It’s a natural progression of a high school basketball player’s career: Last year on the junior varsity, this year on the varsity.
A group of juniors are making that jump for the Noblesville boys basketball team this season. That group played its first varsity game Wednesday night and handled the transition well: The Millers had a great defensive effort during its 62-38 win over Indianapolis Northwest at The Mill.
The new group is stepping in after Noblesville graduated a large contingent of seniors from last season. There are three returning players back from last year’s varsity list: Senior Ryan Barnes and junior Xavier Hines were regulars for the Millers last year, and Zack Johnson got into a couple varsity games last season as well.
“We’re not necessarily young in the sense that juniors aren’t really young,” said Noblesville coach Brian McCauley, who started his fourth season as the Millers’ coach Wednesday night. “We’re kind of inexperienced. Good senior leadership from Ryan Barnes and Riley Vitales. The core of our group is our juniors.”
Hines, a 6-3 guard, scored seven of Noblesville’s first nine points of the game, with Barnes, a 6-5 forward, getting the other two points with a layin. One of Hines’ baskets was a 3-pointer.
The Millers led 13-8 at the end of the first quarter. Noblesville then ramped up its defense in the second period, allowing the Space Pioneers just three points. That allowed the Millers to take a 23-11 lead into the locker room at halftime. Johnson scored the half’s last five points, on two free throws and a three-point play.
“We want to hang our hat on our defense, as most teams do,” said McCauley. “And we feel that if we can be a good defensive team, then you got a chance to be successful.”
Noblesville continued to roll through the second half. The Millers outscored Northwest in each quarter, including 17-11 for the third period. Hines made his second 3-pointer of the game in that quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Noblesville added 22 more points. Jaron Youree, a 5-11 junior guard, led the way with seven points. Youree drained two 3-pointers in that period, giving him three triples for the night (he made one in the second period). Johnson added six more points.
Hines led the way with 18 points, including a 6-of-8 performance from inside the arc. Johnson was next in line with 17 points, and Youree finished with 10. Ian Gibbons, a 6-4 junior forward, pulled eight rebounds to lead the way on the boards, while Hines had seven rebounds.
Everybody had something to contribute to the game. Junior Eagan Keever-Hill, a 6-3 forward, scored six points and pulled four rebounds. Alex Hancock, a 6-6 junior center, made some key first-half rebounds, and sophomore Brendan Fisher, a 5-11 guard, had some good minutes in the fourth quarter.
“A lot of these guys, this is their first varsity game,” said McCauley. “For the most part, I thought we had a great start. The good news, is we’ve got a lot of opportunity to keep improving.”
Noblesville’s Saturday game with Columbus East has been postponed to next Saturday, Dec. 2, due to the Olympians playing in this weekend’s IHSAA state football finals. The Millers’ next game will be their Hoosier Crossroads Conference opener, a trip to Fishers on Friday, Dec. 1.
ABOVE: Noblesville’s Xavier Hines scored 18 points for the Millers in their season-opening win over Indianapolis Northwest Wednesday night at The Mill.
BELOW: Eagan Keever-Hill scored six points in his varsity debut for Noblesville. (Kent Graham)
