By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
NOBLESVILLE – Saturday afternoon spelled out exactly how the last 10 meetings have gone between Westfield and Noblesville. The two Hoosier Crossroads Conference rivals have split those matchups 5-5.
This matinee battle would be no different. The Shamrocks led and controlled the tempo for the first three quarters, but it would be the Millers staging quite the comeback in the fourth, edging Westfield 53-51 in league play.
Westfield got off to a quick start and shot the ball well. Meg Hamilton and Aubrey Crockett each knocked down a three that were each followed by a basket and two free throws from Meredith Tippner. Sam Price made it 8-4 and Noblesville’s C.C. Quigley cut it to 8-6 at the end of one.
“For the most part, that’s what we worked on the last couple of days, obviously,” said third-year Westfield head coach Kelsey Steele. “We played Avon first and then we prepped these last couple of days for Noblesville. They’re really athletic and pressure you. We talked about finding holes, helping people out within the traps.”
“They were awesome. Coach always does a great job. I think she’s so good and their kids are all fundamentally sound. They’re going to play hard and they defend really well. They came in hot, having won five in a row. We definitely had our hands full to come back on a team like that,” 17th-year Noblesville head coach Donna Buckley said.
Kate Rollins tied it 8-8 to start the second. Sam Price grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back for a 10-8 score. From that point, the ‘Rocks gradually extended their lead throughout the first half.
“Faking passes to make passes and put them on the line. Not just lobbing the ball all over the place. I felt like for three quarters we did a really good job of that. It allowed us to get wide open threes from paint touches or kickouts. We got some really good looks,” continued Steele.
Westfield’s lead grew in the second and third quarters with a 23-16 halftime lead, they took a good amount of momentum into the locker room at halftime.
“We were really flat and obviously they are so good in the half court, defensively,” Buckley said. “We were struggling to get anything going. One thing, for as long as I’ve been here, one thing we try to count on is our defense to create offense.”
The Shamrocks opened the third with a triple from MaKayla Hatcher for their first double-digit lead (26-16). Two baskets in a row from Lindsey Van Dyke moved it to 30-17. But, Tippner scored three buckets in a row herself, cutting it to 32-23.
Hamilton knocked down her fourth trey and a layup for what was Westfield’s largest margin of the afternoon at 37-23.
Noblesville got a 7-0 run to trail 37-30. In the final seconds of the third, Crockett drained a three from the left wing for a 40-30 advantage after three for Westfield.
Van Dyke started the fourth with a three with a 43-30 margin. Then, the Millers went on a 9-0 run.
Tippner scored six, along with Ally Hutchinson drilled a three from the left side. Tippner’s steal and a fast break layup trimmed it to 43-39, forcing Westfield to burn a full timeout with 5:54 left.
After Van Dyke’s three, Noblesville went on an 18-8 scoring run. Blower’s second three tied it 44-44.
With just under a minute left, Tippner made the layup and got fouled. She made the free throw for a 50-48 Miller lead.
Tippner sank a couple free throws for 52-48 with 33.3 seconds remaining. Van Dyke made another three for 52-51. Tippner was fouled, making one free throw for the final.
“We finally got them going a little big, got them sped up and were able to turn some turnovers into transition offense, which you get a little more energy when you’re scoring,” Buckley said.
“This is a group that never quits. They’re just an awesome group of kids that fight all the way through. You’re down 14 and I’m sure everybody in the gym is thinking it’s over, but our kids just believe and just keep busting their butts on defense and good things usually happen,” continued Buckley.
“We made a couple of adjustments on what we were trying to do on the offensive end. Getting Tipp into the post really helped our offense to get a couple of opportunities. That team (Westfield) is tough. They always answer and they make you play for 32 minutes,” said Buckley.
Westfield (7-5, 3-2 HCC) snapped its five-game winning streak. The Shamrocks play in the Interra Classic at Northridge this weekend. They face Northwood and Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger in pool play Friday, then play Penn at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, followed by two more games.
Hamilton led the ‘Rocks with 14, including four from outside. Van Dyke had 12, while Price had eight and grabbed nine rebounds.
Noblesville (8-3, 3-2 HCC) won its fourth straight. The Millers host the second annual Noblesville Holiday Tournament on Dec. 28. They play Norwell at 10 a.m., with Fort Wayne Snider facing Valparaiso in the second game. The consolation is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the championship at 7:45.
Tippner led all scorers with a game-high 31 and seven rebounds on 12 for 24 shooting. Rollins had a clutch eight and Blower six on a pair of three-pointers. Quigley also corralled nine boards.