By RICHIE HALL
NOBLESVILLE – If there were words that could be assigned to the Noblesville boys basketball team’s Tuesday win over Guerin Catholic, the primary word would be “balance.”
Nine players took to the floor for the Millers at The Mill against the Golden Eagles, and all nine scored in the 73-63 victory. The game was close for the first one and three-fourths quarters, but Noblesville got hot from the 3-point arc to pull away at the end of the first half – the secondary word of the game would be “three” – then made a run in the fourth quarter to close the game.
It was a nice win for the Millers, and a good way to bounce back after a tough loss on Saturday to Fort Wayne Wayne.
“At Mount Vernon and at Brownsburg, our team grew more than we have at any other point in the season,” said Noblesville coach John Peckinpaugh. “We had a little hiccup on Saturday, but our guys responded really, really well at practice on Monday. And then at film again this morning, I thought we were really well-prepared.”
The first quarter finished in a 7-7 tie. Guerin Catholic’s Matthew Gillis gave his team a 4-2 lead by making back-to-back putbacks, then Noblesville’s EJ Smith and the Golden Eagles’ Bernie McGuinness traded 3-pointers for the last baskets of the period.
McGuinness’ 3 began a 7-0 run for Guerin, which led 11-7 with 5:50 left in the second quarter. The Millers’ David Lloyd ended the run with a 3-pointer, and it was his free throw that tied the game at 13-13.
Noblesville then turned up the heat from beyond the arc, making four consecutive 3-pointers. Evan Wilson nailed the first two, then Noah Harris and Smith each hit a triple. That allowed the Millers to get some separation by halftime, leading 25-19.
Smith drained his third 3 of the game at the beginning of the third quarter, making it five 3-pointers in a row for Noblesville. Brendon Fisher added a couple more triples later in the quarter, and his second 3 put the Millers up 34-24.
“Our guys shot it like they do in practice,” said Peckinpaugh. “Their confidence was good. Midway through that first quarter, I told them ‘Hey, at some point the lid’s going to come off the hoop and we’re going to start making some of these.’”
The Golden Eagles continued to battle. Joseph Bobilya hit a 3 at the end of the third, then Kaleb Edwards made a couple of foul shots to keep GC within 43-38 just a few seconds into the fourth.
But Noblesville went on a 10-0 run after that to take control of the game. Preston Roberts started the run with a 3 (of course), and Harris added four more points during the run.
When the dust settled, the Millers led 53-38. Guerin Catholic continued to fight, getting within eight points a couple times. Bobilya scored eight points in the final two minutes of the game, including a pair of 3s. But Noblesville stayed comfortably ahead. Foul shooting was a factor; the Millers made 16 of 20 free throws in the fourth quarter, with Smith going 7 of 8 from the line.
Smith finished the game with 18 points, including three 3s, and eight rebounds. Wilson was next with 13 points. Roberts added nine, while Gadis and Lloyd (who had a great game off the bench) both scored eight.
More proof of balance: All seven Millers players that attempted a 3-point shot made at least one 3. Smith led the way with three, while Fisher and Wilson both had two triples.
Guerin Catholic had good balance as well. McGuinness led the scoring with 18 points, with Bobilya adding 17. Gillis finished with eight points, as did Cameron Weitzel, who made two 3-pointers. Gillis had six rebounds and McGuinness collected five.
Noblesville is 11-11 and will play its Hoosier Conference Crossroads and regular-season finale Friday at The Mill by hosting Avon. The Golden Eagles are 14-7 and are off until next Tuesday then they play their regular-season finale at Anderson.
NOBLESVILLE 73, GUERIN CATHOLIC 63
Guerin Catholic FG FT TP PF
Joseph Bobilya 5-14 4-4 17 5
Bernie McGuinness 4-12 8-9 18 3
Kaleb Edwards 2-4 2-6 6 4
Matthew Gillis 3-4 2-4 8 4
Cameron Weitzel 3-6 0-0 8 2
Elijah Edwards 0-1 1-2 1 1
Kameron Osswald 2-2 0-0 5 4
Spencer Wilt 0-0 0-0 0 0
Dominic Ferrucci 0-0 0-0 0 0
Will Grissom 0-0 0-0 0 0
Totals 19-43 17-25 63 23
Guerin Catholic 3-point shooting (8-18) Bobilya 3-8, McGuinness 2-4, Weitzel 2-4, Osswald 1-1, K. Edwards 0-1.
Guerin Catholic rebounds (24) Gillis 6, McGuinness 5, K. Edwards 4, E. Edwards 2, Weitzel 2, Bobilya 1, Osswald 1, team 3.
Noblesville FG FT TP PF
Jordan Gadis 2-4 3-4 8 4
Brendon Fisher 2-4 0-0 6 1
EJ Smith 3-12 9-10 18 4
Noah Harris 2-3 2-2 7 0
Alex Hunt 1-1 1-2 3 4
Evan Wilson 5-7 1-1 13 3
Preston Roberts 2-4 4-4 9 4
Trenton Reed 0-1 1-2 1 0
David Lloyd 1-4 5-6 8 1
Totals 18-40 26-31 73 21
Noblesville 3-point shooting (11-26) Smith 3-9, Wilson 2-4, Fisher 2-3, Lloyd 1-4, Gadis 1-3, Roberts 1-2, Harris 1-1.
Noblesville rebounds (27) Smith 6, Gadis 4, Wilson 4, Harris 3, Roberts 3, Fisher 2, Lloyd 2, Hunt 2, team 1.
Score by Quarters
Guerin Catholic 7 12 17 27 – 63
Noblesville 7 18 18 30 – 73
Noblesville’s EJ Smith (right) scored 18 points and made three 3-pointers for the Millers during their 73-63 win over Guerin Catholic Tuesday at The Mill. Pictured at left for the Golden Eagles is Elijah Edwards. (Kent Graham)
Noblesville’s Preston Roberts (left) scored nine points for the Millers, while Guerin Catholic’s Cameron Weitzel (right) had eight points, including two 3-pointers. (Kent Graham)