Noblesville Boom earn first win in front of sold-out crowd at home

The Noblesville Boom (1-2) earned its first win of the season in front of a sold-out crowd with a 117-98 victory over the Iowa Wolves (0-3) in their home opener Tuesday night, Nov. 10, at Riverview Health Arena at Innovation Mile.

Jalen Slawson led the Boom with 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, including three 3-pointers, while adding seven rebounds and three blocks. Kobe Brown followed with 18 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals, while Cameron Hildreth finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and three steals. Wade Taylor IV added 15 points, six rebounds, and six assists, and Rienk Mast contributed 14 points and nine rebounds.

Iowa was led by Isaiah Evans, who finished with a team-high 23 points, eight rebounds and four steals. KJ Martin added 14 points and seven rebounds, while Nate Santos chipped in 13 points off the bench.

The Wolves jumped out to an early advantage behind their shooting from beyond the arc, connecting on six 3-pointers in the opening quarter. After the Boom took an 11-8 lead midway through the period, Iowa answered with a 25-4 run to build a game-high 18-point advantage. Evans paced the Wolves with 12 first-quarter points, including four three-pointers, as Iowa carried a 35-23 lead into the second quarter.

The Boom began to cut into the deficit in the second, shooting 52.4 percent from the field while holding Iowa to 38.5 percent. The Wolves led by as many as 16 in the quarter before the Boom closed the gap behind Slawson, who scored nine points in the frame. A late push brought Noblesville within two before a Martin tip-in sent Iowa into halftime with a 59-55 advantage.

The Boom took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Wolves 35-23 while shooting 60 percent from the field. Noblesville erased the deficit and took its first lead since the opening quarter on an RJ Felton three-pointer with 3:22 remaining. Felton scored eight points in the period, while Taylor added seven, helping the Boom close the quarter with a 90-82 advantage.

Noblesville carried its momentum into the fourth, opening the period with six unanswered points to extend its lead to 14. After Iowa cut the deficit to seven, the Boom responded and gradually pulled away, using a 15-2 stretch to take a 110-91 advantage with 5:19 remaining. Taylor’s three-pointer pushed the lead to 22 before his transition layup gave the Boom a game-high 24-point advantage with 2:23 to play. Noblesville held Iowa to 16 fourth-quarter points and 30.4 percent shooting in the period to close out the 117-98 victory.

Noblesville outscored Iowa 62-39 in the second half, holding the Wolves to 28.3 percent shooting from the field and 19 percent from three-point range after halftime. The Boom finished the night shooting 47.3 percent from the field and recorded 50 points in the paint, 18 fast-break points, 13 steals and nine blocks.

You can purchase tickets to see the Boom play at NoblesvilleBoom.com.