By RICHIE HALL
NOBLESVILLE – With a new coach and several new varsity players, Miller fans probably did need a program to see who was taking to the court in the Noblesville boys basketball team’s opening game Tuesday at The Mill.
Those new Millers did pretty well in the team’s first game. Noblesville had a strong defensive effort in the first half, and that was the foundation for a 52-33 victory for the Millers over Tindley. Noblesville also has a handful of players with varsity experience back, and they did their part as well.
First-year coach John Peckinpaugh said that for the first time out, “our guys did pretty good. I think we return seven minutes a game, so we’re getting there.”
One of the key returners is Brendon Fisher, a senior who had some good minutes for Noblesville last year. Fisher had an outstanding start to the game, scoring the Millers’ first eight points. That included two 3-pointers, the second of which began a 10-0 run that carried Noblesville to a 15-4 lead early in the second quarter.
“He had a great summer,” said Peckinpaugh. “He really emerged as a leader for us from day one. He’s just level-headed, he stays calm under pressure and he really knows how to play the game. He doesn’t ever really make the wrong play. He’s going to have to play a big role all year for us if we want to win games.”
Jordan Gadis, another senior who played solid minutes for the Millers last year, added to the run with a layin, then junior Evan Wilson nailed a 3 to finish the first-quarter scoring. The second period began with freshman Preston Roberts making a layin, and Noblesville had a 15-4 lead.
The newer players asserted themselves in the second quarter. Junior Noah Harris and sophomore E.J. Smith both had baskets during that period. It was a low-scoring quarter, but the Millers’ defense stood tough, and kept the team well ahead at halftime with a 21-8 lead.
“Coming into the game, we were a little bit worried because we didn’t know exactly what they did, but we felt like we have a pretty good idea of what we wanted to do against them,” said Peckinpaugh. “I think our guys executed our game prep really, really well. We wanted to keep them out of the lane and I thought we did a really good job with that, with our gap help from our wings. So I was really pleased with how we played defensively.”
Noblesville’s offense got going again in the third quarter. Fisher knocked in two more 3s, and Smith added eight points, including a 3-pointer. Peckinpaugh calls Smith “a really good player,” noting that he “gives us a dimension that we don’t have.”
Another player to watch for is the 6-foot-6 Harris. He led the Millers in rebounds with seven and handed out five assists. Peckinpaugh said that Harris is the team’s “X-factor.”
“We’ll go as far as Noah Harris will take us,” said Peckinpaugh. “He’s got to have a great, great year for us to be where we want to be. He’s a great kid. Mom and Dad have done a great job with him.”
Noblesville led 39-20 after three quarters, and maintained that advantage through the fourth period. Alex Hunt, another senior who had solid varsity minutes last year, added four points in that quarter.
Fisher finished the game with 17 points, totaling five 3-pointers. Smith scored 10 points.
The Millers go on the road for the first time this season on Saturday, traveling to Columbus East.
NOBLESVILLE 52, TINDLEY 33
Noblesville FG FT TP PF
Jordan Gadis 2-5 0-1 4 3
Brendon Fisher 6-8 0-0 17 2
E.J. Smith 3-5 3-3 10 2
Noah Harris 2-5 0-0 4 2
Evan Wilson 2-5 2-2 7 3
Levi Calvert 0-1 0-0 0 1
Alex Hunt 2-3 0-0 4 2
Preston Roberts 1-3 0-0 2 3
Josh Durham 0-0 0-0 0 0
Keagan Smith 1-1 0-0 2 0
Totals 19-36 5-6 52 18
Score by Quarters
Tindley 4 4 12 13 – 33
Noblesville 13 8 18 13 – 52
Noblesville 3-point shooting (7-15) Fisher 5-6, Wilson 1-3, Smith 1-2, Gadis 0-2, Calvert 0-1, Hunt 0-1.
Noblesville rebounds (19) Harris 7, Roberts 4, Fisher 3, Gadis 2, Smith 1, Reed 1, team 1.
Noblesville’s Brendon Fisher scored 17 points, including five 3-pointers, for the Millers in their 52-33 win over Tindley Tuesday at The Mill. (Kent Graham)