By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
LA PORTE – Last Saturday night, Noblesville had its sights set on another trip to the state. A slow start and plenty of patience from Lake Central is what it took for the Indians to knock off the Millers in the Class 4A northern semi-state championship, 52-36 at La Porte.
Lake Central jumped out early, throwing off Noblesville’s typical strategies. The Indians found themselves up 8-0 out of the gate. Aniyah Bishop scored the first two and then consecutive threes by Ayla Krygier forced a Miller timeout with 4:47 left in the first.
“Obviously, I think we just ran out of gas. All of the things we had going on this week, you could tell it just finally took its toll on us,” said Noblesville head coach Donna Buckley.
Out of the timeout, Reagan Wilson drained a three to get them on the board. An Ava Shoemaker basket, followed by an assist on a C.C. Quigley layup and Lake Central’s lead was cut to 11-7.
Wilson drilled a 25-footer to trim the Indian lead after one at 11-10.
“We were trying too hard, settling for long jumpers. We talked about trying to get to the basket, make the game a little easier,” stated Buckley. “Again, they did a great job of taking us out of everything we were trying to do. We were mentally and physically fatigued. We had one practice this week with everyone on. LC just flat out outplayed us. He had a phenomenal game plan.”
Lake Central seemed to be in a zone, making six three-pointers in the first half that built a halftime lead of 23-15.
“They’re patient. They make you have to work and they did a great job of taking care of the basketball,” Buckley stated of Lake Central. “We just ran out of gas. That’s them. They did a great job and made us try and have to earn everything,” continued Buckley.
Wilson, a 2024 Miss Basketball candidate, would make another pair of triples in the third. But the Indians made the remaining four of their 10 threes in the period and took a 36-25 advantage into the fourth.
A Tippner drive for two got it under 10 one final time. Beyond that point, Lake Central kept its lead above double digits with the largest margin being the final score of 52-36.
This Noblesville team of Buckley’s had the top-ranked schedule as far as difficulty. The Millers were 7-7 heading into hosting their own holiday tournament that featured current Class 3A state finalist Norwell, an Elite Eight team in Valparaiso and last week’s regional opponent Snider.
This Noblesville team is one for the record books. The last four seasons, they went a combined 85-22. They won three sectional, two regional, a semi-state and the 2022 Class 4A state championship. The mark they leave is some of the best in program history.
Reagan Wilson finishes her 104-game career with 1,363 points, moving her into fourth place, just above 2016 grad Alexis Shannon (1,361). Shoemaker was able to total 582 career points, despite missing some games in her three varsity seasons.
When asked about seniors Wilson and Shoemaker and their impact on the program, Buckley wasn’t short on compliments for the pair.
“Off the floor stuff, I mean both of those seniors. Just who they are off the floor. They are just phenomenal human beings,” Buckley said of her two seniors. “I have loved being around them every moment that they’ve been in high school. They are the best kids and have been through some things and never make excuses,” continued Buckley.
Wilson is headed to Iowa State to continue her basketball career and Shoemaker will be pre-med at Indiana University.
“They are going to go do great things in life, I mean next level awesome,” Buckley said. “They’re just the best kids. I love coaching them on the floor and love being around them all of the time off of the floor,” stated a proud Buckley.
Meredith Tippner finished with 15 points, five boards and four steals. Wilson finished her final game as a Miller with 14 points, three rebounds and four steals. Shoemaker fought through LC’s tough defense for three points and two assists in her final game.
Noblesville finishes its season at 18-9, going 11-2 in its final 13 games.