Fast start gives Noblesville the fuel to knock off Carmel

By CRAIG ADKINS

For The Reporter

NOBLESVILLE – The biggest thing that Noblesville wanted to do after losing at home by 34 over top-ranked Fishers last Friday was to get a good quick start and not let up.

That’s exactly what the Millers did. They were able to get a quick, productive start and they didn’t let up the whole game, running away from the Greyhounds, 50-37.

“We just talked about throwing the first punch, second punch, third punch and keep punching and not get hit,” said fourth-year Noblesville head coach Scott McClelland.

That’s just what happened. Junior Justin Curry scored the first 11 points for Noblesville and in the blink of an eye Carmel was forced to call a timeout down 11-5.

The Millers got two more triples to end the first with a 17-5 lead, thanks to Baron Walker and Adam Fine.

“They were ready to play and I don’t think we responded very well. They hit some shots early and we weren’t able to get any stops,” said eighth-year Carmel head coach Ryan Osborn.

It usually makes for a long week of practice after a lopsided loss like Noblesville had last Friday, 74-40 to Fishers. That’s not how the Millers approached the week and it showed against Carmel.

“I thought our coaches did a great job all week of bringing the guys back,” added McClelland.

The game got that much more physical in the second quarter. Just 13 total points were scored and Noblesville was able to move their lead to double digits at 23-12 at halftime.

“I thought our offense was a little stagnant for a lot of the first half. The ball didn’t move much and not a lot of spacing. I give them credit for being ready and taking away our strengths,” continued Osborn.

The Millers came out in the third like the bell rang to start another round of a boxing match. Jumping out to a 14-5 stint to begin the period, Curry added the first eight of the third. Along with three-pointers from T.J. Davidson and another from Fine, the advantage grew to 37-17 with 3:10 in the frame.

“He (Davidson) played with some poise and composure with some good defense on him,” McClelland said.

All-state tight end Aiden Brewer showed his physicality throughout the game. The senior forward was causing havoc in the paint all night, frustrating Carmel’s offense on the interior. Brewer wound up grabbing five rebounds and blocking five shots.

“I thought Aiden Brewer was unbelievable. I called him out in film session last week. I’ll argue this with anybody. If he’s not the best defensive player at his position, he’s one of three in the state of Indiana. He set the tone for our team tonight,” said McClelland.

“For me, it’s more about how we would respond after last week. Again, let’s give credit where credit is due. Fishers is really good. They kicked us and they’re going to kick a lot of people. I just wanted to see how our guys would respond. It was just a great team win. I thought we were the aggressor,” added McClelland.

Noblesville grabbed its largest lead of 21 (40-19), at that point, when Curry knocked down a three from the right wing. Through three, it would be 41-22.
Baron Walker drilled a three from the right corner to begin the fourth for the biggest lead at 44-22.

Carmel had its biggest quarter in the fourth with 15 points, but the defensive effort by Noblesville would keep the ‘Hounds at quite a distance for the final of 50-37.

“It’s just a great bounce-back win against a quality opponent. We get to celebrate it for 31 minutes and then back at it tomorrow against one of the best teams in the state of Indiana,” McClelland said.

As one of the longest rivalries in the state, this was the 132nd game in the series. Carmel had won 16 consecutive games before Noblesville started its own streak of three in a row. The Greyhounds lead the overall count 68-64.

Carmel (3-1) suffered its first loss. The Greyhounds will get some time off before a busy weekend next week, playing at North Central Friday (Dec. 20) and Saturday (Dec. 21) at Kokomo.

The Greyhounds were led by the trio of Alex Couto, Zach Michaels and Evan Harrell each scoring nine.

Noblesville improved to 3-1 on the young season. They get back at it tonight in the Forum Tipoff Classic at the Southport Fieldhouse against No. 4 Jeffersonville (3-1) at 7 p.m. The Red Devils were winners over Seymour last night, 56-36.

Curry led all scorers with a career-high 27 points on 11 of 17 shooting, including 4 for 7 outside the arc. He also shot 7 of 10 from two-point range. Walker scored nine, while both Davidson and Adam Fine had six.