By RICHIE HALL
NOBLESVILLE – Noblesville was dealt a tough loss at The Mill on Saturday night, falling to Fort Wayne Wayne 51-49.
The Generals made the first big run of the game, outscoring the Millers 7-0 in the first quarter to take a 9-5 lead. Alex Hunt ended the run with a 3-pointer, but Wayne’s Isaac Fowlkes answered that with a 3, giving the Generals a 12-8 lead at the end of the period.
Wayne’s lead stretch to 18-10 midway through the second quarter before Noblesville closed out the half on a 6-0 run, keeping the Millers within 18-16. David Lloyd made a layin, then Trenton Reed took care of the other four points, with free throws and a basket.
Noblesville made its move in the third quarter, with Hunt draining a 3-pointer to spark a 10-1 run that gave the Millers a 27-21 lead. EJ Smith added five points and Noah Harris finished it off with a layin. That run helped Noblesville keep the lead throughout the period.
The Millers led 37-30 late in the third quarter, but a basket from the Generals’ Quincy Miles finished the period, and kept Wayne within 37-32. That basket began a 13-0 run for the Generals, and resulted in them holding a 43-37 fourth-quarter lead.
“We weren’t great on the ball,” said Noblesville coach John Peckinpaugh. “We weren’t great in our gaps. We let them get deep penetration and it hurt us down the stretch there.”
Noblesville kept battling, getting within one point twice, first at 46-45 after a Hunt 3-pointer, then at 48-47 with 1:06 left to go. But the Millers would get no closer.
“Our attention to detail tonight wasn’t where it needed to be tonight to be successful,” said Peckinpaugh.
Hunt scored 24 points to lead the Millers, including four 3-pointers. He also had five rebounds and two blocked shots.
Noblesville is 10-11 and hosts Guerin Catholic on Tuesday.
FORT WAYNE WAYNE 51, NOBLESVILLE 49
Noblesville FG FT TP PF
Jordan Gadis 2-5 0-0 4 2
Brendon Fisher 0-2 0-0 0 2
EJ Smith 2-8 3-4 8 3
Noah Harris 1-2 1-2 3 4
Alex Hunt 7-13 6-7 24 4
Trenton Reed 1-1 2-2 4 0
Evan Wilson 1-6 0-0 3 1
Preston Roberts 0-0 1-2 1 1
David Lloyd 1-2 0-0 2 0
Totals 15-39 13-17 49 17
Score by Quarters
Wayne 12 6 14 19 – 51
Noblesville 8 8 21 12 – 49
Noblesville 3-point shooting (6-22) Hunt 4-7, Smith 1-5, Wilson 1-4, Gadis 0-2, Fisher 0-2, Harris 0-1, Lloyd 0-1.
Noblesville rebounds (23) Hunt 5, Harris 4, Wilson 4, Gadis 2, Fisher 2, Smith 2, Roberts 2, Reed 1, team 1.
Alex Hunt scored 24 points for Noblesville during the Millers’ game with Fort Wayne Wayne Saturday at The Mill. (Kent Graham)
Dave Fleming, a 1975 Noblesville graduate, was inducted into the Hamilton County Basketball Hall of Fame during halftime of Noblesville’s Saturday game. Fleming scored 1,042 points in his career and was named to the All-Conference and All-Hamilton County teams multiple times throughout his career. (Kent Graham)