THE REPORTER
The Noblesville girls basketball team will be traveling to New Castle next week to play in the biggest holiday tournament of all: The Hall of Fame Classic.
The girls tournament is set for Thursday at the famed New Castle Fieldhouse. The Millers open play against East Central in the second semi-final game, which will start at approximately 11:45 a.m. The first semi-final, between Bedford North Lawrence and Mishawaka Marian, begins at 10 a.m. The consolation game begins at 6 p.m., with the championship game immediately following.
This will be the second time Noblesville has played in the Hall of Fame over the past 10 years. The Millers played in the 2015 edition, beating Benton Central in the semi-finals before falling in the championship game to Princeton.
“It’s a neat event,” said Noblesville coach Donna Buckley. “We’re excited to play in it. Four great teams. It’s just such a cool gym.” The Millers are also looking forward to seeing the nearby Hall of Fame and the exhibits there.
Noblesville has a solid first-round opponent in East Central. The Trojans are 11-5 this season, and are leading the Eastern Indiana Conference standings at 4-0. In conference play, East Central has beaten South Dearborn 63-23, Franklin County 57-26, Greensburg 53-42 and Batesville 60-38.
“I know their coach does a great job,” said Buckley. She also mentioned the Trojans’ “big kid” – Josie Trabel, a 6-foot senior who is averaging 21.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Trabel had a 40-point game during East Central’s 68-35 victory over the Indianapolis HomeSchool Wildcats on Dec. 13, then put up another 37 points on Dec. 17 in the Trojan’s win over Batesville. Trabel has committed to Wofford College, a Division I school.
“We will definitely have to play well,” said Buckley. “We’re going to have to do a great job of controlling the big kid and making sure she doesn’t get going. That’s definitely a team that we will have to play well to beat.”
Another player to watch is senior Laney Baker, who is averaging 12.9 points per game. Sophomore Emily Klem collects 3.9 rebound per contest, while Trabel leads in assists (3.4), steals (2.7) and blocks (1.5).
Noblesville is doing well this season, too. The Millers are 11-3, including a four-game winning streak. Sophomore Meredith Tippner is leading the way with 15.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Junior Reagan Wilson adds 13.1 points, 3.3 assists and leads in steals with 3.0 per contest. Senior Dani Mendez is on top of the rebounds with 4.9 per game, and senior Kaitlyn Shoemaker puts in 8.8 points per game.
In the first semi-final, Bedford North Lawrence comes into that game with a 13-2 record, while Mishawaka Marian is 12-2. The Millers played BNL at the Stars’ tournament on Wednesday, winning 54-44.
Junior Chloe Spreen is the top scorer for Bedford North Lawrence at 20.5 points per game, followed by senior Karsyn Norman at 16.3 points. Senior Mallory Pride leads the rebounds at 6.2 per game, with Spreen pulling 5.5 and junior Madisyn Bailey collecting 5.3. Norman also leads in assists (4.6) and steals (3.2).
As for Marian, senior Neveah Foster has been scoring at an impressive clip, 26.6 points per game. Foster, a Western Kentucky commit, scored a Marian school record 42 points in the Knights’ recent win over Portage. Two more seniors, Aliyah Hershberger and Shayla Alexander, are averaging 11.5 and 10.4 points respectively. Sophomore Christa Porter is the top rebounder with 7.9 per game, followed by Foster (6.9) and Alexander (5.4). Foster also leads in assists (4.1) and steals (4.3).