By RICHIE HALL
FISHERS – Even this early in the season, one thing is clear. Depth is not going to be a problem for either the Fishers or Noblesville boys basketball teams.
Both the Tigers and the Millers put that depth on display Friday night at the Tiger Den. It was a close game in the first quarter, but Class 4A No. 6 Fishers began to pull away in the second period, then maintained the lead in the entire second half to win 76-65.
It was the first Hoosier Crossroads Conference game of the season for both teams, and it was played in front of a big, loud crowd. The first period gave everyone plenty to cheer about, as both squads had their offenses going right away.
“We wanted to be able to play fast and push the pace,” said Tigers coach Garrett Winegar. “We really trust our guards to make the right decisions, even when it’s a fast game. We had two senior guards that are starting and then a freshman starting who makes really good decisions. We feel like we’re at our best when we can push the pace and play fast and play dynamic.”
Fishers led 5-2 early after Charlie Smith hit a 3-pointer. Noblesville responded with a 10-0 run to go up 12-5. E.J. Smith and Preston Roberts both scored five points each in the run, with both Millers making a 3 along the way.
The long-range shot got the Tigers back into it, as Jeffrey Simmons and Bryce Williams both nailed triples to bring Fishers back within 12-11. Noblesville pushed its lead back up to 16-12 on an E.J. Smith layin, but Jalen Haralson brought the Tigers within one with a 3-pointer, then Myles Stringer made a putback to get Fishers in front 17-16.
Both teams then traded baskets to end the quarter, and thus kept trading the lead. E.J. Smith’s 3 got the Millers in front, Sean Millsaps answered for Fishers with a triple, then Smith’s layin during the final seconds gave the Millers a 21-20 first-quarter lead.
Williams opened up the second period with a 3-pointer, and the Tigers never trailed again after that. Fishers would use an 8-0 run to lead 33-24, with Haralson beginning the run by making an emphatic one-handed dunk. Simmons finished the half with a layin, and the Tigers were up 37-30 at the break.
Simmons’ basket was actually the beginning of a 10-0 run. Haralson opened the third quarter with a layin, Williams made back-to-back baskets, and Stringer’s layin gave Fishers its largest lead of the game at 45-30.
Noblesville came back with a 10-0 run of its own. Roberts delivered six points of the run, with his basket getting the Millers with 45-40. Williams stopped the run with a basket, which would turn out to be the last score of the third quarter. With that, Fishers led 47-40, and Millsaps drained a 3 to open the fourth period. The Tigers were back up 10.
“We didn’t quit, I’ll say that,” said Noblesville coach Scott McClelland. “We didn’t let the game get away from us. Against a team like that, the first half, our self-inflicted wounds, our quick shots really hurt us. And you can’t do that against a team like that.”
From there, Fishers kept its lead around that margin. Luke Almodovar hit two 3-pointers, both times cutting the Tigers lead to seven points. But a quick 6-0 run got Fishers out of trouble. Williams made two baskets, sandwiched between a Simmons layin. Millsaps made two more 3s in the fourth quarter, with his second triple getting the Tigers back up by 15 points.
“Any game, especially against a good team like Noblesville, you’re going to have runs,” said Winegar. “And our experience just allows us to weather those runs. Last year, I thought we were a little younger, and I thought when runs happened like that, we didn’t have the leadership that brought us all together and kept us focused. And those guys, those seniors that you talk about, they keep us locked in. No matter if we’re on a 10-0 run or they’re on a 10-0 run, I think they expect to win and have the confidence that we’re going to pull it out.”
Simmons led the way for Fishers with 21 points, the first of four Tigers players in double figures. Williams added 19 points, Millsaps made four 3s on his way to 14 points and Haralson scored 11 points.
The Millers were led by E.J. Smith, who totaled 26 points, including three 3s. Roberts had 17 points and Almodovar contributed 13 points.
The Tigers are 3-0 for the season and host Mount Vernon this evening. Noblesville is 1-2 and is off until next Friday, when it plays at Carmel.
FISHERS 76, NOBLESVILLE 65
Noblesville FG FT TP PF
E.J. Smith 10 3-4 26 1
Luke Almodovar 4 3-3 13 0
Aaron Fine 3 1-2 7 3
Preston Roberts 6 4-4 17 2
Cameron Karns 1 0-0 2 4
Cooper Bean 0 0-0 0 5
Evan Wright 0 0-0 0 2
Totals 24 11-13 65 17
Noblesville 3-pointers (6) Smith 3, Almodovar 2, Roberts 1.
Fishers FG FT TP PF
Jalen Haralson 4 2-4 11 2
Bryce Williams 8 1-4 19 4
Charlie Smith 3 0-0 7 4
Jeffrey Simmons 7 6-7 21 0
Payton Weemer 0 0-0 0 0
Sean Millsaps 5 0-0 14 1
Myles Stringer 2 0-0 4 1
Aidan Zimmer 0 0-0 0 0
Matt Brewer 0 0-0 0 1
JonAnthony Hall 0 0-0 0 0
Carter Jones 0 0-0 0 0
Nathan Baker 0 0-0 0 0
Grant Haworth 0 0-0 0 0
Totals 29 9-15 76 13
Fishers 3-pointers (9) Millsaps 4, Williams 2, Haralson 1, Smith 1, Simmons 1.
Score by Quarters
Noblesville 21 9 10 25 – 65
Fishers 20 17 10 29 – 76