By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
NOBLESVILLE – It took a little bit of time in the season opener to get some strategy worked out, but the reigning state champion Noblesville Millers were able to fight off everything that Avon brought.
The Millers are going to have a target on their back the whole season and they fully expect that from opponents. The visiting Orioles were a tough group to fend off, but the host Millers got their season off on the right foot with a 77-61 victory.
“We’re going to have that all year. We’re the defending state champs. Everybody’s gunning for you,” said Noblesville head coach Donna Buckley.
“We took their best shot and sustained it. We got in a little foul trouble; had to take Shoemaker (Kaitlyn) out and that really changed some things and got a little young,” continued Buckley on how her team responded, no matter who she had in the game.
Both Kaitlyn Shoemaker and forward Dani Mendez found themselves with two fouls apiece early in the second, which forced Buckley to rely on her bench.
“Being a little young and trying to handle that adversity made it a little crazy at first, but once we settled in, we were pretty good,” stated Buckley on the Millers’ abilities to handle adversity from the opening tip.
Avon tested the Millers with their backcourt quickness and played tight defense. Once the Orioles tied it 2-2, Noblesville went on a 9-6 run late in the first before Avon’s Mya Thompson sank a three in the final second of the first to tie it 11-11 after one.
Nyla Lewis gave Avon their first lead 13-11 right away in the second, but a floater in the lane from Ava Shoemaker tied it for the third time 13-13.
“Avon’s got some really good players and they started off strong and we were playing Avon’s game for the first quarter, at least,” said Noblesville guard Meredith Tippner.
“And then, we slowed it down for our game and that’s when we started to speed the game up, but at that point we had control of the game,” Tippner continued on the Millers regaining control of the tempo after Avon’s quick start.
Avon pushed it throughout the second and that ignited their crowd.
In the final two minutes of the first half, the Millers started getting more deflections and steals.
Down 24-20 with 2:30 in the second, it seemed like a switch flipped and Noblesville shifted gears. The deficit would be cut in no time. The Millers mounted an 11-4 run.
Reagan Wilson stole an Avon pass and threw ahead to sophomore Kate Rollins for a fast break layup to be down 24-23.
Meredith Tippner then stole the ball and got the assist, passing up the court to Rollins again for a layup and a 25-24 Miller lead.
Tippner kept at it the next Oriole possession. She collected a loose ball and took it down herself this time for the fast break and a 27-24 advantage on a 6-0 run. That forced Avon to burn a timeout with 1:26 until halftime.
Ava Shoemaker got her second basket of the half and then Wilson found Tippner in the final seconds of the half for a layup and a 31-28 halftime lead.
“They’re really athletic and as fast of a team that we will see all year,” said Buckley on Avon’s quickness that kept them in the game in the first half.
“We’re really athletic and fast, but we were able to settle in. I thought in the first part of the game, we were not fundamentally sound and just tried to do too much one-on-one and didn’t move our feet much on defense. Once we got settled in, it led to some really easy baskets,” continued Buckley on what it took to get her team playing like they usually do.
Little-by-little in the third, Noblesville kept pulling away in small chunks. It was a total team effort and this group got back to what they did best last season during their state tournament run. A lot of selfless play goes a long way.
“Everything starts with defense with us,” said Meredith Tippner. “We’re a talented team on the offensive end, but we bring it defensively like other teams don’t normally do,” continued Tippner on how the Millers’ motor runs with defense turning into offense.
“I think when you get everyone on the same page, having different players on the floor helped change the game. Having those young players come on and change the game right away, that’s where it helps calm me, Reagan and Shoe down,” stated Tippner on how players like her sister Ava, Rollins and freshman forward C.C. Quigley were able to make an impact.
The second half was all about stretching their lead out to eventually pull away. Defense was the focal point and while forcing 31 Avon turnovers, the Millers were able to grab 29 steals to their credit and turned a lot of those steals into points.
Noblesville led 50-43 heading to the fourth, but it wasn’t until about a minute into the final frame that the Millers got it to double-digits at 54-43 with 7:10 left.
“C.C., I thought, did a great job for us. That post presence inside and we just tried to take advantage of where we had a mismatch,” said Buckley, praising her freshman C.C. Quigley, who had a great debut with seven points and seven rebounds.
In the latter part of the game, Noblesville’s veterans took over and Wilson, Tippner and Shoemaker (Kaitlyn) put the game out of reach for Avon.
The Millers got their biggest lead of the evening at 73-52 before winning going away, 77-61.
“Reagan’s dagger three was a big one in transition and you could just see them (Avon) get deflated,” stated Buckley on Wilson’s right wing three made it 57-45.
“Once they got deflated, it was turnover after turnover and layups for us. They were gassed and our kids continued to play,” stated a happy Buckley following the season opening win.
Avon (1-1, 0-1 HCC) gets its first loss after winning their season opener at Martinsville on Thursday.
Noblesville (1-0, 1-0 HCC) gets the early Hoosier Crossroads Conference win under their belt.
Meredith Tippner led all scorers with 28 points and was just shy of a triple-double, grabbing 10 rebounds and had nine steals.
Kaitlyn Shoemaker added 14 points, four assists and four steals, while Reagan Wilson joined in double-figures with 13 and also had nine steals. C.C. Quigley played well in her first action as a freshman with seven points and seven boards.
The top-ranked Millers get their first road test next Friday at Hamilton Heights (2-0).
Reporter photos by Kent Graham