Noblesville holds off Eagles for first sectional title since 2010
By RICHIE HALL
CARMEL – Noblesville senior Luke Almodovar admitted something after the Millers won their first boys basketball sectional championship in 13 years last Saturday night: He was doing it on no sleep.
“I tried to take a nap today and it didn’t work,” he said. “I was just too excited.”
All of that excitement and emotion came out on the floor of the Eric Clark Activity Center in Carmel – not just for Almodovar, but for all of the Noblesville players, coaches and fans. The Millers claimed their first sectional title since 2010 by holding off Zionsville 58-50 in front of a packed crowd.
Noblesville played a brilliant first half, leading by 18 points at halftime. The Millers then held firm when the Eagles made their furious, and expected, comeback in the second half, and were soon winners of the team’s 23rd sectional title in program history.
“I’ve grown up here my whole life,” said Almodovar. “Played basketball here my whole life. It couldn’t mean more to me. I love this city so much. I love this community. I’m really glad that I got to bring them the sectional because it hasn’t happened in so long.”
“I’m just so excited for our guys, our program,” said Noblesville coach Scott McClelland. “You just look out here and see the smiles on the faces. Moms and dads and our kids.”
Young Noblesville fans were cheering the Millers on to victory. (Kent Graham)
The Millers only trailed once in the entire game. Hunter Walston began the game with a layin, then Zionsville’s Jackson Tielker hit a 3-pointer to put the Eagles up 3-2. But Almodovar answered that with a dunk, and Noblesville stayed out in front after that.
A key early play came from Aiden Brewer. The sophomore made a steal under Zionsville’s basket, and the ball eventually wound up in the hands of Cooper Bean, who made a 3.
“My role is whatever the coaches give me and my teammates need,” said Brewer. “I’ll do whatever they ask me. I’ll do whatever the coaches ask me.”
“I thought Aiden Brewer really played hard tonight, all night,” said McClelland. ““Some of this stuff’s not going to show up in the boxscores, but he really showed his true toughness tonight.”
Noblesville led 16-12 at the end of the first quarter, with Almodovar contributing nine of those points. The Millers then dominated the second period, outscoring Zionsville 18-4 for a 34-16 halftime lead. Almodovar kept rolling with eight points, including two triples. Bean drained two more 3s towards the end of the period, including a buzzer-beater.
Noblesville’s defense held Logan Imes, the Eagles’ Penn State-bound star, to six points in the first half. Imes made up for that in the third quarter, scoring in the first five points of the second half. Almodovar made another 3 and Aaron Fine scored on a layin, and the Millers were back up 39-21. Those 18-point leads were the biggest of the game.
Hunter Walston scored 10 points for Noblesville during the sectional championship game. (Kent Graham)
Zionsville continued to chip away in the second half of the quarter, getting within 42-31 by the end of the period. Noblesville led 45-34 with 6:12 left, but the Eagles blasted back, scoring 10 unanswered points to get within 45-44. Imes and Tielker finished that run with 3s.
“Zionsville sped us up, got us in some traps, pressed us a little bit,” said McClelland.
“That run in the fourth quarter, I’m not going to lie: It had me scared a little bit,” said Brewer, something Almodovar said as well. “It had me scared. But we’re put in disadvantages in practice all the time.” Because of that, Brewer said the team is “ready for it.”
The Millers needed a big basket, and they got one from Almodovar with 2:28 left: He made a layin while getting fouled, and made it a three-point play by draining the free throw. Imes made two foul shots to cut Noblesville’s advantage to 48-46, but there seemed to be a momentum shift.
Indeed, the Millers finished the game with a 10-4 run. Walston nailed a triple, then Imes hit a jumper, and Noblesville led 51-48 with 1:08 left. The Millers finished the game from the free-throw line, making 7 of 8 during the final 68 seconds.
“You can’t win a game without sealing it with free throws,” said Almodovar.
Fine was 5 of 6 from the line during that stretch, and freshman Justin Curry added two more.
“He just continues to get better and better and his composure is tough,” said McClelland of Curry. “His defense is terrific.”
Almodovar finished the game with 23 points, followed by Bean with 11 and Walston with 10. Fine scored nine points and Curry had five points, going 5 of 5 from the free-throw line. Imes scored 24 points for Zionsville.
The Millers are 19-6 and advance to the Logansport regional on Saturday. Noblesville will play Fort Wayne Wayne for the Regional 3 championship. The Generals won the Columbia City sectional last Saturday over Homestead 55-53 on a buzzer-beater, claiming their first sectional title since 1994.