4A #7 Noblesville dominates Avon in HCC play

It wasn't the fastest pace to start the game, but once they got going, there was no stopping Donna Keck's Millers. A midday Saturday game in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference was something they needed to keep a level head on things after eclipsing the 100-point barrier (102-85) for the second time this season on Tuesday night at Carmel.

Saturday, it was a possibility that the scoreboards at The Mill might see that many points from this talented group, but it wasn't completely necessary for the win. They got close to it in their most lopsided, largest margin of victory so far this season, dominating the Avon Orioles 90-27.


4A #7 Noblesville 90, Avon 27 - (Saturday at The Mill, Noblesville)
Orioles     4     9     9     5     -     27
Millers    29   24   22   15    -     90

Erin Wood controlled the opening tip to Katelyn O'Reilly and she immediately found guard Kayleigh Herron in transition, jetting up the left side of the court and easily put the ball off the glass and in for a quick 2-0 score.

O'Reilly (left) made it 4-0 the next trip down with an offensive rebound. After Avon scored their first two, Kayleigh and Alexis Shannon each sank a pair of free throws to make it 8-2. Avon just couldn't handle the defensive presence of the Millers and turned the ball right back over. Passing the ball around the figure out their next option for a shot, Becca Bergman found Cori Cain on the left wing for a three and at 11-2, Avon head coach David Cupp took a timeout to try and slow down the momentum.

That's not how you slow down this group of Noblesville Millers. Through 7 games, I'm not really sure what can or will.

Selflessly, the Millers just kept dishing the ball around to open teammates and by the end of the first, they were way out front, 29-4.

There was honestly no way that Avon was going to be able to slow down or even come close to it for the remaining 24 minutes of play. Keck's team kicks it into 5th gear and keeps the pedal to the metal until that clock displays 0:00.

Ten points from leading scorer Alexis Shannon, 4 each from O'Reilly and Wood, along with wide open treys from Bergman and Rachel Shipman and the Millers were well in command with still one half of basketball to play. Noblesville put the game into cruise control early in the 2nd and led 53-13 at halftime.

Were the Millers going to just pack it in having a 40-point lead heading into the locker room at half? Absolutely not. There is no quit in
this team.

Avon turned the ball over at-will even more in the third, which obviously only fueled Noblesville the rest of the way. With each Orioles turnover, there seemed to be an outlet pass to a Miller streaking down the court, waiting for the long ball for a layup. O'Reilly and Shannon each poured in another 8 and before we knew it, it was 75-22 after three.

Keck emptied her bench for most of the 4th quarter and her Millers produced a solid Saturday afternoon conference win, 90-27.


Avon committed 31 turnovers, 21 which were the result of Noblesville steals. Noblesville gave the ball away just 12 times.

The Orioles (1-4, 1-1 HCC) were led in scoring by Katrina Hopkins with 8 points and 4 rebounds. Bailey Wulle came off the Avon bench for 5 points, while Camille Vann and Lexi Short each had 4.

Noblesville (7-0, 2-0 HCC) was paced with 26 points on 12 field goals from Alexis Shannon. Katelyn O'Reilly had her 4th double-double of the season for the third game in a row with 22 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals and one blocked shot.

Kayleigh Herron had her best offensive output of the year with 9 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Erin Wood had 8 points and 4 rebounds, while Becca Bergman added 6 points and 7 assists.

Through seven games, the Millers are averaging 82.7 points per game and giving up 51.1 for an average margin of victory of 31.6.

Noblesville travels to North Central (4-2) for another midday Saturday game. The Panthers have a tough weekend, as they'll play on the road at 4A #6 Pike (3-0) on Friday night before hosting the Millers on Saturday afternoon.

The Millers' game at North Central on Saturday will be covered live on HamiltonCountyTV.com. I'll have the play-by-play for you just prior to tip-off!

GO MILLERS!

(*all photos courtesy of Kent Graham at kentgraham.photoshelter.com)

Noblesville outlasts rival Carmel in speedy road battle 102-85

Tuesday night's Hamilton county rivalry continued at Carmel's Eric Clark Activity Center between Noblesville and Carmel's girls basketball teams. It was anticipated to be a game of speed and a survival of the fittest and that's exactly what it turned out to be.

Games like this tend to be that slight wrinkle in the schedule or where we find the kinks in the armor. That wasn't the case at all as the Millers kept up an energetic pace throughout to outpace and out finesse the host Greyhounds. In the process, Noblesville once again broke the 100-point mark and pulled away with a 102-85 road win for their second straight win against Carmel.

4A #7 Noblesville 102, Carmel 85 - (Tuesday at Eric Clark Activity Center, Carmel)
Millers              22     22     27     31     -     102
Greyhounds     17     20     13     35     -       85

The Millers prepared themselves mentally and didn't give way to anything that the Greyhounds threw at them. Getting out to a 10-2 lead, Carmel first-year head coach Tod Windlan called a timeout to calm down his team.

From that point on in the first, Carmel outscored the Millers 15-12, but Noblesville still clung to a five point lead after one, 22-17.

Carmel had that fight in them that they didn't want to give up so quickly in their home opener. That was pretty apparent throughout the game, no matter what kind of deficit the Noblesville faced them with.

Shooting just 8-for-19 (42%) at the free throw line in the first half, it was obvious that the Carmel coaching staff was looking for answers.

There sure weren't many answers to Noblesville's constant full court pressure and tenacious defense, and not to mention, the Millers' great rotation that kept fresh legs on the floor.

The Greyhounds didn't come out of the locker room at half like they were down just 7 at half (44-37) and found themselves down 71-50 through three and it looked as if things would spin out of control if their offense didn't do something in the fourth.

Noblesville made a statement to their county rivals by jetting out to take the third quarter 37-13, which didn't settle well with Carmel.

With a 21 point lead entering the fourth, Keck and her staff were ok with mixing up the lineup for the remainder of the game. As much as the Greyhounds kept finding ways to score in the final minutes of the game, they never really got remotely close to making a comeback. Every time Carmel looked to be making a dent in the Miller lead with free throws or a basket in transition, Noblesville always had something to come right back at them. The biggest daggers were a pair of threes that Becca Bergman spread out during the 4th to keep the Greyhounds at a distance and help the pull away for a 102-85 victory at Carmel.

Bergman's offensive confidence is fully back. The 5'4 senior point guard has been in the zone lately, dishing out assists (17 last weekend) and stealing every ball that is within reach of her on defense. Last night at Carmel, the Roosevelt commit handed out another 11 assists and added 7 more steals to her young season total.

Alexis Shannon keeps showing up on both ends of the court and produces. She scored 10 of her game-high 33 points in the second quarter and 9 of those in the fourth.

Carmel (2-2) was led in scoring off the bench by senior Amanda Shaw with a team-high 19, knocking down 8-for-11 from the foul line. Emily Kmec was key in the Greyhounds' big second half with 15. Freshman guard Amy Dilk and Andi Kwasniewski each had 11. Another freshman Blake Smith (9), Abby Abel (8) and Carrie Larson (8) were all big contributors.

Noblesville (6-0) was led by Alexis Shannon's 33-point, 7 rebound output. Becca Bergman pretty much stole the show last night with her play all over the court to score 24 points on nine field goals (4 treys), had another double-digit assist night for a double-double with 11, picked the pocket of Carmel 7 times and also grabbed a few rebounds.

Katelyn O'Reilly also filled out her part of the stat sheet with her 3rd double-double in the first six games of the season with 19 points and 16 rebounds. KO also had 4 assists and a couple blocked shots.

Brooke Herron made the best of her time on the floor before picking up her 4th personal foul to score 7 and 4 assists. Audrey DeFoe found herself to the basket for three layups off of turnovers for her 6 points. Emily Kiser chipped in 5 points and 9 rebounds, along with a pair of assists and 2 blocks. Kayleigh Herron's 4 points and 4 assists, Erin Wood (2) and Cori Cain (2) rounded out the scoring for Noblesville.

The Millers get a little bit of a Thanksgiving break and then it'll be back to practice Friday to prepare for a midday tilt with Hoosier Crossroads Conference foe Avon (1-2). That game will by around 12:45 on Saturday, November 29 with the JV starting at 11 a.m. Prior to Saturday's game, Avon plays Coach Keck's former Greenfield-Central (2-1) tonight on Thanksgiving Eve. 

GO MILLERS!

Big second half pushes 4A #9 Noblesville past Warsaw

After a pre-game chat with Noblesville 5'11 junior forward Katelyn O'Reilly, it was pretty evident that she planned on having a big game to help the Millers take down the visiting Warsaw Tigers at The Mill on Saturday night. That's exactly what happened with Noblesville defending their home court as they beat Warsaw down the stretch, 64-39.

On Friday night, it was her junior teammate Alexis Shannon helping rout Brownsburg with 34 points in a 78-51 win. Saturday night, she joined O'Reilly in a game of speed with the visiting Tigers and Warsaw just honestly couldn't handle what the Millers brought to the table.

It's awfully tough to make about an hour and a half road trip south on a Saturday and be up to the tough task of upsetting the home team on their floor.

4A #9 Noblesville 64, Warsaw 39 - (Saturday at The Mill, Noblesville)
Tigers      6     20     4     9     -     39
Millers   16    11    16   21    -     64

O'Reilly showed that it was her turn to have a big night on the stat sheet, as she scored 8 of Noblesville's 16 first quarter points.

KO got the game started off on the right foot with a bucket inside the paint for 2-0. After a few turnovers by the Tigers that turned into three of layups from Kayleigh Herron, Alexis Shannon and O'Reilly, Warsaw head coach Michelle Harter called her first timeout at 4:46 left in the first and down 8-0.

The Millers' D just wouldn't quit (at right). Right out of the timeout, steals by O'Reilly and Emily Kiser got Noblesville two more field goals and the Millers were now up 12-0.

Warsaw got on the board when Jodie Carlson made the first of her two free throw attempts.

Next trip of the court, KO was back at it and got a pass on the left wing and drove the left baseline for her fourth basket of the quarter. The score was now 14-1, forcing Harter to burn another timeout.

A Dayton Groninger three and two free throws from Madi Graham made it 14-5 before Brooke Herron came off the bench to sink a pair of free throws and Noblesville led 16-6 after one.

Harter made her presence known to her Tiger players and they showed results in the second quarter.

Warsaw outscored the Millers 20-11 in the second and looked like they were playing some inspired and motivated basketball like their coach was looking to get from the outset.

Their offense was starting to click as they kept cutting into Noblesville's lead, a little bit at a time. Carlson (7) and Groninger (5) played big roles in Warsaw's period two comeback.

With 48.8 ticks left in the first half, Warsaw grabbed its first lead of 24-23 on a couple Dayton Groninger free throws.

On the other end of the court, O'Reilly made her third basket of the quarter to give her 16 at the half and Noblesville was back on top 25-24. A steal by O'Reilly and a pass up the court to Alexis Shannon for an easy layup gave the Millers a 27-24 edge late in the half. Page Desenberg drove to the hoop in the final seconds for two and Warsaw brought Noblesville's lead down to one halftime, 27-26.

We can only imagine what was being said to each team in their respective locker rooms during the halftime break. Needless to say, Noblesville was back on the floor to warm up with around four minutes left on the halftime clock.

Obviously that sparked something out of head coach Donna Keck's squad.

Alexis Shannon broke out in the third to score 10 points in helping Noblesville storm out to a 12-0 run to start the first few minutes of the second half, thus forcing Harter to use another :30 timeout.

Noblesville's defense flipped a switch and amped it up a couple notches in the third. Their defense had been in Warsaw's face all evening. Keck's defense forced Warsaw into 26 turnovers, 18 of those were steals (6 by Becca Bergman).

Allowing just 4 third quarter points from Warsaw and leading 43-30 through three, Noblesville really wasn't willing to let to many more onto the scoreboard in the fourth either.

O'Reilly and Shannon took it upon themselves as a duo to put Tigers away and put the game completely out of reach. They combined for 16 of Noblesville's 21 fourth quarter points to confidently pull away from Warsaw, 64-39.

The uncanny thing was that the Tigers had no answer for O'Reilly and Shannon, as the two outscored Warsaw as a whole, scoring 24 each to the Tigers' 39 total.

Whether is was Becca Bergman's 10 assists and 6 steals to go along with her two 3-pointers, Erin Wood's 8 rebounds while being hounded by Warsaw in the paint all night or if it was Cori Cain having the most in-your-face, suffocating defense I've seen in quite a while, Noblesville responded to the adversity that Warsaw faced them with and they didn't fold.

This is a team that goes 10-deep and has confidence is whoever has the ball and is on the court.

Warsaw (1-3) was able to get two into double-digits with Dayton Groninger leading with a team-high 14 points on 4 field goals and swishing 5-for-5 at the free throw stripe. Madi Graham nailed 3 three-pointers and had a couple free throws for her 11. Jodie Carlson pitched in 9 on four shots made to help make up the majority of the Tigers' scoring.

Noblesville (5-0) had two 24-point scorers in Katelyn O'Reilly and Alexis Shannon that completely threw the visiting Tigers out of sync. O'Reilly notched her 2nd double-double of the young season with 11 rebounds (7 offensive) and grabbed a few steals to her credit.

Shannon put together a pretty good weekend on the court. Friday night she dropped a career-high 34 at Brownsburg and Saturday night scored another 24 for a weekend of 58 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals.

Becca "Stats" Bergman had herself a good two-game weekend as well. The 5'4 senior guard had 11 points (three treys), 8 rebounds, 17 assists and 9 steals.

Kayleigh Herron (4), Brooke Herron (4) and Emily Kiser (2) and 6 rebounds helped finish out the Noblesville scoring.

It's a quick turnaround on a short, odd Thanksgiving week of basketball for Keck and her crew. Tuesday night, she takes her Millers on the road to Carmel (2-1) for a heated Hamilton county rivalry game.

The Carmel Greyhounds have rattled off two consecutive wins at Cathedral (65-55) and at Hamilton Heights (91-30) since dropping their season-opener at 4A #11 Roncalli (97-75). This will be Carmel's home-opener vs. Noblesville on Tuesday. It will also be another big test for the Millers, as it always is a tough task playing on the road at Carmel.



The Millers come back home to The Mill for a midday Hoosier Crossroads Conference clash with the Avon Orioles (1-2, 1-0 HCC) next Saturday, November 29. JV will tip at 11 a.m., with the varsity to follow.

GO MILLERS!


(*all photos courtesy of Kent Graham at kentgraham.photoshelter.com)

Shannon's 34 baffles Brownsburg, Millers win big, 78-51

To start conference play in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference just four games into the season is somewhat off key from the norm when it comes to high school basketball in the state of Indiana.

Did that phase Noblesville at all in their quest for an early 1-0 HCC start? Nope. Not in the least bit.

Both teams came into this HCC battle undefeated, Noblesville at 3-0 and the host Bulldogs 2-0, but on paper that really doesn't mean a whole lot. We all know that it comes down to what happens on the hardwood.

4A #9 Noblesville 78, 4A #15 Brownsburg 51 - (Friday at Brownsburg Fieldhouse)
Millers     22     14     19     23     -     78
Bulldogs    6       2     24     19     -     51

Noblesville started off quick and stayed hot in the first quarter. Becca Bergman tied it at 2-2 and Alexis Shannon netted her first bucket early to notch the game at 4-4. From then on, the Millers shifted it into high gear, throwing Brownsburg for a complete loop on their home floor.

Bergman swished a three from the right wing to give Noblesville a 7-4 lead that would only continue to be extended throughout the rest of the game.

Shannon scored again on the Millers' next trip down the court offensively for a 9-4 score, forcing Brownsburg head coach Amy Brauman to call her first timeout.

Fresh out of the timeout, senior Cori Cain found herself open and nailed a three for a 12-4 cushion. It got even better when Emily Kiser got fouled on the conversion of her layup and made the free thrown for the "and 1" and just like that, Noblesville was way out in front 15-4.

The Millers hit the boards hard and grabbed 15 in the first quarter. Through eight minute on the scoreboard, Noblesville led 22-6.

Kayleigh Herron started off the 2nd with one of her two baskets and helped the Millers hit the cruise control button on both ends of the floor. A poor shooting quarter again for the host Bulldogs and Brownsburg found itself in a hole that they hadn't even thought possible, trailing Noblesville at halftime 36-8 on their home floor.

With 6:14 left in the third, Alexis Shannon caught a pass from Bergman, made her shot and got fouled in the process. The 5'9 junior guard made her one shot at the charity stripe at the Noblesville lead was now a 30-point advantage at 41-11.

Shannon also scored the final points of the third for the Millers on another basket and free thrown to put the end of the 3rd score up on the board at 55-32.

Head coach Donna Keck was well aware that she would have the liberty to pull her starters a couple minutes into the fourth and save them for Saturday night.

Alexis scored 10 of her game-high and career-high 34 points in the 4th. Soon after, Keck made substitutions and the Miller bench would stave off anything that Brownsburg had left in their tank for the rest of the game.

Once Katelyn O'Reilly was whistled for her fourth personal foul, she was subbed to the bench after a solid night defensively.

Brownsburg made a slight push in the fourth, but it wasn't a threat of a comeback. The Bulldogs had back-to-back threes from Reilly Olmstead and Devin Courtney to begin the 4th, but following a Miller timeout, the Bulldogs really were just trying to put a dent in the big Noblesville lead.

Haley Conway added 3 on a field goal and a free throw. Sam Salmon finished off the Noblesville scoring with a long three from the left corner to give the Millers 78.

Even with playing her bench a majority of the 4th, Keck's squad still outscored Brownsburg 23-19 to run away with a 78-51 HCC-opening road win. Ladies and gentlemen, that's called depth. Depth will help in so many ways and we're finding out early how deep this group of Noblesville Millers are.

Brownsburg (2-1, 0-1 HCC) was led in scoring by junior Aliyah Walker with a team-high 14 on 7 field goals. Devin Courtney had 13 on four made field goals and 4-8 at the free throw line. Reilly Olmstead also had 9 for the Bulldogs. Brauman takes her team on the road tonight as they'll face the Mooresville Pioneers (2-1).

Noblesville (4-0, 1-0 HCC) had another balanced scoring attack for the 4th consecutive game, but was led by their leading scorer Alexis Shannon who had 34 points and 10 rebounds. The 5'9 junior speedster shot 13-of-21 from the floor and was 8-for-8 from the foul line to make up her career-high in points.

Katelyn O'Reilly put together another solid game with 9 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocked shots. Freshman Emily Kiser trailed her on the stat sheet with 7 points, 7 rebounds, a pair of assists and also blocked 4 shots.

Overall, Noblesville 30-79 (38%) from the field, but just 4-19 from three-point land and sank 14-of-19 of their free throws (74%).

Tonight will be a tough test when the Warsaw Tigers (1-2) of the Northern Lakes Conference come to The Mill. Warsaw is coming off of their second straight loss, the most recent was last night at the hands of Tippecanoe Valley at home, 38-36.

Most recently, Warsaw made a state tournament run in the 2012-13 season before being ousted by Fort Wayne South (47-44) in the Semi-State and finished 24-2.

Under then-head coach Will Weinhorst, the Tigers were 2004 State Runners-Up to North Central (53-38). That team was led by 2004 Miss Basketball Jaclyn Leininger.

Come on out and support your 4-0 Noblesville Millers!


GO MILLERS!

Balance lifts 4A #9 Noblesville over Lebanon, 77-60

On a cold Tuesday night in Noblesville, it was just a week before Thanksgiving break and a little break from basketball, but that was the last thing on the mind of head coach Donna Keck and her Millers. They knew that Lebanon was looking to head east on SR 32 and take home an upset back home westward to Boone county.

It was the 21st meeting between the two programs, with the Millers leading the series 15-5. Noblesville also won last season's meeting late in the season at Lebanon, 66-46.

Tuesday night, Noblesville had an agenda and it worked to an extent. Spread the wealth, no matter who scored. It didn't matter to them that junior Kristen Spolyar netted 34 points to lead all scorers. She may have dropped 34, but the Millers knew it would be a difficult task to win at The Mill. They were right and the hosts fended off Lebanon 77-60.

4A #9 Noblesville 77, Lebanon 60 - (Tuesday, Nov. 18 at The Mill, Noblesville)
Lebanon        16     11     13     20     -     60
Noblesville    17     25     15     20     -     77

It started out like it might be a track meet and a survival of the speediest. Unfortunately for Lebanon, that would last just the first quarter and their plan would fizzle out.

The visiting Tigers would tie it up early a few times (2,6 and 8) and Noblesville at 15, but it then became a slice and dice game. By the start of the second, we figured out already who would overcome any odds in this heated game.

Lebanon took a 15-14 edge with 2:36 left in the first when their leading scorer in junior Kristen Spolyar dropped in a bucket, forcing Noblesville head coach Donna Keck to burn a :30 timeout.

Out of the timeout, Becca Bergman made 1 of 2 at the free throw line to tie it at 15-15. Next trip down the court for the Tigers resulted in a Miller foul, where Brooke Montgomery made just the front end of a 1-1 to give Lebanon a 16-15 lead with just under a minute left.

Streaky as she slashes through the lane, Alexis Shannon (right) weaved her way through the paint for a 17-16 Noblesville lead that they would take into the second quarter.

Spolyar quickly got the Tigers back ahead at 18-17, but not for long at all.

Led by Shannon and Bergman, Noblesville stormed into the lead and raced out to an 11-0 run to take a 28-18 advantage, forcing Lebanon to call another timeout.

The Millers didn't let up the rest of the night. A 14-9 run to end the first half gave Noblesville a convincing 42-27 lead through two and there was still more work to do by Keck's crew.

The third period featured two best friends, both on and off the court. Those would be none other than Alexis Shannon and Katelyn O'Reilly. Whether is was scoring, rebounding, assisting on a basket or stealing the ball, these two kept the Millers balanced in the third. They combined for 10 of the Millers' 15 points in the quarter, but also for five rebounds to help throw off Lebanon's plans for a comeback. Noblesville's lead extended just a little after three, 57-40.

Lebanon had just 8 more minute of game clock left and they were going to give it their best to put a dent in Noblesville's lead and possibly make a comeback.

Katelyn O'Reilly (left) had much to do about making sure that didn't happen, as she scored half of her points (8) in the 4th and pulled down the other half of her rebounds (5). Kayleigh Herron pitched in all 4 of her points in the fourth to help combine with O'Reilly for 12 of the 17 Miller points in the final quarter to hold on for a 77-60 victory.

Lebanon (2-1) junior guard Kristen Spolyar led all scorers with 34 points on 11-of-27 shooting and 10-for-18 from the free throw line. Spolyar also had 7 rebound and 7 assists, but turned the ball over 8 times for 1/3 of the Tigers' total of 24 miscues.

The 5'10 Spolyar was the lone double-figure scorer for the Tigers, but she got as much help as the Millers allowed. Mallory Cast was right behind her with 8, Brooke Montgomery added 7, while Kassidi Cadle and Peyton Terrill each chipped in 4 and Krista Marsh 3 to make up the Lebanon scoring.

Noblesville (3-0) was paced by a team-high 25, along with 8 rebounds (5 offensive), from junior guard Alexis Shannon. Katelyn O'Reilly notched her first double-double of her junior season with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Becca "Stats" Bergman (right) did a little bit of everything. She sure figured out how to fill out her line on the stat sheet fully. Bergman hit her fifth three-pointer of the season in 3 games, to total 10 points on the night. That's not what filled her line on the stat sheet though. The senior guard also grabbed 6 rebounds, dished out 5 assists and stole the ball from Lebanon 6 times (1/4 of the Tigers' turnovers).

Congratulations goes out to Becca on signing a letter of intent before the game to play basketball and continue her academic careers at Roosevelt.

Also signing her official letter of intent to continue her basketball and academic careers next year is 6'2 center Erin Wood (left). The St. Bonaventure Bonnie signee scored 6, but added 5 rebounds, 4 assist and 3 steals to her credit.

Audrey DeFoe (below right) drilled a pair of 2nd quarter treys and a basket for her 8 points, while Kayleigh Herron and Emily Kiser (8 rebounds) each scored 4. Cori Cain and Haley Conway had two each to round out the Noblesville scoring.

Noblesville's big week continues as they'll head to Brownsburg (2-0) to start Hoosier Crossroads Conference play. The Bulldogs started their season with a home-opening win over Decatur Central (62-38) and a big road win at Ben Davis (57-48).

Saturday night, the Millers welcome in the Warsaw Tigers (1-1) from the Northern Lakes Conference in northern Indiana. The Tigers opened their season with a pair of home games, defeating Huntington North (47-41) last Saturday and falling to Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (47-36). Warsaw faces Tippecanoe Valley (1-0) at The Tiger Den in Warsaw on Friday night before their Saturday night showdown with the Noblesville Millers at The Mill.

GO MILLERS!


(*all photos courtesy of Kent Graham at kentgraham.photoshelter.com)

Millers break century mark in home opener over Hamilton Heights

It was the first time in girls basketball history at Noblesville High School that this has taken place and it may very well not happen for a long time again. No team had ever scored 100 points in a girls game in the history of the Noblesville girls basketball program.

While it wasn't intended to happen in a 55-point blowout, it happened down the stretch in the final minute from Hamilton Heights miscues that led to Noblesville's 103 on the scoreboard when the clock hit 0:00.

The big thing about it is now that it's happened, we can get past it and look directly toward the Lebanon Tigers coming to The Mill on Tuesday, November 18!

Noblesville 103, Hamilton Heights 48 - (Friday, November 14 at The Mill)
Huskies    7     14     11     16     -     48
Millers    32    23     32     16     -    103

On Friday night at The Mill in Noblesville, the Millers were on a mission from the opening tip to make a statement to their county neighbors to the north. They did that and much more as the offense just wouldn't stop, in a good way, in a scoring flurry by the host Millers against Hamilton Heights.

The Millers sprung themselves out to a 12-0 lead in the first 75 seconds of the game before the Huskies' head coach Scott Furnung called a timeout with 6:45 left in the first quarter and his team in a big hole.

Alexis Shannon (left) propelled Noblesville offensively with 9 points in the opening quarter. Kayleigh Herron (below) sank a pair of threes and Erin Wood dropped in a trey of her own (along with 3 free throws) as they helped the Millers completely stymie Hamilton Heights after eight minutes of play, 32-7.

Noblesville only let off of the gas pedal just a little in the second quarter, still outscoring the Huskies 23-14 before the half. Shannon kept her dominance going with 12 more points to give her 21 points in just the first half of play. Her 12 just about matched Hamilton Heights 2nd quarter total of 14 and the Millers were now leading at halftime by a much bigger margin at 55-21.

Spread the wealth in the 3rd? You bet they did! Eight different Millers combined for the 32 third quarter points that Keck's crew put up and just like that, it was 87-32 and there was still another quarter to be played. The Millers also passed for 11 of their 26 assists on 14 third period field goals made, 4 of those assists were by sophomore Brooke Herron.

With a 55-point lead to start the 4th quarter, head coach Donna Keck had the freedom to put her reserves in a lot sooner than expected, getting them more varsity playing time that will help throughout the season.

Tying the Huskies 16-16 in the fourth, it was a test to see if the 2nd unit could score enough to get the Millers over the 100 point mark. When Noblesville's score reached 91, Keck was able to pull all her starters and let her bench control the remainder of the game, which went fairly well. There were some sloppy turnovers and miscues on offense that led to some Hamilton Heights points on the other end of the court.

Once Noblesville got to 97, it was easy to see that they would for sure hit 100. Freshman Emily Kiser and junior Haley Conway helped the Millers cross into triple-digits for the final tally of 103-48.

This was a game that Noblesville can celebrate until they got to practice on Saturday, where they would turn their focus to their opponent of Lebanon at home on Tuesday night.

Hamilton Heights (1-1) freshman Kayla Kirtley is getting her varsity basketball career off on the right foot and she did so by leading the visiting Huskies in scoring with 15. Caitlin Hays (9), Ashton Runner (8) and Taylor Boyd (7) all contributed for Hamilton Heights.

Noblesville (2-0) made things happen in all facets of the game. A total team effort is what it takes and what it will take for the Millers to put W's up on the scoreboard and make their presence known.

They were led again by junior Alexis Shannon with 23 points and 9 rebounds to her credit. Katelyn O'Reilly was second in scoring with 13 points on three field goals and a 7-for-7 effort at the charity stripe. Erin Wood (right) had 11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals to fill out her line on the stat sheet and Becca Bergman was just short of a double-double. Bergman finished with 10 points, 9 assists, 5 steals and 3 rebounds. Emily Kiser was the fifth Miller in double-digits with 11 points and also just missed a double-double with 9 rebounds.

Noblesville dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Huskies 51-14. Another astounding stat is that of Hamilton Heights' 30 turnovers, 21 were steals by the Millers. NHS also led the turnover category with 14, compare to 30 for the Huskies.

Audrey DeFoe (left) and Brooke Herron each had 7, while Kayleigh Herron (6), Haley Conway (6), Rachel Shipman (5) and Cori Cain (4) were responsible for the remaining 21 Miller points.

Noblesville will host Lebanon this coming Tuesday, November 18.

Hamilton Heights (48) - Kayla Kirtley 15, Caitlin Hays 9, Ashton Runner 8, Taylor Boyd 7, Lexi Branham 6, Amy Griffey 2, Ana Collar 1, Audrie Catron 0, Logan Wiley 0.

Noblesville (103) - Alexis Shannon 23, Katelyn O'Reilly 13, Erin Wood 11, Becca Bergman 10, Emily Kiser 11, Audrey DeFoe 7, Brooke Herron 7, Kayleigh Herron 6, Haley Conway 6, Rachel Shipman 5, Cori Cain 4, Sam Salmon 0.

(*all photos courtesy of Kent Graham at kentgraham.photoshelter.com)

Noblesville cruises past Arsenal Tech in opener

In the off-season, the IHSAA decided that they wanted to try and extend the JV quarters to 7 minutes from 6 minutes. Thinking pessimistically, it just doesn't make the most sense, especially on a school night.

Tuesday night at Arsenal Technical High School on the eastside of Indianapolis, we all got our first taste of the extended JV game. The goal of the IHSAA in this case for the JV players is really to get them more playing time than they get with 6 minute quarters. While it's understandable completely as a fan or from a parent's standpoint, it also seemed somewhat frustrating in the season opener. With all of the personal fouls, free throws and turnovers that stopped play, it had the feel (time-wise) of a varsity game. The JV season opener didn't result in a varsity type of score, as Arsenal Tech took our Miller girls to overtime for the win, 39-33.

Noblesville 65, Indianapolis Arsenal Tech 48 - (Tuesday, Nov. 11 at Tech)
Millers    10     17     24     14     -      65
Titans       2     17       9     20     -      48

Things were looking pretty dominant to start off the first quarter of basketball for 7th year head coach Donna Keck's Millers. Jumping out to an 8-0 lead before Arsenal Tech could really even blink is exactly what happened. Committing 15 turnovers in the first wasn't Tech's idea of how they wanted to start their season, but what did you expect when such an experienced and speedy group like Noblesville comes to town?

It was a statement first quarter with forcing 15 Tech turnovers, but the proving factor was that the Millers had 8 steals of those Tech turnovers.

The Titans' Ra'Shay Turentine didn't net the hosts' first bucket until roughly 90 seconds until the end of the quarter and they trailed Noblesville after one, 10-2.

Tech coach Timothy Oliver must have woken up his squad at the quarter break. Arsenal Tech forced Noblesville to commit 9 personal fouls that resulted in Oliver's team to head to the free throw line, where they made 12 of 16 attempts in the quarter. His Lady Titans kept pace with the visiting Millers and tied them in the 2nd at 17-17 to trail at half only by eight, 27-19.

The Noblesville coaching staff must have gotten their points across in the locker room at halftime. The Millers stormed out of the gates in the 3rd and never looked back, lengthening their lead by each possession up the court. Junior forward Alexis Shannon led the charge with 10 in the quarter as Keck's troops built a comfortable lead after three at 51-28.

After building a 23-point lead, it was smooth sailing from there. By the time Keck cleared here bench to make room for the starters to rest the rest of the 4th, Arsenal Tech was able to score some points. They outscored the Millers 20-14 in the final frame, but Noblesville ran away with a 65-48 season-opening victory.

Arsenal Tech (0-1) was led in scoring off the bench by Kali Wilburn with 10, followed by Onayae Young with 9, Tia Clark chipped in with 8 and Ra'Shay Turentine added 7.

Noblesville (2-0) poured out a balanced scoring attack, which is something we will get used to all season long. Alexis Shannon paced all scorers with a game-high 16 points and 4 steals. Katelyn O'Reilly joined her in double-figures with 11. Freshman Emily Kiser made her varsity debut with 9 points, while Audrey DeFoe netted 8 points off the bench on 5-of-6 free throws and a three. Becca Bergman played her first game since her sophomore season in 2012-13 proved that she's back in true Bergman form by scoring 7 points, knocking down a pair of treys. The senior guard also dished out 7 assists and picked the pockets of Tech for 5 steals on the night. Welcome back Becca!

The most intriguing stat of the first half was the foul situation overall. There were a total of 32 fouls called, 16 by each team. That right there told us that we were in for a long night of high school basketball. For the game, I think this trio of officials shook off their off-season rust from their whistles, to say the least. A total of 60 fouls were called, 30 on each team. The Millers were 24-43 (56%) and the Titans were 24-37 (65%). Oddly enough, the only two players to foul out with 60 fouls called were Jalise Beck and Tia Clark of Arsenal Tech.

Noblesville (65) - Kayleigh Herron 2, Becca Bergman 7, Alexis Shannon 16, Katelyn O'Reilly 11, Erin Wood 5, Cori Cain 3, Emily Kiser 9, Audrey DeFoe 8, Rachel Shipman 2, Brooke Herron 1, Haley Conway 1, Sam Salmon 0

Arsenal Tech (48) - Ra'Shay Turentine 7, Jalise Beck 3, Tia Clark 8, Emoni Smith 4, Tessa Toney 2, Onayae Young 9, Kali Wilburn 10, Kennedi Jackson 3, Jaida Beck 2, Hali Shaffer 0

Millers battled hard in scrimmage "win" over Fishers, 53-41

Noblesville 53, Fishers 41 (scrimmage)
Tigers     7     0     14     20     -     41
Millers  15     8     16     14     -     53

Yes, it is just a scrimmage and it obviously doesn't count in the win-loss column. But, both the Noblesville and Fishers girls basketball squads proved that they will more than likely be neck-and-neck for the 2014-15 Hoosier Crossroads Conference championship by the time late January rolls around.

The Millers couldn't have been more anxious to tip their season off on the hardwood, even though it was an exhibition scrimmage that is mainly to get the kinks out before they open the regular season.

Noblesville stormed out of the gates with speed and purpose. With four 12-minute quarters and a running clock, it was the right mindset for the game and how fast paced it will be throughout the regular season.

Junior forward Alexis Shannon wasted no time in showing why she's definitely earned her due as a starter in her third season on varsity. The 5'9 Shannon netted 11 of her team-high 21 points, in the first quarter, to lead all scorers. Alexis alone outscored Fishers in the first 11-7, as the Millers took the first frame, 15-7.

The 2014 senior class graduated just Jessica Kiser, so it wasn't a surprise that the 2014-15 version of Keck's Millers would be loaded and stacked with talent. Now, it was time for Jessica's incoming freshman sister Emily Kiser to give it her go at high school basketball. She was thrown into the mix in the middle of the first quarter, but didn't get her first points until the early part of the 2nd. Once she scored, it seemed the frosh was much more comfortable. Emily and junior Katelyn O'Reilly each scored and pair, while Alexis Shannon dropped in four more in the second to help Noblesville shut out the Tigers 8-0 in the second 12-minute set.

Fishers head coach Michael Gaines woke up his sleeping Tigers at half, as they kept it tight in the 3rd with the host Millers, but Noblesville edged the visitors 16-14, thanks in part to Kiser's first made three as a varsity Miller and sort of a welcome back to the court trey for senior guard Becca Bergman. Bergman was forced to sit out all of her junior season with a torn ACL and looked nothing short of comfortable being out there with her teammates once again.

Noblesville was aided by four points each from Shannon, O'Reilly and Kiser, but it wasn't enough to hold off a feisty fourth quarter flurry by the Fishers offense. The Tigers were able to take the 4th from the Millers, 20-14.

Even though the running score wasn't kept, just the scoring for each quarter. Unofficially, Noblesville "won" the scrimmage by the count of 53-41.

Fishers (41) - Adrianna Murphy 9, Brooke Sugg 10, Kara Gerka 12, Hannah Kroehler 2, Blake Inglis 3, Abby Mozingo 3, Gabbi Parker 2, Megan Forbes 0, Brooklyn Banks 0.

Noblesville (53) -  Kayleigh Herron 2, Becca Bergman 7, Alexis Shannon 21, Katelyn O'Reilly 12, Erin Wood 0, Emily Kiser 9, Cori Cain 0, Brooke Herron 2, Audrey DeFoe 0, Haley Conway 0, Rachel Shipman 0.

Entering her 7th season as head coach at Noblesville, Donna Keck has been blessed with an outstanding group once again this year. Her varsity assistants this season are newcomer Amy Wuestefeld, Shawna Wuethrich and Tria Yoder. Chris Sexton continues as the JV head coach and will be assisted by Megan Bastin. Suzy Bastin will once again lead the C-Team.

Noblesville opens up regular season play on the road this Tuesday, November 11 at Indianapolis Arsenal Tech on the eastside of downtown Indianapolis. JV starts at 6, with varsity to follow.

Next Friday night, November 14 is the home-opener for the Millers, as they welcome in our Hamilton county rivals from the north, the Hamilton Heights Huskies. JV at 6, with the varsity to follow.

I'm glad to be back for my 7th season as the PA voice of Noblesville Miller girls basketball and if you like what you've read here so far, you can also follow me on Twitter (@MillerVoiceNDCB)!

It's going to be an even more exciting season in 2014-15 and we hope that you're with us throughout!

GO MILLERS!