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!
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