The Noblesville girls basketball team was a good, young team last season.
Is it possible for the Millers to get better, and younger, this season? They certainly have done so in the latter category. While Noblesville graduated some standout seniors from last year’s team, this season’s team has no seniors.
Instead, the Millers will be led by a solid core of juniors, including four that played the majority of minutes during the last season’s campaign, one that saw Noblesville win a sectional title and finish with a 21-5 record.
Leading the way for Noblesville will be one of those juniors, Ashlynn Shade. The 5-11 guard has been getting attention and college scholarship offers from coast to coast, Connecticut to Stanford and many points in between, including Indiana and Notre Dame.
It’s easy to see why. Shade returns 23.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.3 steals and 4.2 assists per game from last season. Shade scored her 1,000th point during the sectional tournament last season, surely one of the fastest players to reach that level.
While Shade will get the lion’s share of attention, there are many other solid players on the Millers roster returning. Sophomore guard Reagan Wilson had a fantastic freshman year, with 9.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Noblesville coach Donna Buckley pointed out that Shade and Wilson were both All-Hoosier Crossroads Conference players last season.
The other core juniors include 5-2 guard Kaitlin Shoemaker, who returns 5.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.1 assists per game. Brooklyn Smitherman, a 6-5 post who started last season, added 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 points per contest, and 5-11 forward Dani Mendez brings back 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 points per game.
Also in the varsity mix are sophomore Ava Shoemaker and freshman Meredith Tippner.
“We are excited about this group,” said Buckley. “We hope to get better each day and to have fun as we grow together as a team.”
The Millers will open their season on Thursday, Nov. 4 at Lawrence North. Noblesville’s first home game will be Friday, Nov. 12 when it hosts Hamilton Heights, followed by a Saturday, Nov. 13 game at The Mill with Garrett.
Noblesville roster
VARSITY
Juniors: Brooklyn Ely, Dani Mendez, Carly Motz, Aubrey Novinger, Ashlynn Shade, Kaitlyn Shoemaker, Brooklyn Smitherman.
Sophomores: Jocelyn Love, Marwa Marzouk, Ava Shoemaker, Reagan Wilson.
Freshmen: Brianna Gray, Marit McLaughlin, Kate Rollins, Meredith Tippner.
JUNIOR VARSITY
Juniors: Emma Gutknecht, Riley Hodges, Carly Motz, Aubrey Novinger.
Sophomores: Dana Behlmer, Jocelyn Love, Marwa Marzouk, Maya Narsinghani.
Freshmen: Brinkley Cooper, Brianna Gray, Marit McLaughlin, Kate Rollins.
FRESHMAN/C TEAM
Brinkley Cooper, Brooklyn Grayson, Evie Howard, Samantha Hudson, Sophia Ibanez, Riley Novinger, Jamara Trotter.