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.

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.


Friday, December 13, 2013

Noblesville blows out McCutcheon, improves to 7-1

The weather on Saturday, December 7 might have been cold outside, but The Mill was pretty warm and welcomed the visiting McCutcheon Maverick girls to face the Noblesville Millers in a matinee matchup in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference.

It didn't take long at all, but the Millers took complete control of this conference battle from the get-go. Three-point buckets by senior Jessica Kiser and junior Kayleigh Herron jumped Noblesville out to an early 6-2 lead. Kerstyn Lowery and Katee Kurtz added a pair of free throws each, but the Mavs had already dug themselves a hole that would be hard to get out of. McCutcheon wasn't able to knock down its first field goal until 1:53 left in the first, when Gabby Gary nailed a three.

The Millers forced 7 Maverick turnovers in the first quarter. With about 3 minutes left, NHS clung to an 11-4 lead, but that didn't last long. Two consecutive forced turnovers turned quickly into two Katelyn O'Reilly layups to put Noblesville up 15-4, causing McCutcheon head coach Jeff Knoy to call his first timeout.

Audrey DeFoe capped off the dominant first frame with an easy 3-pointer with 1:24 on the clock to put Noblesville well out in front, 21-7.

DeFoe scorched the nets with a another couple treys and got the help of her teammates spreading out the Miller scoring to distance themselves even more from the visiting Mavericks to lead 39-14 at the break.

It may have been too late, but it seemed like McCutcheon's offense woke up a little in the third, but were still outscored by the Millers 13-12. O'Reilly added two more buckets and DeFoe her fourth three to propel Noblesville to a doubling of the Mavericks after 24 minutes, 52-26.

The 4th quarter became a time for Noblesville head coach Donna Keck to utilize her bench and run the clock out on this HCC win. That's exactly what she and her staff did as they got their first Saturday in December off to an outstanding start, beating McCutcheon, 64-35.

McCutcheon (2-5, 1-2 HCC) had only one in double-digit scoring, as Kerstyn Lowery led the way, tying for a game-high 15. Gabby Gary also had 6 for the Mavericks.

Noblesville (7-1, 1-1 HCC) was really able to spread out their scoring. Junior Audrey DeFoe led the Millers with a game-high 15 points off the bench, mostly on four 3-pointers. Katelyn O'Reilly also had a stellar game off Keck's bench with 13 on six field goals. Erin Wood chipped in with 9 points and Alexis Shannon finished with 8. As a team, the Millers were able to dish out 21 assists on their 25 made field goals. Cori Cain (4), Brooke Herron (4), Kayleigh Herron (3) and Rachel Shipman (3) were four selfless passers in making sure the ball got to the right teammate to put points on the scoreboard.

Tonight, the Millers face a HCC and Hamilton county rival that they haven't had a victory against in 12 years. Hamilton Southeastern (4-4, 3-1 HCC) has beaten Noblesville in 16 consecutive meetings. The last time Noblesville was able to pull out a victory over the Royals was December 7, 2001, when the Millers were coached by Leah Wooldridge and won at Hamilton Southeastern, 75-56.

The time has come and it has been WAY too long and this particular group of Millers is definitely primed and ready to get over that hump that has been the Hamilton Southeastern Royals. Noblesville has the opportunity that they have been waiting for. It will be a packed house at Hamilton Southeastern tonight and also an epic atmosphere.

We would love to see you in attendance at Hamilton Southeastern to support the girls at 6 p.m. and the boys around 8 p.m. in a doubleheader of varsity action.

If you can't make it, get on your computers or smartphones and you get watch/listen online LIVE on highschoolcube.com or download the free HSC Live app from your Android, iPhone or iPad markets. Once you get to the site or onto the app, in the search blank, type in Noblesville at Hamilton Southeastern and you'll be LIVE! Bring your earbuds to the game and you can listen to us live also!

Craig Adkins (myself) will call the play-by-play and Dusty Mills (former Miller) provides the color commentary.

GO MILLERS!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Butler dispatches of North Dakota and Manchester, ready for Boilers

After leaving the 2013 Old Spice Classic in Lake Buena Vista, Florida with a 4th place (1-2) finish, the Butler Bulldogs headed back to work with the goal of keeping things going, but obviously approving on it.

Before the Old Spice Classic had even begun, the Oklahoma State Cowboys were already inked in champions of the 8-team tournament. That really didn't settle well with the Butler Bulldogs. Heading to Disney's Wide World of Sports with a 4-0 record, Butler looked to continue that trend as long as they possibly could.

They were able to scrap and eventually slip by Washington State in their first of three games, 76-69 on Thanksgiving Day. That win pitted them against #5 Oklahoma State and highly touted sophomore Marcus Smart. The Dawgs shocked a lot of people by sticking with, and almost knocking off, the high-energy Cowboys from the Big XII and only lost by two, 69-67.

The loss to Oklahoma State dropped Butler into the 3rd place game with LSU, which is projected to be a top 5 team in the SEC this season. The Bulldogs held their own once again, but fell 70-68 in overtime to the Tigers.

Butler got back in the comforts of Indianapolis and got back to work in a couple tune-up games that will hopefully get them ready for Saturday's battle with the Purdue Boilermakers at Banker's Life Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.

The University of North Dakota made a long trip to Indianapolis on Saturday, December 7 to face the Bulldogs. With Butler shooting 52% (29-56) and outrebounding UND 44-28, North Dakota put up a fight, but playing on their home court helped Butler secure a 79-65 win.

Sophomore Kellen Dunham put together another stellar shooting performance by leading all scorers with a game-high 29. The 6'6 guard from Pendleton, Indiana was 9-of-15 from the floor, including 5-for-8 on his three-point attempts and all six of his free throw attempts. Khyle Marshall did his part by totaling 21 points and 7 rebounds.

Last night, Monday, December 3rd, Butler welcomed another non-conference foe to Hinkle Fieldhouse. Division III Manchester College, which resides just southwest of Fort Wayne, Indiana, made their first appearance at Butler in almost 70 years.

Butler managed to reach the century mark on the scoreboard, with a 100-41 shellacking of the visiting Spartans. The Bulldogs haven't had that much of a winning margin since the 1921-22 season when they pummeled Indiana Law School, 82-14.

With a comfortable 48-24 doubling-up halftime lead, the second half became 20 minutes where head coach Brandon Miller and staff were able to figure out which players fit into different situations. His troops outscored Manchester 52-17 in the second half to cruise past the Spartans by 59 points, 100-41.

Once again, Dunham led four Bulldogs in double-figures with 15 points in just 19 minutes. Marshall had another great game with 14 points on 6-of-9 from the floor. Kameron Woods chipped in with 11 points and 5 boards, while Erik Fromm had 7 and 7 with 3 blocks.

The Bulldogs had a couple of freshmen that were real sparkplugs off the bench that could prove to be vital parts of their offense and depth now and throughout the Big East season. Rene Castro added a career-high 12 points on 5 field goals (2-3 on 3's) in 16 minutes and Elijah Brown had 9 points (3-4 on 3's) with 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

In four days, Butler (7-2) will meet up with the Purdue Boilermakers (8-2) on a neutral court. They'll tip at 6 p.m. on the Big Ten Network in the second game of the doubleheader at Banker's Life Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis as part of the 3rd annual Crossroads Classic. Radio coverage can be heard locally in Indianapolis on 1070 The Fan and 107.5 FM with the pre-game 30 minutes prior to tip.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-2) and the Indiana Hoosiers (8-2) renew their rivalry in the first game of the afternoon with a 3:15 start on ESPN.  

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Miller girls on a roll, with just one blemish

Playing together. Spreading out the scoring. Hitting the boards hard for rebounds. Defending opponents. Those are just four factors that have played a tremendous role in how head coach Donna Keck's Noblesville Millers are currently 6-1, one-third of the way through the regular season.

Noblesville 75, 3A #4 Hamilton Heights 59 (Fri. 11/15)
Millers    22    20    16    17    --    75
Huskies    9     18      8    24    --    59

After opening up the 2013-14 season with a very convincing home court win over Indianapolis Arsenal Tech, the Noblesville Miller girls took to the road and headed just north to face Hamilton Heights. The Huskies were the Class 3A State Runners-Up last season. That didn't phase the Miller in the least as they left northern Hamilton county with a 75-59 victory over the hosts.

The Millers scored 20-plus in each of the first two quarters to go up 22-9 after one and have a solid 42-27 lead at the halftime break.

Noblesville pulled away with an even more comfortable lead thru three frames with a 58-35 cushion. The Huskies woke up in the fourth and took the final eight minutes 24-17, but wasn't able to overcome the significant deficit that they got themselves into in the first half and Noblesville won going away, with a 16-point road win.

Balancing out their scoring, the Millers were led by sophomore forward Alexis Shannon with 18. Erin Wood had 16 on six field goals and Cori Cain dropped in 12 to go with 4 steals on the defensive end.

4A #6 Westfield 58, Noblesville 41 (Tues. 11/19)
Shamrocks    19    12    17    10    --    58
Millers           13    11      9      8    --    41

Just when Noblesville thought they were past a few different pieces in the Westfield offense, a new offensive option decided that she would make it impossible for the Millers to succeed on either end of the court.

Just two Shamrocks were able to get into double-figures on the Millers' home court at Noblesville, but those two almost equaled the total offensive output for Keck's crew. Kayla Brown (25) and Jalyn Foland (14) did their best to get Westfield the win and almost outscored their opponent (41) on the road as a duo. It didn't help the Millers that Brown and Foland were able to combine for 12-of-17 shooting, most importantly, 6-for-7 from 3-point range.

The Millers were only down seven at halftime (31-24), so it would have been a very doable task to find ways offensively and create turnovers on defense. In the end, it was Westfield's tenacious defense that didn't allow Noblesville to get its own way at home.

Westfield's lead grew to 15 with a 48-33 advantage through three and would increase to a 58-41 final score after holding Noblesville to just 17 second half points.

Audrey DeFoe led the Millers with a team-high 13 points on four field goals, including three made from outside-the-arc. Erin Wood had 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists to her credit, while Alexis Shannon managed to scrap her way to 10.

Noblesville 66, 3A #6 Lebanon 46 (Fri. 11/22)
Millers     18    13    21    14    -- 66
Tigers      10    15      9    12    -- 46

It became Noblesville biggest road test thus far and the Millers responded just like coach Keck had hoped. By the time that Noblesville had sprung out to a 19-point lead after three, it was too late for Lebanon to make any sort of comeback. It was a pretty similar situation that the Millers had put Hamilton Heights in just seven days prior.

Once again, the main objective for Noblesville was to spread out the scoring and to not worry about who led the team in scoring. That's exactly what happened in a huge road game for the Millers.

Once again, Alexis Shannon led the Millers in scoring with 17, knocking down 8-of-15 from the field. She was joined by Erin Wood in double-digits with 12. The trio of Jessica Kiser, Cori Cain and Katelyn O'Reilly each poured in 8 points each. Those five were able to outscore the host Tigers 53-46 by themselves.

Noblesville 64, Carmel 56 (Tues. 11/26)
Greyhounds    16    11    17    12    --    56
Millers             22    16      6    20    --    64

The Millers did something that they haven't done as a program since November 25, 2003, pretty much 10 years to the day. That was the last time that Noblesville beat Carmel in girls basketball. Prior to Noblesville's eight-point victory over the visiting Greyhounds, Carmel owned the Hamilton county rivalry, taking 13 of the last 14 of the series. Leah Woolridge was in her final season as Noblesville head coach before Kurt Gassensmith took over from 2004-2008.

Noblesville rolled to a 22-16, two possession lead after one quarter, which was aided by 8 from sophomore leading scorer Alexis Shannon.

Despite taking the second quarter 16-11 and leading 38-27 at halftime, it wasn't easy to fend off the feisty Carmel Greyhounds. Noblesville seemed to have the first half wrapped up with a bow on it, until around the last 1:33 of the second period.

Carmel was able to force four of Noblesville's 19 turnovers in that final span of 1:33 in the 2nd. Those four turnovers led to five points by the visiting Hounds and the Millers found themselves only up 11 at half, instead of the comfortable 16-point margin they had just 93 ticks earlier.

The third quarter was all Greyhounds, as they climbed right back into the ballgame, outscoring the Millers 17-6, knotting things up at 44-44.

That third quarter domination by Carmel woke up Noblesville on both ends of the floor. The Millers were able to get the crowd involved and take the road savvy Greyhounds right out of the game at just the right time.

Noblesville got big help in the 4th, just like in the 1st, by Alexis Shannon scoring 7 of her points. The biggest key for Keck's team in the fourth was that they made 9-of-12 at the charity stripe. Those nine at the line alone, kept Carmel at enough of a distance to put the ballgame away.

Junior Abby Abel of Carmel led all scorers with a game-high 21. She was helped out by teammates Amanda Shaw (9) and Kennedy Kantner (8).

Alexis Shannon was Noblesville's leader with 19 points and 8 rebounds, but the Millers got a nice surprise off the bench. Freshman Brooke Herron poured in 14, seven of which came in the 4th. Balanced across the rest of the Miller stat sheet for sure. Jessica Kiser added 7, while Kayleigh Herron, Rachel Shipman and Katelyn O'Reilly each had 6.

TIPPECANOE VALLEY HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT (Sat. 11/30)

Noblesville 88, Munster 30
Millers     28    13    26    21    --    88
Mustangs  8      6      7      9    --     30

Heading up to Tippecanoe Valley for their annual Thanksgiving Holiday Tournament, Noblesville had one goal. Keep the momentum rolling. Prior to the Thanksgiving Day holiday, the Millers were coming off their biggest victory in 10 years by taking down the Carmel Greyhounds at The Mill.

Noblesville stepped foot on the court at Tippecanoe Valley on a strict mission to bring two wins back home before starting Hoosier Crossroads Conference play.

By the time Munster woke up from their morning bus trip from Northwest Indiana, the Millers had bolted out to a 28-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The trend wasn't as heavy in the 2nd, but Noblesville still doubled up the Mustangs 13-6 for a dominating 41-14 score at the half.

The Millers almost tripled up Munster in the final two periods, 47-16 to once again, find themselves playing for the championship.

Freshman guard Brooke Herron got scored in double-figures for the second straight game, leading all scorers with 18, hitting 5-of-6 treys. Her junior sister Kayleigh Herron was the second leading scorer with 13, swishing 3 of her 6 three-point attempts. Erin Flynn sparked the Miller frontcourt with 12 points on 5 field goals. Katelyn O'Reilly (11) and Cori Cain (10) rounded out five in double-digits for Noblesville.

Forcing 31 Munster turnovers and draining 10-of-24 (42%) of their 3-point attempts, Noblesville found itself in the championship game with a 58-point drubbing of the Mustangs, 88-30.

Championship game: Noblesville 70, Tippecanoe Valley 63
Vikings    16    17    14    16    --    63
Millers     18    16    18    18    --    70 

Coming into the championship game on a high note, the Millers knew it would be quite a challenge to knock off the host Tippecanoe Valley Vikings in their own holiday tournament.

They accepted the challenge and rose up to the occasion. With previous wins over Bremen and Warsaw to open the season, earlier in the day, Portage became the Vikings' latest victim and TV headed into their own tournament undefeated (3-0).

In a tight first half, Noblesville led by two (18-16) after the first and with Tippecanoe Valley outdueling the Millers 17-16 in the second, coach Keck and staff clung to just a 34-33 halftime edge.

Slowly, but surely, the speed and tenacity of Noblesville's youthful squad was able to pull themselves away slightly in the final eight minutes. Pressure mounted on the Millers but they didn't fold and held on for the 70-63 victory. Noblesville won the Tippecanoe Valley Holiday Tournament for the 2nd year in a row and 3rd in their 5th appearance during Donna Keck's 6th season at the helm.

Alexis Shannon had a team-high 17, converting 7-of-9 field goal attempts and all three of her free throws. Erin Wood had another solid game with 16, half of which came from sinking 8-for-9 from the charity stripe. Jessica Kiser and Brooke Herron each chipped in with 11, while Cori Cain (6) and Kayleigh Herron (4) added to the championship effort.

The Millers figured some pretty vital things as a team during their two wins at Tippecanoe Valley. Shooting 48% overall (55-115) and 37% (14-37) from three-point range, confidence was on the rise, which were big reasons Noblesville took the tourney title for the 3rd time in five season. Improvement at the free throw line, knocking down 79% (34-43) in two games, might have helped turn the corner that's needed to continue the greatness that's been started.

Noblesville (6-1) continues its season this Saturday, December 7 for a matinee affair with McCutcheon (2-3) to open up league play in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference. JV tips at Noon and varsity will hit the floor around 1:30 p.m.

Come back for more on the Millers throughout the season!

GO MILLERS!!!!!!!

Voice of the Millers,
Craig Adkins



Monday, November 25, 2013

Butler surprising everyone but themselves through 4 games

They knew it once they were able to assemble as a whole this summer, but the Butler Bulldogs had a feeling that they could probably turn first-year head coach Brandon Miller's head coaching debut into something special.

Butler finds itself undefeated through 4 games and have faced some pretty good competition in doing so.

One big thing that was a big plus was that the Bulldogs were very fortunate to be able to open the 2013-14 campaign with three consecutive home games at Hinkle Fieldhouse. With a lot of inexperienced players and many newcomers, there couldn't be a better way to open the season, than on their home court.

It wasn't until the fourth game that they were forced to hit the road, but it was a short road trip, as the Bulldogs traveled up I-69 to Ball State in Muncie, Indiana to face the Cardinals at Worthen Arena.

Butler 89, Lamar 58 (November 9)
The Lamar Cardinals were kind of a quirky opponent to open the season against. Coached by Pat Knight, son of legendary former Indiana University head coach Bob Knight, you could just assume that he would recruit players that are athletes who want to be winners.

Nimrod Hilliard (23 points), Donovan Ross (18) and Amos Wilson (9) struck quite a resemblance to that of an opponent Butler saw three times during Atlantic 10 play last year. Their style and scrappiness of play had streaks of the Saint Louis Billikens. The only problem was that Lamar just couldn't finish plays off in the second half, which allowed the Bulldogs to roll over the Cardinals 51-26 in the final 20 minutes for an 89-58 runaway season-opening victory.

Senior forward Khyle Marshall would take charge to lead Butler with 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting and 13 rebounds. His offensive outburst was aided by 13 from Kellen Dunham, 11 by Kameron Woods and Erik Fromm pitching in 10.

Butler 70, Princeton 67
The Bulldogs knew that facing an opponent like Princeton would pose some problems on both ends of the court. Princeton has been known for years for setting up their offense to run the famous play called, "The Back Door." Trailing the Princeton Tigers of the Ivy League for the first 13 minutes of the first half, Butler figured out exactly what it needed to do to take the Tigers right out of their scheme and win the ball game.

Keeping at it on defense for a solid 40 minutes of hard-nosed basketball is exactly how Butler got it done to take down Princeton. Tenacious defense and knocking down 38% (9-24) from outside the arc were just two facets of the game where Butler was able to be that much better than the Tigers to pull out the three-point victory.

Sophomore guard Kellen Dunham scored a career-high 26 points on 50% overall shooting, while drilling 4-for-8 from three-point land. Three others joined KD in double-figures. After just 5 points in his debut vs. Lamar in the opener, Elijah Brown netted 13 points off the bench. Kameron Woods notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards for the junior. Senior Erik Fromm had 10 for the second consecutive game.

Butler 85, Vanderbilt 77 (OT)
Last season, Butler was able to pull off the upset over the Commodores in Nashville. This time, Vanderbilt wanted to bring Southeastern Conference (SEC) basketball to Indianapolis and give the Butler faithful a taste of what their southern flavor of hoops is all about. Vanderbilt has had some pretty decent seasons of late and made it to the NCAA Tournament six times since 2004. Their best success was Sweet 16 appearances in 2004 and 2007.

Butler was able to control the tempo of the game in the first half and took a 38-30 lead into the locker room. Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings circled the wagons and must have given his Commodores a wake up call during halftime, as they were able to take charge for a majority of the second half to outscore the Bulldogs 40-32, forcing overtime.

The Bulldog offense was anchored by their leader, Khyle Marshall. He was simply a mad man on the hardwood and did not want to lose this game, no matter what it took. Marshall led the Dawgs with a team-high 26 points on 11-for-15 field goals. It wasn't the fact that Khyle scored 26, is was the fashion he was able to do it.

With just 5 points at the half, it seemed like a switch flipped on inside of Marshall and the second half and overtime belonged to the 6'6 senior from Davie, Florida. Toward the end of regulation, Khyle scored 16 of Butler's final 22, but most importantly, he was able to outscore Vanderbilt 9-7 in the extra period. Obviously with Marshall's career night, Butler was able to pull away from Vandy 15-7 in overtime for an 85-77 win.

Dunham and Kam Woods were a great supporting cast, once again. KD finished with 16, while Woods put together a pretty good stat line of 10 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocked shots. Junior Jackson Aldridge and freshman Andrew Chrabascz each pitched in with 7 each.

Butler 59, Ball State 58
Different situations and matchups force different personnel to step up and make their presence known. In most cases, I think it's someone that doesn't normally show up in a scouting report or does something significant when watching them on film in preparation.

Butler knew that their first road test would literally be a test. Neither team shot the ball well, which makes you wonder which of these two would come out on the better end of this game and wind up with the win.

Defensively, Butler exceled by forcing Ball State to turn the ball over 17 times. The host Cardinals weren't rattled, for the most part, being on their home floor at Worthen Arena in front of 6,015 in attendance.

Ball State took a seven-point advantage into halftime, up 30-23. BSU expanded their lead to 11 with a 12-8 run to start the second half for a 42-31 lead. From that point on, Butler would make the second half theirs 36-28, to eventually steal a 59-58 road victory.

The Bulldogs were tested beyond what they imagined, but knew exactly what would be needed to happen. Alex Barlow and Elijah Brown stepped up and sparked a 16-2 run for BU that would put Butler up by three.

With that three-point lead, Butler was outscored 14-12 in the final 8 minutes, but that still gave them a one-point win. Kameron Woods sparked the Butler offense scoring 6 of his 12 in the final eight minutes, but Ball State guard Jesse Berry kept the Cardinals in a one possession game with all 7 of his points in the final five minutes of play.

Majok Majok led all scorers with a game-high 15 points, while Chris Bond added 14 for the Cardinals.

Marshall led Butler with a team-high 14, while Elijah Brown tied his career-high with 13 off the bench. Woods had another double-double with 12 points and 10 boards and point guard Alex Barlow added 10.

Where the Bulldogs (4-0) go from here...
It may not have been the stiffest competition in their first four games early on in the season, but they can honestly say they've been tested by their opponents.

Lamar gave Butler a game, but only for the first half, before the Bulldogs ran away with a 31-point win. Princeton took Butler down to the wire, but Butler was able to prevail and slip away by three. Vanderbilt gave the Bulldogs the most they could take, forcing overtime, before Butler won by 8 in the extra period. Ball State gave Butler their biggest scare as an undefeated team, but found a way to escape Muncie with a 59-58 win.

As expected, Khyle Marshall and Kellen Dunham lead Butler in scoring. Each are averaging 15.8 per contest. Kameron Woods is just about putting up double digits in both scoring (11.0) and rebounding (9.0). Freshman Elijah Brown has slowly, but surely gotten himself into a comfort zone of late, averaging 8.8 per game and give head coach Brandon Miller quality minutes off the bench. Alex Barlow is dishing out 3.2 assists a game, while also compiling a 4.3/1 assist to turnover ratio. As a team, Butler is committing 8 turnovers and causing 15. They're hitting the boards to outrebound opponents  by an average of 36-34.

The Butler bench has also been able to rotate four other key role players into the lineup to contribute. Junior Jackson Aldridge, sophomore Devontae Morgan, along with freshmen Rene Castro and Andrew Chrabascz have all pitched in to play their part in getting the Bulldogs off to this 4-0 start.

This week will be Butler's toughest of the season. The Bulldogs (4-0) compete in the Old Spice Classic in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, featuring some pretty hefty competition. They open up play on Thanksgiving Day at 2 p.m. against Washington State (2-2). On Friday, November 29, they'll face either the winner of Purdue (5-0) vs. Oklahoma State (4-0) or the loser of that Boilermakers/Cowboys matchup. Depending on the outcome of those games, Butler could face Saint Joseph's (2-1), Siena (2-4), Memphis (2-1) or LSU (3-1) on Sunday, December 1.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

4A #25 Noblesville Miller girls dominate Arsenal Tech in season opener, 62-29

The Noblesville Millers got their season off to a great start with a very convincing 62-29 victory over the visiting Indianapolis Arsenal Tech Titans at The Mill in Noblesville on Tuesday night.

Coming into the 2013-14 season, it was a wonder who would fill the void in the Miller backcourt with junior star Becca Bergman out for the season with a torn ACL. Kayleigh Herron and Audrey DeFoe started in the backcourt, along with Noblesville's lone senior Jessica Kiser.

The Miller backcourt did just fine in the absence of Bergman running the point. There were some shaky times before they got into a groove. Add the aforementioned trio, plus junior Cori Cain, sophomore Rachel Shipman and freshman Brooke Herron off the bench together and those worries of Bergman's point production subside.

That combination of six put together an offensive effort that (27 points) that just about equaled Arsenal Tech's offensive total of 29 points as a team.

Noblesville led 16-5 after one quarter and snagged 12 rebounds in those first eight minutes.

It was a sloppy second quarter, but Noblesville obviously still kept the Arsenal Tech Titans at enough of a distance that they were able to find room for things to improve on in the second half. The Millers took a 31-12 advantage into halftime.

The Millers burst out in the 3rd quarter and took full advantage of an Arsenal Tech team that was absolutely gassed through the first 16 minutes. There were a couple different Titans that were subbed off the floor because they had thrown up from what could only be assumed to be lack of conditioning.

Noblesville led 52-21 after three, but their quarter scoring (21) matched Tech's point total for the game of 21. Sophomore Alexis Shannon scored 6 of her 12 in the 3rd, as Erin Wood dropped in 8 of her game-high 19 in the third frame.

During the 4th, head coach Donna Keck and staff got full use of every bit of their bench. All who dressed, saw at least 3-4 minutes of playing time, including 5'1 freshman guard Sam Salmon.

Outscoring Arsenal Tech 10-8 in the fourth, the Millers won going away in blowout fashion over the Titans, 62-29.

Noblesville's next two games keep them in Hamilton County. They'll get their first true road test of the season as they'll head north on SR 19 on Friday, November 15 to face the 3A #6 (1-0) Hamilton Heights Huskies. Last night, Heights edged Tri-Central 55-54 in Sharpsville.

The Millers will come back home to The Mill next Tuesday, November 19 and open up Hoosier Crossroads Conference play with 4A #6 Westfield (1-0). The Shamrocks opened up their season Tuesday night also and came away with a one-sided 72-21 win over visiting Frankton.

Arsenal Tech (29) - Ra'Shay Turentine 10, Brittany Reedy 7, Emoni Smith 6, Na'Jai Howard 2, Kali Wilburn 2, Kennedi Jackson 2, Jalise Beck 0, Stachia Austin 0, Chalis Gardner 0, Tessa Toney 0.

 Noblesville (62) - Erin Wood 19, Jessica Kiser 12, Alexis Shannon 12, Kayleigh Herron 6, Cori Cain 4, Audrey DeFoe 4, Katelyn O'Reilly 4, Brooke Herron 1, Erin Flynn 0, Rachel Shipman 0, Haley Conway 0, Sam Salmon 0.

Additional Noblesville Stats:
Rebounds 46 (19 offensive): Kiser 8, Shannon 7, Wood 5, O'Reilly 5, K. Herron 4, Shipman 4, B. Herron 4, Cain 3, Flynn 3, Conway.

Assists (15) - Shannon 5, Cain 4, K. Herron 3, DeFoe 2, B. Herron

Steals (17) - K. Herron 6, Shannon 3, Cain 2, Kiser 2, DeFoe 2, O'Reilly, Wood.