By RICHIE HALL
NOBLESVILLE – The regular-season game between Westfield and Fishers was not that long ago – 17 days, in fact.
So it was very fresh in the minds of the Shamrocks, who lost that game by 25 points. Westfield completely reversed the result Tuesday night in a first-round game of Class 4A Sectional 8 at Noblesville, as the Shamrocks overwhelmed the Tigers, ranked No. 2 in the IBCA one-class poll and Class 4A Associated Press poll, 62-44. Westfield, ranked No. 11 in the IBCA poll, advanced to a Friday semi-final game with Hamilton Southeastern.
The star of the game for the Shamrocks was Braden Smith. He didn’t play in the regular-season game due to a foot injury that had sidelined him for several games.
“I told our team all along, I thought we could become a better basketball team because we really had to learn how to play without him,” said Westfield coach Shane Sumpter. “But obviously, we’re a lot better when he’s out there. And that’s a tough kid, playing with a broken foot.”
Smith scored the first basket of the game on a 3-pointer, then Nic Depasquale scored to get the Shamrocks off to a 5-0 lead. Fishers got within 9-8 late in the quarter, but Smith nailed another 3, then an Alex Romack hook shot gave Westfield a 14-10 lead at the end of the period.
Romack’s basket started an 18-3 run by the ‘Rocks that lasted until midway through the second period. Smith had scored 10 points during the first quarter, and he promptly drained another 3 to start the second. He added 10 more points in the second quarter, giving him 20 first-half points.
Westfield led 30-13 once the spurt was finished. Jalen Haralson made back-to-back layins for the Tigers, and Sean Millsaps scored off a steal to end the half, but Westfield still led 32-19 at the break.
The Shamrocks continued to dominate in the third quarter, using a 15-3 run to take a 47-22 lead with 2:50 left. Alex Romack had six points and Depasquale scored four during that spurt.
The third quarter ended with two baskets by Fishers’ Bryce Williams, so Westfield’s lead was 47-26 going into the fourth. The ‘Rocks held their largest advantage early in that quarter, when a Romack layin and Cam Haffner triple put Westfield up 52-26.
Sumpter said it was “better that we drew them” in the first round “because we had a week to prepare, because Fishers can cause you a lot of problems.” While Smith was absent for that game, Sumpter wouldn’t use that as an excuse. He also mentioned Westfield’s improved defense as one of the reasons for the different result.
“I thought we were really good,” said Sumpter. “Kept them out of the lane. The first game that we played them, they made 13 3s.”
The coach said he thought his team solved that issue, among others.
“We had to solve the turnover issue,” said Sumpter. “Last time we played them, they were able to create a lot of offense through their defense because we were turning the ball over. That couldn’t happen again. We solved those things.”
Fishers made things interesting during the fourth quarter by making a 12-0 spurt to get within 55-42. Haralson poured in nine points in that run, with Jeffrey Simmons making a 3. But Westfield used a 7-0 run to stop any comeback attempt. Haffner made a layin, Smith was good on a three-point play and Romack scored as well.
Smith finished the game with 28 points, including five 3-pointers. Three more Shamrocks reached double figures: Haffner and Romack scored 12 points each and Depasquale added 10 points. The Shamrocks are 19-6 for the season.
Haralson, a freshman, led the Tigers with 19 points. Williams scored 12 and Simmons, playing his final game for Fishers after outstanding basketball and football careers, added 10 points. There were seven seniors on the Tigers team this season, including Williams and Simmons. The other seniors were Sean Millsaps, Josh Forbes, Charles Smith, Matt Brewer and Payton Weemer.
“What I just told them is, the first level of making an impact is information, give someone information,” said Fishers coach Garrett Winegar, whose team finished the season 21-3 and won a Hoosier Crossroads Conference championship. “The second level is imitation. And those guys have left a mark that anybody who comes through Fishers should want to imitate.”
WESTFIELD 62, FISHERS 44
Westfield FG FT TP PF
Braden Smith 11 1-2 28 2
Cam Haffner 4 3-4 12 2
Trey Dorton 0 0-0 0 3
Nic Depasquale 5 0-0 10 0
Alex Romack 6 0-0 12 2
Trey Buchanan 0 0-0 0 0
Kai Butterworth 0 0-0 0 0
Sam Bishop 0 0-0 0 0
Jonah Spinner 0 0-0 0 0
Alex Wolf 0 0-2 0 0
Armani Middlebrooks 0 0-0 0 0
Totals 26 4-8 62 9
Westfield 3-pointers (6) Smith 5, Haffner 1.
Fishers FG FT TP PF
Myles Stringer 0 0-0 0 2
Jalen Haralson 8 2-3 19 3
Bryce Williams 4 4-4 12 2
Charles Smith 0 1-2 1 4
Jeffrey Simmons 4 1-3 10 1
Aiden Zimmer 0 0-0 0 0
Payton Weemer 0 0-0 0 1
Sean Millsaps 1 0-0 2 1
Matt Brewer 0 0-0 0 0
Josh Forbes 0 0-0 0 0
JonAnthony Hall 0 0-0 0 0
Miles McCartney 0 0-0 0 0
Totals 17 8-12 44 14
Fishers 3-pointers (2) Haralson 1, Simmons 1.
Score by Quarters
Westfield 14 18 15 15 – 62
Fishers 10 9 7 18 – 44