By CRAIG ADKINS
WESTFIELD – The boys basketball series between Westfield and Noblesville never disappoints. It’s always a physical, up and down battle and some seasons it comes down to the final minutes.
That was the case on Friday night at The Rock, as the host Shamrocks put on an offensive display in the second half en route to pushing away from the Millers late for a 51-38 win.
Noblesville jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first couple minutes of the game with Zack Johnson swishing two free throws and a layup and Xavier Hines knocked down a three, forcing Westfield to burn their first timeout at the 5:39 mark of the first.
“Obviously got off to a great start, 7-0. We did a great job of going inside,” said Noblesville head coach Brian McCauley on his team’s fast start.
“It’s certainly obviously not what we want. Noblesville is a team that you can’t play from behind. You just cannot. They’re so good when they have the lead,” said Westfield head coach Shane Sumpter.
“I think Caleb (Welch) made a big three to make it 7-3 and guys just weathered the storm here and that’s kind of what we did,” Sumpter continuing on his team’s response out of the first timeout.
Welch got the ‘Rocks on the board with a trey from the right side and followed it up sinking 3-of-4 foul shots to keep it close during Noblesville’s 6-5 run to finish out the first. Johnson got fouled making a basket and converted the free throw for the old-fashioned three-point play and Hines pushed it to their biggest lead at 12-4.
With a 13-6 deficit in the final seconds of the quarter, reserve guard Chris Chin drove the lane and dropped a layup off the glass and in as time expired, cutting it to a 13-8 Noblesville lead after one.
Zach Banks score his first points, narrowing it to 13-10 with a six-foot floater.
Back at the other end, Jordan Schmidt banked in a three from the top of the key for 16-10, but was matched by a three from deep on the left wing from Chin. Westfield tied it for the first time at 16-16 on a 24-foot three-pointer from the left.
It would be the Millers who had the last say in the second quarter. Hines was open underneath and took a pass from Schmidt.
The next possession down, Noblesville took their time to get the last shot. Eagan Keever-Hill found Schmidt and the 6’0 senior guard drained a three from the left wing at the buzzer, giving the Millers a 21-16 lead at half.
“We would’ve loved to have the ball there at the end of the first half down two and we shot a couple shots and I’d really like to have that possession back and what do you know, they come down and hit a three,” state Sumpter on the final minute of the first half and his team’s miscue that led to a five point deficit.
Two consecutive makes from the outside by senior leader Caleb Welch, along with a big three from freshman Braden Smith and the Shamrocks had taken their first lead of the night at 25-23.
Hines scored two baskets in a row for Noblesville for a 29-25 Miller lead, but that wouldn’t last long.
Welch was open again and Smith found him for the third time in the quarter, cutting it to 29-28.
Johnson put Noblesville back up by four again, at 32-28 with a layup and free throw.
Smith would drain another from the outside, bringing it back to one again to 32-31 through three.
Welch and Smith fueled Westfield offensively in the third, combining for five made three-pointers, which accounted for all of the ‘Rocks’ points in the quarter.
“He had a little bit of a coming out party. He’s struggled shooting the ball so far this year, so he made some big plays and what a four-point play he had,” said Sumpter on his freshman guard Braden Smith.
“He’s got nerves of steel and nothing’s really going to rattle him. And, that’s one of the things we love about him and he hit some big shots for us tonight,” Sumpter continuing on Smith’s overall play against Noblesville.
The fourth quarter started out back and forth before Westfield took over.
The Shamrocks took another lead at 33-32 on a Chin steal and a basket.
Johnson put another off the board and in, putting the Millers back in front by one, 34-33.
Banks drilled a three for a 36-34 Westfield slight edge. Hines would tie it up for the Millers for the final time at 36-36 on an offensive rebound put back.
The next trip down the floor, Smith swished another three and got fouled. He would make the free throw for the four-point play, giving Westfield a lead they would not give back.
Johnson put a left-hander off the glass making it 40-38, but there would be one more big burst out of the Shamrocks.
The next three ‘Rocks possessions resulted in Banks making two free throws each trip, extending their lead to 46-38 with 58.3 seconds remaining.
Two more breakaway baskets by Caleb Welch and Zach Banks, respectively, would seal the game for Westfield, 51-38.
“They switched to the zone and the story of the night was it was poor execution on our part,” said McCauley on how Westfield’s defensive change in the second half affected the Millers.
“We weren’t patient enough to get the ball where we needed to get it, to get better shots,” stated McCauley of Noblesville’s lack of patience on offense, leading to turnovers in the second half.
In the end, Westfield kept pouring in on offensively and kept the momentum on their side in the latter part of the fourth quarter when it mattered the most. They would outscore the Millers 20-6 in the final period and more importantly, 35-17 in the second half on their way to their first HCC win on the season, 51-38.
“We knew it would be a close game. They’re very well coached. Their zone is just really good,” Sumpter on his Noblesville’s defense and how that had an effect on the outcome.
“I thought we made some big shots in the fourth quarter. Caleb Welch, our senior guard, was really big and Zach Banks was really big,” said Sumpter, praising his two senior guards.
“We felt like if we could get the lead in the fourth quarter, we liked our chances, just to kind of move them out and space the floor a little bit and that’s kind of what happened and we were able to hit some free throws,” said a happy Sumpter on how Westfield was able to pull away late in the fourth to win.
In a game that featured two ties and five lead changes, this would be the Shamrocks’ first win in the series since Jan. 20, 2012, ending a six-game losing streak against Noblesville.
Noblesville (2-3, 0-2 HCC) finds itself in a tough spot, losing its first two HCC games. The Millers will get back to the drawing board quick when the host 3A No. 16 Hamilton Heights (5-2) on Saturday night at The Mill. The Huskies were 48-45 winners at home on Friday over Western.
The Millers’ points mostly came from two players. Johnson had a team-high 16 and Hines had 15.
Westfield (3-2, 1-1 HCC) won their second in a row and will look to continue that on Saturday night when they head north to face 2A No. 2 Tipton (7-0). The Blue Devils won at Lewis Cass on Friday, 56-40.
The Shamrocks were led in scoring by Welch’s game-high 17. He was joined in double figures by Banks with 13, while Smith added 11 and Chin chipped in with seven off the bench.
Westfield 51, Noblesville 38
Noblesville FG FT TP PF
Jordan Schmidt 3-5 0-0 8 4
Eagan Keever-Hill 0-3 1-2 1 2
Zack Johnson 6-11 4-4 16 3
Xavier Hines 5-11 0-0 13 2
Alex Hunt 0-1 0-0 0 2
Brendon Fisher 0-2 0-0 0 1
Totals 14-33 5-6 38 14
Noblesville 3-point shooting (5-18) Hines 3-9, Schmidt 2-3, Fisher 0-2, Johnson 0-2, Keever-Hill 0-1, Hunt 0-1.
Noblesville rebounds (16) Hines 5, Schmidt 4, Johnson 3, Keever-Hill 2, Hunt 2.
Westfield FG FT TP PF
Zach Banks 3-7 6-6 13 0
Braden Smith 3-7 2-3 11 1
Benji Welch 0-0 0-0 0 2
Caleb Welch 5-10 3-4 17 1
Zach Bryer 0-1 0-0 0 0
Chris Chin 3-4 0-0 7 1
Jaret Bailey 1-2 0-0 3 0
Camden Simons 0-1 0-0 0 1
Eli Patchett 0-0 0-0 0 0
Totals 15-32 11-13 51 6
Westfield 3-point shooting (10-23) C. Welch 4-9, Smith 3-7, Banks 1-3, Chin 1-2, Bailey 1-2.
Westfield rebounds (14) Banks 4, B. Welch 4, Chin 3, Smith 1, Simons 1, Patchett 1.
Score by Quarters
Noblesville 13 8 11 6 – 38
Westfield 8 8 15 20 – 51
The Westfield boys basketball team and student section was in celebration mode after the Shamrocks beat Noblesville Friday. (Kent Graham)
Noblesville’s Zack Johnson (center) goes up for a shot while being guarded by Westfield’s Caleb Welch (24) and Braden Smith (15) during the Millers-Shamrocks boys basketball game Friday at The Rock. (Kent Graham)