9 on three 3's, Erin Wood 8 and Jessica Kiser 7 (5-5 FTs). Alexis Shannon chipped in with 6 (7 reb.) and Brooke Herron added 4 (4 reb.).
The Millers connected on 6-of-15 (40%) three-point attempts and 18-for-22 (82%) at the free throw line to help propel them to the win.
Wednesday is going to be a real test for Donna Keck's squad. They'll head south to Fishers (12-3, 4-1 HCC) for a crucial Hoosier Crossroads Conference road game. The Tigers have won 8 straight and haven't lost since dropping a home game to Mooresville (51-48) on December 6.
Anderson 56, Noblesville 50 - (Friday, January 3 at The Mill)
Indians 16 11 18 11 -- 56
Millers 14 17 15 4 -- 50
This was simply a back and forth, full tilt battle between two great basketball teams. Balanced scoring from both Anderson and Noblesville and it was a shame that someone had to lose this fast-paced game.
Anderson led 16-14 thru one, but the host Millers forced the visiting Indians into seven turnovers to their six.
Noblesville took the second with a 17-11 output, thanks to a team effort of 5-for-5 at the foul line to lead 31-27 at that half.
The Indians came out firing in the 3rd and took the lead on a Dabriona Williams three, 37-36, midway through the quarter. The next trip down the floor, freshman Brooke Herron of Noblesville was fouled. She made both attempts from the charity stripe, tying it up at 37 and giving the Millers a 38-37 edge.
Anderson took a slight 39-38 lead on Da'Sha Boyd's two, but that just fired up the Noblesville sharp-shooters. Two consecutive threes by Brooke Herron and Audrey DeFoe bolted the Millers up 44-39 in the final two minutes of the third. The Indians cut it to a one-point deficit after three, 46-45.
The visitors figured out how to get to the Millers and it worked, unfortunately. Anderson was able to hold down the Millers on their home floor, limiting them 11-4 in the final eight minutes to take a 56-50 victory back to Howard county.
The Indians were able to get three into double figures. Chelsea Bentley led all scorers with 14, while Da'Sha Boyd and Dabriona Williams both wound up with 13.
Noblesville was led by Brooke Herron's team-high 13, followed by Audrey DeFoe's 11. Both were able to drill three from outside-the-arc. Erin Wood had 9 and Alexis Shannon finished with 8, while both grabbed 7 rebounds.
Noblesville 91, Brownsburg 70 - (Saturday, December 21 at Brownsburg)
Millers 10 30 21 30 -- 91
Bulldogs 14 22 5 29 -- 70
Brooke Herron 23 points, Alexis Shannon 14, Jessica Kiser 12, Kayleigh Herron 11, Audrey DeFoe 10, Katelyn O'Reilly 7, Erin Wood 6, Rachel Shipman 5, Erin Flynn 2, Cori Cain 1, Haley Conway 0 and Sam Salmon 0.
Hamilton Southeastern 54, Noblesville 44 - (Friday, December 13 at Hamilton Southeastern)
Millers 16 10 7 11 -- 44
Royals 10 18 15 11 -- 54
This was the first basketball broadcast by myself and Dusty Mills on highschoolcube.com. If you get a chance, head to highschoolcube.com and type Noblesville at Hamilton Southeastern in the search blank and enjoy the broadcast!
Gunning to end their 12-year, 16-game losing streak against Hamilton Southeastern, the Noblesville Millers made it a quick start out of the gate. Leading 16-10 after one, coach Donna Keck's squad was poised to keep the lead as long as they could in hopes of pulling out the long awaited W.
The host Royals climbed their way back with outscoring Noblesville 18-10 in the second quarter, from the trio of Taylor Graham, Bree Lloyd and Madi Taylor combining for a 9-for-9 effort from the free throw line.
Cori Cain led the Millers with 6 of her team-high 10 points in the second quarter, but Noblesville now trailed Hamilton Southeastern 28-26 at the half.
Down just two heading into the final two quarters, the Millers let the Royals play a mind game with them and the game was out of hand before they knew it.
Turning the ball over at-will and allowing Hamilton Southeastern's speedy backcourt to be a thorn in the Millers' side, Noblesville would trail the hosts by 10 after three (44-34) and that would also be the final margin (54-44).
Cori Cain and Erin Wood led Noblesville with 10 points each. Jessica Kiser added 9, while Brooke Herron pitched in with 7.
Hamilton Southeastern was led by both Taylor Graham and Madi Taylor with 15 points from each junior. Darie Kirschling and Megan Walton had 7 apiece and Bree Lloyd 6.
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