The REPORTER
Three Hamilton County girls basketball teams will play for a semi-state championship on Saturday and a chance to punch a ticket to the IHSAA state finals.
In Class 4A, Noblesville travels to La Porte where the Millers play Valparaiso in the second semifinal game at 1 p.m. Eastern Time (noon Central Time). That game follows the opening semifinal between Homestead and Lake Central, which tips off at 11 a.m. Eastern Time (10 a.m. Central Time).
In Class 3A, Hamilton Heights heads north to Huntington North, where the No. 1-ranked Huskies take on No. 2 Norwell in the 10 a.m. first semifinal. Bremen and NorthWood play the second semifinal at noon.
In Class 2A, Sheridan heads to Shelbyville for its first-ever semi-state. The Blackhawks play Eastern Hancock in the noon second semifinal, after the first semifinal between Brownstown Central and Linton-Stockton. The first game starts at 10 a.m.
Noblesville vs. Valparaiso
The Millers will play the Vikings for the second time this season when they face off in the second semifinal at La Porte. Noblesville hosted Valpo at its holiday tournament, with the Millers winning 65-56.
Valparaiso is 19-7. The Vikings hosted Sectional 2, getting past Chesterton 55-49 in the first round before turning up their defense to beat Portage 48-20 in the semifinals and Crown Point 41-28 in the championship. Valparaiso then beat No. 7-ranked Northridge in a dramatic regional championship game at La Porte 47-46.
Vikings senior Becca Gerdt hit the winning basket with 8.2 seconds left to give Valpo its first regional title in 20 years. Sophomore Lillian Barnes leads the Vikings in scoring (17.5 points per game), rebounds (6.6) and assists (5.5), with Gerdt adding 15.1 points and 6.4 rebounds.
Noblesville enters the semi-state at 17-8. The Millers won Sectional 8 by pulling away from Fishers 56-42 in the semis and holding off host and No. 6-ranked Hamilton Southeastern 49-45. Noblesville then took the Marion regional championship with a comeback win over No. 4 Fort Wayne Snider 43-40.
The Millers have three double-digit scorers. Senior Reagan Wilson leads with 16.3 points per game, while junior Meredith Tippner averages a double-double at 16.2 points and 10.0 rebounds, along with 3.4 steals and 3.3 assists. Senior Ava Shoemaker contributes 12.3 points, while sophomore C.C. Quigley adds 9.9 points.
Hamilton Heights vs. Norwell
The Norwell Knights are 21-4 this season. They easily won the Maconaquah sectional with a 71-32 semifinal victory over the host Braves and a 57-40 win over Bellmont in the final. That sent Norwell to the Caston regional, where it beat No. 7 Benton Central 58-44 to claim the championship.
Four players scored in double figures for the Knights in the regional title game. Sophomore Vanessa Rosswurm had 17 points, followed by three seniors: Kennedy Fuelling scored 15, Dekota Hubble had 13 points and nine rebounds while Makenzie Fuess added 10 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers in the first quarter.
The Huskies are 24-2 for the season. They won the Yorktown sectional by defeating New Castle 64-9 in the first round, Frankton 53-23 in the semifinals and Jay County 37-36 in the championship. Heights then beat Woodlan 55-31 to win the Lapel regional, the second consecutive year the Huskies have won a regional crown.
Senior Camryn Runner has been dominant all season, averaging 27.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Runner broke the Hamilton County scoring record during Heights’ regional win and now has 1,936 career points. Senior Ella Hickok adds 10.2 points and 4.3 assists per game; she had 28 in the regional victory.
Sheridan vs. Eastern Hancock
The No. 3-ranked Eastern Hancock Royals are 24-1 for the season, with their only loss to Lawrence North on Dec. 30 at the Elkhart Tournament.
Eastern Hancock had no trouble winning the Scecina sectional, beating Triton Central 56-38 in the semifinals and the host Crusaders 67-11 in the championship. That sent the Royals to the Southmont regional, where they beat Parke Heritage 55-40 to defend their regional title.
Eastern Hancock has a veteran crew, but a freshman is the leading scorer. McKenzie Koch is averaging 19.0 points per game and leads in steals with 2.9. Seniors Sammie Bolding (13.7 points) and Ruby White (10.9 points) are also averaging in double figures. White is the top rebounder at 5.7 per contest, with Koch and senior Brooklyn Willis tied for first in assists with 2.9 each.
Sheridan is 20-5 for the year. The Blackhawks won their first sectional since 2015 at Park Tudor, beating the host Panthers in the semifinals 55-40 and taking care of Covenant Christian 47-28 in the championship game. Sheridan traveled to Southwestern Shelby for the regional title and cruised past Northeastern 46-31 to win the first regional championship in program history.
Junior Kenzie Garner is the leader in all categories for the ‘Hawks, with 20.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 4.1 steals and 2.1 blocked shots. Another junior, Cecilia Timme adds 9.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.4 steals.