By RICH TORRES
FISHERS – The temptation was there, but the Fishers girls basketball team refused to look ahead. Instead, the Tigers hushed that impulse quickly with chemistry and execution on Tuesday night.
One win away from a rematch with rival Class 4A No. 1 Hamilton Southeastern, the Tigers (15-9) stayed grounded during the opening round of Sectional 8 and knocked off Anderson 58-33 to advance into Friday’s semifinals.
“Early on, the focus was just playing our game and making sure we came out and we were crisp in what we were trying to do,” Fishers coach Lauren Vail said. “The fact that Anderson has been playing good basketball lately that helped our kids stay focused, and I like where our kids are right now. I think they’re enjoying being around one another.”
The Tigers were all business throughout and all smiles by game’s end as they built a 33-point lead after three quarters, never trailing after breaking a 2-2 tie in the first quarter.
Sophomore Katie Burton led the Tigers with a game-high 25 points, eight rebounds, two steals and an assist. Burton put Fishers ahead 4-2 and tallied 12 points by halftime. She shot 11-of-14 from the field and buried 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
“Our emphasis was to stop Staisha Hamilton and Tyra Ford. Lock them down. We knew if we did that, then we would be successful as a team,” Burton said. “Now, we’re focused on HSE for the next game.”
The Tigers defense stymied Hamilton, who had a 30-point game in a 76-71 loss to Warren Central last Tuesday and 20 points against Logansport this past Thursday.
The senior has averaged 18.0 points per game for Anderson this season and was shutout against Fishers, while Indians’ sophomore Tyra Ford had nine rebounds and 18 points, coming up short of her 22.1 ppg.
“Hamilton has been playing really good basketball. She’s had 30 a couple of times lately and she had 16 in the first quarter Saturday against Lafayette Jeff, so she was really the one we wanted to hone in on,” Vail said. “I give our kids a lot of credit. They held her scoreless tonight. That was our main focus.”
Dominating the glass was their second goal, and the Tigers went to work, winning the rebounding battle 40-27.
Senior Cierra Tolbert hauled in a team-high 10 rebounds for Fishers, and Tamia Perryman, a junior, had nine, which pushed her past Rachel Puckett as the program’s all-time leading rebounder.
Puckett set the career record with 424. Perryman now has 431 with 173 this season. Perryman added eight points against Anderson to increase her season total to 231.
“Rebounding will be key against HSE, for sure. We’re definitely faster than they are, so if we can rebound and push the ball, then I think that will be crucial for our offense,” Burton remarked on Friday’s semifinal matchup. “It’s a big one, especially because they are No. 1 in the state. We have to forget about this one and focus on that one now.”
If the Tigers want to derail the host Royals (21-1) and their 11-game winning streak, they will need their chemistry, which has led to run their recent streak to four straight games.
Fishers lost to HSE 65-41 on the Royals’ home floor on Dec. 15.
“From our very first game this season to now, we have grown a lot. Our team chemistry, our offense, defense, even our chemistry on the bench has come a long way,” Burton said. “It’s unbelievable how much better we’ve gotten from our very first practice.”
Their unified approach has been the catalyst in recent weeks as Fishers turned the page on a five-game losing streak to reach the sectional semifinals for a second straight year – and again against HSE.
The Royals defeated the Tigers 60-35 last postseason before losing to Carmel 68-48 in the sectional championship.
“(HSE is) very talented and haven’t lost to anyone in the state of Indiana this season and that’s for a reason. It’s going to take a very good performance on our part,” Vail said. “We have to bring our best offensively and defensively, obviously, but it’s a rival game. I think those are always fun and anytime you get a rematch, those are fun, too.”
Fishers 58, Anderson 33
Fishers FG FT TP PF
Katie Burton 11-14 1-1 25 1
Audra Emmerson 2-5 0-0 4 3
Kaitlynn Feagan 1-1 0-0 3 2
Skylar Fulton 3-9 0-0 7 1
Addi Arena 0-1 1-2 1 1
Tamia Perryman 3-10 2-3 8 2
Katie Howard 1-3 0-0 3 0
Lydia Stullken 1-2 0-0 2 3
Regan Newman 0-1 1-2 1 1
Cierra Tolbert 1-7 2-2 4 2
Totals 23-53 7-10 58 16
Score by Quarters
Fishers 15 14 21 8 – 58
Anderson 5 8 4 16 – 33
Fishers 3-point shooting (5-15) Burton 2-3, Feagan 1-1, Fulton 1-4, Howard 1-3.
Fishers rebounding (40) Tolbert 10, Perryman 9, Burton 8, Stullken 5, Emmerson 3, Newman 2.
Fishers’ Cierra Tolbert pulled in 10 rebounds during the Tigers’ Sectional 8 win over Anderson Tuesday at Hamilton Southeastern. (Kent Graham)