By CRAIG ADKINS
NOBLESVILLE – The fifth-ranked Noblesville Millers are putting together quite a run through the girls basketball state tournament and they don’t plan to let up until they reach their ultimate goal of winning a state championship.
Their next stop along the tournament trail is Saturday’s north semi-state at Logansport’s Berry Bowl, as the Millers are one of the final four teams in Class 4A. They will clash once again with fourth-rated Crown Point, whom the Millers defeated on Dec. 22 in the Limestone Classic at Bedford North Lawrence, 57-32.
Capturing the Sectional 8 championship for the second year in a row was the toughest task to start the tournament and then they proceeded through the Marion Regional with complete confidence, taking down top-ranked Homestead and No. 10 Fort Wayne Snider last Saturday.
To a casual observer, the Millers are a team that rides the back of its superstar(s). Obviously, there’s much more to this Millers team and they keep flexing those weapons each game.
No-fear approach has Kaitlyn Shoemaker prepared for any challenge
Junior guard Kaitlyn Shoemaker is not afraid to match up against players that are much bigger than she stands at 5-4. She’s done it numerous times and doesn’t back down to that challenge, no matter the opponent.
“I feel like there are so many factors that go into that,” said Noblesville junior guard Kaitlyn Shoemaker. “I feel like every practice, we’re just really prepared for the games. I have teammates around me that make me feel a lot more confident, because we have so many people that can step up and it makes it easier to go out and play big games like that,” continued the older of the two Shoemaker sisters.
“Also, it’s just a game that I love. It’s going to go by fast and I just want to execute every game, come out and play my best,” stated Kaitlyn on loving the game of basketball.
Shoemaker for sure has the green light from three-point land, where she has made 12 of 24 attempts in Noblesville’s five tournament games thus far.
The way that Kaitlyn carries herself on both ends of the court speaks volumes and helps the team tremendously. When she steps up, it takes pressure off of the expected scorers in Ashlynn Shade and Reagan Wilson.
“I think it’s a pretty big factor when anyone can come off the bench and really score or take over a game to take pressure off of them, because they (Shade and Wilson) have a lot of pressure on them. If we’re going to meet the goals that we’ve set for ourselves this season, we need people who can step up and we can’t just be a one or two man show. I think we’ve proven this season that we can have anyone step up when needed and I think that’s really going to help us at the end of this run,” Kaitlyn continued on the Millers being a complete, selfless team.
“I think she’s one of the best juniors in the state,” said Millers 14th-year head coach Donna Buckley on the junior Shoemaker.
“She can really guard people and she was on Carrothers last time in our box-and-1. Her and Tipp held that kid to five shot attempts and that’s just insane,” Buckley continued on Shoemaker’s defensive abilities.
“They’re just fearless (Shoemaker and Tippner) and with her ability to score and be ok if she doesn’t and still impact the game. I think there are very few players that whether they score or not, they’re going to leave their mark on the game. That is definitely what she does for us. A lot of people don’t know who she is, but as we’re making this run, they’re figuring it out that she’s pretty good,” Buckley continued to praise one of her prized juniors in Shoemaker.
The emergence of Ava Shoemaker and Dani Mendez has come at the right time
It doesn’t matter when sophomore Ava Shoemaker comes off the bench, because it seems like she’s always ready for the challenge that the coaching staff puts in front of her. She’s been counted on all season long as one of the first two to check into the game.
“We have some great players that are the main focus, so when I come off the bench, I just have to do things that are unnoticed,” said the sophomore guard Ava Shoemaker.
“Those of us that come off the bench, we all just have to take some of the attention off of them and make it so we’re a whole team and not just a couple players,” continued Ava on the Millers being a team effort.
There’s no time like tournament time for players like Ava to show what she can contribute when she’s on the floor.
“I’m there for an open shot or to box out and rebound and be there when the opponent collapses on other players,” said the younger Shoemaker on her role.
The younger Shoemaker has become a pretty clutch and she’s become another player that can be counted on at any time.
“She’s played really well, has had a really good season. She’s only a sophomore and sometimes we forget that,” said Buckley on Shoemaker, another youngster contributing key minutes.
In the five tournament games so far, Ava has pitched in for 25 points and 13 rebounds in her crucial role.
“She’s definitely had big moments throughout the season, but played consistently well in the tournament. She had a nine-point quarter when Ashlynn went out and that was huge for us. We’ve got kids that come in and help us extend the lead,” Coach Buckley continued to praise her under-the-radar sophomore.
In the off-season, it was anticipated that Ava would show her talents on varsity as a sophomore and she’s living up to those expectations.
“Ava’s one of those kids that we can play anywhere. Sometimes she plays in the post and other times on the perimeter. She’s just very versatile,” stated Buckley on the contributions of Ava Shoemaker.
Dani Mendez is another player that comes off of the Miller bench and knows exactly what she’s supposed to be doing. The junior forward has embraced her role of coming off of the bench to give a break to starting forward Brooklyn Smitherman and sometimes sees extended minutes, depending on matchups.
“I just don’t really want to lose. We just don’t want to lose again,” stated Dani Mendez.
This type of play that has emerged from Mendez is exactly what the coaching staff and players have hoped to see consistently throughout the season and it’s showing up at the right time during the Millers’ state tournament run.
“She’s been awesome, has played outstanding on both ends. Getting her to contribute as a scorer has been great, but her defense has also been really good and just aggression rebounding the basketball. She’s certainly impacted every single game,” Buckley said of another great player off of her bench that has been important this postseason.
She’s for sure made quite the impact statistically by scoring 24 points and pulling down 24 rebounds for her tournament resume and clogging the paint to help stop opponents.
Freshman Tippner has exceeded expectations, figured out quickly how to be selfless
Meredith Tippner is turning out to be one of, if not the, best freshmen in the state of Indiana. She’s started all 27 games and her confidence is on another level.
She is a player who is all over the floor, doing all of the little things that coaches just love. Sure, she can fill up her line in the box score, but that’s not what’s important to her.
“If you know basketball, you know she’s really good. She doesn’t have to have big numbers,” said Donna Buckley on her freshman starter in Tippner.
“Every coach says, you’ve got studs, but dang that kid is really good,” continued Buckley on opposing coaches’ opinions of Tippner.
She’s a player that hasn’t felt any sort of pressure with starting every game so far as a freshman.
“If she played anywhere else in the state, she would be that kid that everybody’s talking about. Obviously she can score and can do a lot of other things, especially for a freshman,” stated Buckley with more on the not-so-secret frosh.
From the standpoint of the coaches and definitely her teammates, Tippner is a huge asset for a team like Noblesville.
“She plays at the top of our 1-3-1 and will do it for 32 minutes and it’s just exhausting,” Donna Buckley on Tippner’s ability to defend anyone. “She chased (Crown Point’s Jessica) Carrothers all over when we ran a box-and-1 the first time we played them,” said Buckley on Tippner’s willingness to defend an opponent’s top scorer.
Tippner is one of those players that doesn’t stop and the Miller coaches couldn’t be more pleased.
“Any other place, she’s the number one scoring option. She’s not going to get those looks on our team, but she’s never going to complain, because she can impact the game in so many ways and that’s what makes her special and definitely one of the top two or three freshman in the state,” stated a confident coach Buckley.
She seems to be a completely composed player and doesn’t seem rattled by the pressures of playing on a team like this.
“When you have people like Reagan and Ashlynn on the court, any pressure is taken away from you. You have been given this opportunity to go out and play basketball with some really talented and amazing players,” said freshman guard Meredith Tippner.
Having players around her has showed her what it takes to play selflessly, doing things that don’t show up in statistics and it’s been a key part all season for the Millers.
“Knowing I don’t have to be that player every single game and maybe get three more rebounds per game or four extra assists to my shooters, in the end, that’s how you’re going to win basketball games,” continued Tippner on what it takes to contribute to the Millers’ success.
This is a completely selfless group that is doing whatever it takes to win.
“These kids are figured that out. Look at these teams we have played and they’re filled with talent. Our kids are unselfish and they’re going to work hard and any one of these kids will do whatever it takes for us to win a basketball game and it’s paid off. That’s why we are where we are right now,” said Noblesville head coach Donna Buckley on her team’s mentality that has them one win from playing for a state championship.
In order to get to the 4A state championship next Saturday, the Millers have to get past a rematch with the Crown Point Bulldogs (24-3), who are the defending 4A state champions. The ability to do that just might come down to players like Kaitlyn and Ava Shoemaker, Dani Mendez and Meredith Tippner.