By RICHIE HALL
Class 4A Sectional 8 boys basketball action continues tonight at The Mill in Noblesville with two regular-season re-matches for semi-final games.
In the first game, set to start at 6 p.m., Westfield will take on Zionsville. Carmel will then play the host Millers in the second game, which will tip off around 7:30 p.m. The winners will play for the sectional championship on Saturday.
The Shamrocks and the Eagles played each other in the regular season exactly three months ago today, on Dec. 6. It was a close one, as Westfield edged out host Zionsville 56-49 in double overtime.
The Shamrocks’ victory over the Eagles took place during Westfield’s hot start to the season. The ‘Rocks won their first eight games of the year; the Zionsville contest was their third. Westfield went through a rough patch in the middle of the season, but finished the regular season strong: The Shamrocks are on a six-game win streak.
SOLID SOPHOMORES
Part of Westfield’s success has come from its sophomore players. Braden Smith is averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game for the ‘Rocks. Nic DePasquale adds 12.2 points per contest and Cam Haffner is contributing 10.2 points per game.
The Eagles are 16-9 for the season. Zionsville advanced to the semi-finals after a tough, defensive first-round game on Tuesday, beating Fishers 23-21. Senior Jackson Hughes made a buzzer-beating basket to send the Eagles into the semi-finals.
Zionsville’s seniors are leading the way for their team. Anthony Scales is first on the scoring list, with 15.2 points and 4.8 rebounds; he was the only player to reach double figures on Tuesday with 10 points. Gunnar Vannatta is the top rebounder with 5.0 per contest, while Hughes scores at a 9.5 points-per-game clip.
Meanwhile, the Greyhounds and the Millers also played a close game in December. That was on Dec. 13 at Carmel’s Eric Clark Activity Center. It only went to one overtime, and the ‘Hounds won 54-51.
Carmel is 16-7 coming into the game, having beaten Hamilton Southeastern 50-43 in the Sectional 8 first round. Junior Brian Waddell scored 19 points for the Greyhounds, continuing to play well after coming back from an injury.
Sophomore Peter Suder leads a balanced Carmel scoring with 11.1 points per game, with Waddell adding 9.7 points and senior Jackson Jannsen contributing 9.1 points per contest, including 50 3-pointers. Sophomore Charlie Williams adds 8.7 points. Suder leads the rebounding with 6.7 per game, and junior Connor Gioia hands out 3.9 assists.
Noblesville finished its regular season 11-12, although the Millers have been playing close: Only two of those losses were by more than 10 points.
Senior Alex Hunt is at the top of Noblesville’s scoring list with 10.8 points per game, followed by sophomore E.J. Smith (8.7 points) and senior Jordan Gadis (8.0). Gadis also leads the rebounding with 4.0 per game.
EARLY GAMES FOR HUSKIES, ‘BLAZERS
Hamilton Heights head back to New Castle to meet Jay County in the first semi-final of Class 3A Sectional 24. Tip-off time is 6 p.m.
The Patriots are 7-15, with sophomore Ethan Dirksen their leading scorer at 8.7 points per game. Senior Brayden Sprunger contributes 8.5 points. Another senior, Noah Arbuckle, collects 5.0 rebounds, while freshman Bennett Weitzel hands out 3.9 assists per game.
The Huskies will come into this game 15-8, fresh off a 65-59 win over New Castle in Tuesday’s first round. Junior Gus Etchison scored 33 points, continuing his outstanding season where he is averaging 25.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Senior Camron Knott has 13.7 points per game, and senior Hudson Hochstedler dishes out 3.3 assists.
University also gets an early game, taking on Park Tudor at 6 p.m. at Class 2A Sectional 42, taking place at Scecina.
The Panthers are 15-7, while the No. 5-ranked Trailblazers are 21-4. Two University seniors are averaging in double figures: Joe Martin scores 15.2 points per game and Max Greenamoyer scores at a 13.6-point clip. Junior Camden Brown leads the rebounds with 5.3 per contest, while Martin averages 3.1 assists.
