THE REPORTER
The Noblesville girls basketball team returned home from Bedford just in time to beat the weather.
This was after the Millers beat two very good teams at the Limestone Classic, hosted by Bedford North Lawrence. Class 4A No. 8 Noblesville followed up its upset of the host and 4A No. 4 Stars on Wednesday by beating 4A No. 7 Lake Central 54-32 Thursday morning.
“It went well,” said Millers coach Donna Buckley. “The kids played really well against two very good basketball teams. Playing at Bedford is always a challenge.”
The challenge on Wednesday was timing. Noblesville took its finals that day, then had to hop on the bus for a two-hour drive to Bedford.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect, but our kids, they came out and played well, a ton of energy,” said Buckley.
On Thursday, the Millers had little trouble with Lake Central. Noblesville led by 11 points after one quarter, and maintained that margin at halftime, leading 29-18. The Millers increased their advantage to 42-28 after three periods, then held the Indians to only four points in the fourth.
“Our defensive pressure really took them out of anything they wanted to do,” said Buckley.
The coach said her team “played well from start to finish in that game. Kaitlyn Shoemaker, Reagan Wilson, Meredith Tippner, those three, they had an incredible tournament for us.”
All three of those players reached double figures in scoring: Tippner had 17 points, Wilson 14 and Shoemaker 13. Tippner collected 10 rebounds for a double-double, with Wilson pulling five rebounds. Shoemaker also got a double-double, as she made 10 steals. Shoemaker and Wilson both dished out four assists.
“It was great to watch these kids go out and make a statement this weekend,” said Buckley.
The Millers are 11-3 and will now prepare for the Hall of Fame Classic, which takes place next Thursday (Dec. 29) at the famed New Castle Fieldhouse. Read more about that tournament in the Saturday Reporter.
NOBLESVILLE 54, LAKE CENTRAL 32
Noblesville FG FT TP PF
Kaitlyn Shoemaker 5-12 1-2 13 2
Brooklyn Ely 0-1 0-0 0 0
Reagan Wilson 5-15 2-2 14 1
Meredith Tippner 7-13 3-4 17 1
Dani Mendez 1-1 4-4 6 4
C.C. Quigley 0-0 0-0 0 0
Kate Rollins 2-5 0-0 4 2
Carly Motz 0-2 0-0 0 0
Totals 20-49 10-12 54 10
Score by Quarters
Lake Central 7 11 10 4 – 32
Noblesville 18 11 13 12 – 54
Noblesville 3-point shooting (4-16) Shoemaker 2-6, Wilson 2-6, Rollins 0-2, Ely 0-1, Tippner 0-1.
Noblesville rebounds (29) Tippner 10, Wilson 5, Quigley 4, Shoemaker 3, Mendez 3, team 4.