This group achieved those on the same night two weeks ago on Saturday, January 31 at The Mill.
Goal #2 was met on Saturday night at Hamilton Southeastern in the Class 4A Sectional 8 Championship game against HCC rival Fishers.
It wouldn't be easy by any means, but there would be no stopping this amazing group that represents Noblesville in many great ways.
The last time a sectional championship was won by the girls basketball program at Noblesville was 1996... Hard to believe, but we were in the second to last year of single-class basketball at that time.
Times are changing and Keck's Millers are making a statement, because they've got some unfinished business to take care of. They've already started with a sectional championship win. I can't wait to see this Saturday's Kokomo Regional unravel at historic Memorial Gym.
#5 Noblesville 55, #9 Fishers 41 - (Sat. Feb. 14 - Sectional 8 Championship at HSE)
Millers 15 8 14 18 - 55
Tigers 11 10 9 11 - 41
Noblesville controlled the opening tip, but the two went back and forth in the first and the intensity kept getting higher.
Adrianna Murphy got Fishers on the board first with a jumper. The Millers would tie it up almost immediately with a pair of Kayleigh Herron free throws. It sure lived up to its billing and Noblesville took a 15-11 lead into the 2nd quarter.Not too far into the second, Katelyn O'Reilly (left) had a slight ankle injury. The ankle was initially tweaked last week. KO was helped off the court by Assistant coaches Tria Yoder and Megan Bastin (at left). Bastin is also the athletic trainer for the team and she took O'Reilly into the hallway to see how tender it was and if she would be able to get back on the floor the rest of the game. It would have taken much more than that to keep the physical junior forward off of the floor the rest of the evening.
Minutes later, her ankle was taped up tight and she was ready to get back out on the floor.The score was tied 13-13 and Murphy showed her range by nailing a three from the top of the key for a 16-13 Fishers lead.
Testing her ankle right away, O'Reilly was fouled, making 1-2 at the line to give the Millers a 19-18.
Murphy was at it again the next trip down for the Tigers, knocking down another trey and Fishers was back in from 21-19.
Brooke Herron weaved through a few defenders and found herself to the bucket for two and tied the game again 21-21. Noblesville was able to score another two before half and the Millers went to the locker room with a halftime lead of 23-21.
Both teams came out gunning in the third, as was expected. On what most thought was a traveling violation, Fishers junior Kara Gerka made the basket and her free throw for a 27-27 tie.It wasn't tied for long. Cori Cain (above) caught a Bergman pass and swished a three from the left wing to get Noblesville a 30-27 lead that they wouldn't give back.
Whether it was the exhausting backcourt defensive pressure from Bergman (defending at left), Cain and the Herrons, or that Erin Wood, Emily Kiser, KO and Alexis Shannon didn't allow much to happen in the paint for Fishers, the Millers simply frustrated the Tigers to no end.
Keck and her Millers led 37-30 through three, but they knew that Fishers would throw everything else they had in them in the 4th.There are times when we don't know when she'll kick it into high gear, but on Saturday night, Alexis Shannon (right) picked the right time.
With the help of fellow junior O'Reilly grabbing a few rebounds, she and Bergman combined for three assists and weren't afraid to toss long balls down the court to a sprinting Shannon. She scored 14 of the Millers' 18 points in the 4th, as they hit the gas pedal to speed past their conference rival for their first sectional championship in 19 years, 55-41.
It's something this group has worked extremely hard to achieve and it has finally become a reality. They are the 2015 Class 4A Sectional 8 Champions!Fishers (20-6) finishes as sectional runner-up. They were led in scoring by Adrianna Murphy's game-high 26 points and 7 rebounds. Kara Gerka quietly managed 10 and 5 boards. Hannah Kroehler (3) and Brooke Sugg (2) also scored for the Tigers.
Noblesville (22-3) was led in scoring by Alexis Shannon's (left) team-high 24, along with 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Shannon was successful on eight field goals made and an 8-for-8 effort at the charity stripe. Those numbers and her 4th quarter surge helped earn her Hamilton County TV's Player of the Game award.
Becca Bergman joined her in double-figures with 12, grabbing four rebounds, 5 assists and a pair of steals. Cori Cain had 6 on a 3-pointer and 3-of-4 at the free throw line. O'Reilly (5) didn't find herself scoring her usual amount, but she snagged 7 rebounds, had 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots.
Noblesville (22-3) advances to Saturday's Regional at Kokomo and will take on former Hoosier Crossroads Conference rival McCutcheon (18-8) at 10 a.m. at Memorial Gym. The second game at 12 p.m. will pit Fort Wayne Snider (21-4) vs. the Homestead Sectional championship match-up of Homestead (22-2) and Jay County (20-5), which got postponed until Monday at 7 p.m. due to the combination of a winter weather travel advisory and a lot of snow accumulation in the Fort Wayne area.
Coverage of the Millers in their quest for a Regional championship can be heard on hctv1.com, starting at 9:45 Saturday morning live with the pregame show from Kokomo with myself and Perry Williams on Hamilton County TV (audio only)!
Until Saturday...
GO MILLERS!
Voice of the Millers,
Craig Adkins
(*all photos courtesy of Kent Graham at kentgraham.photoshelter.com)
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