Hamilton Heights boys basketball coach Chad Ballenger became the head coach of the Huskies in 2007, but he is aware of Heights history.
“The history of the Noblesville-Heights series is just dominated by Noblesville,” said Ballenger. That’s why he was a happy coach Saturday night, as his Huskies beat the Millers 76-67 at The Mill. It’s the second straight win for Heights over Noblesville. The last time the Huskies had two straight wins over the Millers? Go back a quarter-century to Dec. 18, 1993 and Dec. 17, 1994.
“We were so locked in,” said Ballenger. “Just a great team win.”
It doesn’t hurt that Heights has Gus Etchison. The senior star scored the first six points of the game for the Huskies, giving them a 6-0 lead. Noblesville got on the board with two free throws from E.J. Smith and a three-point play by Noah Harris, cutting that Heights lead to 6-5.
But the Huskies continued to roll, leading 19-13 by the end of the first quarter. Etchison scored 15 points, including a rare four-point play, where he got fouled while making a 3 and hit the subsequent foul shot. Etchison had two 3s in that quarter, with Lucas Letsinger also making a three.
Heights cruised through the second quarter, taking a 37-20 lead by halftime. The Huskies drained four 3s during that period, with four different players stepping up from long range: Linville, Tillman Etchison, Isaac Wilson and Gus Etchison, who finished the half with 20 points.
“I thought their team played really well,” said Millers coach John Peckinpaugh. “I need to do a better job getting my guys more focused and ready to play. We just got to work on our maturity level and learn how to focus in on a quick prep to get ready to play.”
Heights’ lead swelled to 46-21 midway through the third quarter, but that’s when Noblesville began to make its move. Harris was the main catalyst of an 11-0 Millers run during the period, scoring eight points.
Aaron Fine scored a layin off a Noblesville rebound to end the third, getting the Millers within 48-34. Smith then opened the fourth with a triple, and Noblesville had cut the lead to 11.
The Millers got as close as 61-54 with 3:41 left, getting within seven when Fine converted an and-1. But the Huskies went on a 6-0 run to get their lead back to 67-54. Gus Etchison and Linville both hit two free throws, and Wilson helped out with a layin. Noblesville continued to fight during the last two minutes of the game, but Heights was able to hang on.
“We had great ball movement,” said Ballenger. “Noah Linville had four assists. We played good defense. And then I think we got tired, but we stayed poised, even though they made their run, we were still able to overcome it and hit free throws and hold on.”
Gus Etchison finished the game with 38 points, including three 3-pointers. Wilson added 11 points and Letsinger scored 10. Luke Carroll had nine rebounds and two blocked shots, Ballenger said he “was just a beast on the boards.”
Harris led the Millers with 20 points, while Smith scored 14 and Fine added 13. Josh Durham and Luke Almodovar each collected four rebounds. Smith dished out five assists and Harris had two blocks.
“I thought our guys battle in the second half, showed some toughness,” said Peckinpaugh. “Just dug ourselves in too big a hole. It’s tough to get out of that when you play a team with a kid like Gus on it.”
The Huskies are 13-4 and play at Norwell on Tuesday. Noblesville is 10-10 and also goes on the road Tuesday, playing at Mississinewa to finish its regular season.
HAMILTON HEIGHTS 76, NOBLESVILLE 67
Heights FG FT TP PF
Gus Etchison 11-21 13-15 38 3
Noah Linville 1-2 2-2 5 2
Luke Carroll 2-6 4-4 8 5
Isaac Wilson 4-6 1-2 11 3
Lucas Letsinger 2-6 5-6 10 2
Isaac Tuma 0-2 0-0 0 2
Tillman Etchison 1-1 1-2 4 0
Totals 21-44 26-31 76 17
Heights 3-point shooting (8-15) G. Etchison 3-8, Wilson 2-2, Linville 1-2, Letsinger 1-2, T. Etchison 1-1.
Heights rebounds (23) Carroll 9, Wilson 4, Letsinger 4, G. Etchison 3, T. Etchison 2, Linville 1.
Noblesville FG FT TP PF
Josh Durham 2-8 2-2 6 5
E.J. Smith 3-11 6-7 14 3
Noah Harris 8-12 4-7 20 1
Luke Almodovar 1-9 2-3 4 4
Preston Roberts 3-3 0-0 6 3
Aaron Fine 5-8 2-3 13 3
David Lloyd 0-0 0-0 0 1
Cooper Bean 0-0 2-2 2 2
Cameron Karns 1-2 0-0 2 1
Totals 23-53 18-24 67 23
Noblesville 3-point shooting (3-20) Smith 2-8, Fine 1-2, Almodovar 0-5, Durham 0-3, Harris 0-2.
Noblesville rebounds (22) Durham 4, Almodovar 4, Fine 3, Harris 3, Roberts 3, Lloyd 3, Smith 1, Karns 1.
Score by Quarters
Heights 19 18 11 28 – 76
Noblesville 13 7 14 33 – 67