By RICHARD TORRES
For The Reporter
FISHERS – The Hamilton Southeastern Royals had the right approach Friday night to end their drought, but the visiting Noblesville Millers had more than enough to counter.
Focusing defensively on Noblesville standouts Luke Almodovar and Aaron Fine, the Royals limited the duo to a combined 17 points, but the Millers collectively stood strong to win their third straight, 49-40.
The Millers (12-4, 4-1 HCC) road win at Hoosier Crossroads Conference rival Hamilton Southeastern was the first since the 2006-07 season, and it kept the Royals (4-13, 1-4 HCC) reeling, as they dropped their ninth consecutive.
The Royals opened the game with a short-lived 2-0 lead and later chipped away at a 13-point deficit to pull within two possessions late in the fourth quarter, but Millers’ junior Hunter Walston and Co. never let them get any closer.
Walston posted a game-high 17 points on 5 of 8 shooting from the field while going 6 of 7 from the foul line, and three Millers’ starters reach double figures to keep Noblesville in the conference race behind front-runner Class 4A No. 5 Brownsburg.
“We needed a lot of composure. They started to pressure us, and they started to come back, so we stayed calm, stuck with it and came out with the W,” Walston said.
Walston all but secured the win in the final sequences, burying a key bucket with 2 minutes, 1 second left to increase the lead, 43-36. He later converted a pair of foul shots to keep HSE at bay, 45-38, and once more, with a clutch defensive rebound in the final 15.9 seconds.
“I had to focus and lock in on my free throws. I had to get two points to keep my team ahead,” said Walston, who converted 5 of 6 from the line in the final quarter.
The 4A No. 18 Millers made their initial push in the first quarter behind a 10-0 run that flipped a 2-0 discrepancy into a 10-2 advantage. A 13-2 run in the second quarter put them in control, as the 4A Royals struggled offensively, shooting 1 for 10 in the frame.
“Second quarters have been killing us. We only scored two points in the second quarter, and in a game like this, you can’t have that happen,” HSE head coach John Ashworth said. “I thought we did a poor job of really getting the ball inside and getting good shots in that quarter. But again, credit to our kids for fighting back.
“We just had some empty possessions there at the end, and again, to win a close game like that, you have to find ways to get good shots.”
The Millers found their offense across the board. Almodovar finished with 11 points despite having an off shooting night. Fine had six points and six assists, while Cooper Bean added 11 points. Aiden Brewer chipped in four points with eight rebounds.
“We tried to get Hunter going early. I feel like he can do a little bit more. We just have to put him in a position to do that. But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention (Aiden Brewer) and his defense tonight,” Millers head coach Scott McClelland said. “(Reph) Stevenson had four points, other than that last (gimme) basket. AB came up with clutch offensive rebounds all night.
“Cooper hit some great shots, and I thought Aaron did a great job of just controlling the game and the floor. He didn’t necessarily score a lot, but he got the ball to the right people, and some other guys made some shots.”
HSE’s primary offensive threat was Myles Holman with 12 points – 4 of 5 from 3-pointer range – and Braeden Totten with nine points (two 3-pointers). Both Eli Robinson and Stevenson had six points apiece. Donovan Hamilton provided five points off the bench.
Hamilton Southeastern’s Braeden Totten scored
nine points for the Royals. (Kent Graham)
The Miller were 14 of 15 from the foul line and 7 of 8 in the final eight minutes with the game still undecided.
“It was good team effort. I just told the kids, I thought everybody made at least one or two big plays to contribute all night,” McClelland said. “I’m really excited for our guys tonight. Conference road win against a team that is a lot better than their record.”
The Royals haven’t won since beating Munster, 62-61, in overtime on Dec. 28 at the Homestead Tournament. They’ll look to end the streak at Pendleton Heights tonight at 7:30 p.m.
“I keep telling the kids and keep telling people, I’m a little crazy because I still think we’re a good basketball team. I think we’re competitive. I think we just need to find a way to win a game and chip away and win a close one to get our guys to start believing again,” Ashworth said. “It’s tough, but again, it’s not from lack of effort. Our kids are practicing hard and battling and I really like this group.”
The Millers will attempt to chase down their fourth win in a row at 3A Guerin Catholic this afternoon against another Hamilton County foe.
“We talked about that all week. Don’t pay attention to (HSE’s) record at all. They’re good. Stevenson had 27 points on us last year. Just murdered us in the fourth quarter, but we had great balance. I thought we had different guys not only make an offensive play but make a defensive play,” McClelland said. “Now, we have all of 12 hours to celebrate it. But conference road wins, we’ll take it.”
NOBLESVILLE 49, HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 40
Noblesville FG FT TP PF
Luke Almodovar 3 4-4 11 4
Aaron Fine 1 4-4 6 2
Cooper Bean 4 0-0 11 1
Aiden Brewer 2 0-0 4 2
Hunter Walston 5 6-7 17 1
Luke Etchison 0 0-0 0 0
Preston Roberts 0 0-0 0 1
Justin Curry 0 0-0 0 1
Will Smits 0 0-0 0 1
Totals 15 14-15 49 13
Noblesville 3-pointers (5) Bean 3, Almodovar, Walston.
Southeastern FG FT TP PF
Reph Stevenson 3 0-0 6 2
Deion Miles 0 0-0 0 3
Myles Holman 4 0-0 12 2
Braeden Totten 2 3-4 9 0
Eli Robinson 2 0-0 6 1
Michael Griffith 1 0-0 2 1
Kameron Anthony 0 0-0 0 1
Donovan Hamilton 2 1-2 5 3
Jack Jacobs 0 0-0 0 0
Joe Karwowski 0 0-0 0 0
Gavin Papandria 0 0-0 0 0
Totals 14 4-6 40 13
Southeastern 3-pointers (8) Holman 4, Totten 2, Robinson 2.
Score by Quarters
Noblesville 15 13 7 14 – 49
Southeastern 13 2 12 13 – 40