Noblesville finished up Hoosier Crossroads Conference play on a winning note, overwhelming Franklin Central 62-25 in a Saturday away game.
The Millers, ranked No. 6 in the ICGSA Class 4A poll and No. 7 in the IBCA one-class rankings, had control of the game from the start, leading 21-7 after the first quarter. Noblesville then was up 41-16 by halftime, then shut out the Flashes in the third period to take a 55-16 lead.
“Our kids really made a commitment to play defense and get after it and rebound the basketball, not to give up second and third opportunities,” said Millers coach Donna Buckley. “When we can do that, we’re a really good defensive team.”
The victory also marked the 200th career win for Buckley as the Noblesville head coach.
“It’s a huge honor,” said Buckley. She is in her 14th season as the Millers coach, and said that to be at Noblesville long enough to reach that milestone “is truly a privilege and I’m thankful for it. I’ve had so many great players and coaches and people involved in the process. It’s definitely all of us.”
Ashlynn Shade led the Millers with 21 points, including three 3-pointers. Shade also collected six rebounds and handed out four assists. Meredith Tippner had a great game, with 14 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and five steals. Dani Mendez also collected five rebounds.
Noblesville finished HCC play with a 4-3 record and is 17-4 overall. The Millers play their regular-season finale Wednesday at Pendleton Heights.
NOBLESVILLE 62, FRANKLIN CENTRAL 25
Noblesville FG FT TP PF
Kaitlyn Shoemaker 3-9 2-2 8 2
Ashlynn Shade 8-17 2-2 21 1
Reagan Wilson 2-9 0-0 5 2
Meredith Tippner 6-8 2-2 14 1
Brooklyn Smitherman 2-3 0-0 4 3
Brooklyn Ely 1-6 0-0 3 1
Ava Shoemaker 1-2 0-0 3 2
Dani Mendez 0-1 2-2 2 3
Marit McLaughlin 1-1 0-0 2 0
Aubrey Novinger 0-1 0-0 0 0
Kate Rollins 0-0 0-0 0 0
Bri Gray 0-0 0-0 0 0
Totals 24-57 8-8 62 15
Score by Quarters
Noblesville 21 20 14 7 – 62
Franklin Central 7 9 0 9 – 25
Noblesville 3-point shooting (6-25) Shade 3-7, Ely 1-6, Wilson 1-3, A. Shoemaker 1-2, K. Shoemaker 0-5, Novinger 0-1, Tippner 0-1.
Noblesville rebounds (32) Tippner 9, Shade 6, Mendez 5, A. Shoemaker 4, Smitherman 3, Novinger 1, Ely 1, team 3.