By RICHIE HALL
CARMEL – Hamilton Southeastern has had to fight for it, but the Royals are in the Sectional 8 championship game.
Southeastern got past Noblesville 47-41 in Friday night’s first semi-final game at the Eric Clark Activity Center in Carmel. The Royals will take on the Class 4A No. 1 Greyhounds at 7:30 p.m. tonight for the title.
Southeastern (16-8) jumped out to an 8-2 first-quarter lead, with Noah Smith scoring five points. But the Millers cut the lead to 8-7 by the end of the period. Xavier Hines made a layin and Alex Hunt finished the quarter with a three-point play.
Sophomore Landon Morris hit back-to-back baskets to open the second quarter, and an Aaron Etherington 3-pointer got HSE up 15-7. Hines hit his own 3, which the Royals’ Vinny Buccilla answered with another Southeastern triple. The Royals led 18-11 at halftime, but a got big scare when Noah Smith went down with an injury. He did not return to the game and it is uncertain if he will play tonight.
“He’s the motor that makes us go,” said HSE coach Brian Satterfield. “He’s our best defender. He’s the guy that pushes the ball. He can create offense. You saw him hit the 3 to start the game. He was ready for that challenge.”
Hines opened the second half with another 3-pointer, then Jordan Schmidt got hot, scoring nine points in the third quarter (two 3s and a traditional three-point play). Southeastern was able to stay ahead, though, as Etherington scored eight points; he drained two 3s and scored off a rebound.
“He stepped up big and hit some big shots for us,” said Satterfield. “But all the guys did.”
Etherington’s second 3 of the quarter put the Royals up 31-25, but Zack Johnson cut it to 31-29 with consecutive baskets. Mabor Majak hit a free throw to move HSE ahead 32-29; that would be the score at the end of the third.
Etherington opened the fourth by nailing back-to-back 3s, but the Millers answered that with a 10-3 to get within 41-39. Hines hit another 3, while Johnson scored four points. Eagan Keever-Hill hit two foul shots with 1:10 left, and Noblesville was within two.
Chris Grubbs made two foul shots to push the Royals ahead by four, but Hines answered that with a pair of free throws. The Millers were now within 43-41 with 49.5 seconds left, but HSE would not let them score again, getting the game’s last four points.
“We’re one possession away with 49 seconds to go,” said Noblesville coach Brian McCauley. “Couldn’t be prouder of them and how they improved from the first time we played them to the second time we played them.”
Etherington finished the game with 18 points, including five 3s. Morris added nine points and collected eight rebounds. Grubbs was all over the stat line, with eight rebounds, six points, four assists and two blocked shots.
“Landon’s just been coming on,” said Satterfield. “He’s been tremendous here, especially the second half of the season.”
Hines scored 15 points and pulled five rebounds, while Schmidt added 11 and made four steals. Zack Johnson scored eight, while Keever-Hill handed out five assists. All four are seniors, with another senior Alex Hancock, in the starting lineup as well.
“We went through a great stretch there,” said McCauley, whose team ended the season 13-11. “They finished the season really strong. We had one hiccup in our last home game, but other than that, we really finished the season strong. That’s the mark of a senior-laden team, a team that wants to win as opposed to a team that wants to get the season over with. That’s what senior leadership will do.”
Hamilton Southeastern 47, Noblesville 41
Noblesville FG FT TP PF
Eagan Keever-Hill 0-3 2-2 2 3
Xavier Hines 5-9 2-2 15 1
Jordan Schmidt 3-8 3-5 11 3
Zack Johnson 3-16 2-3 8 2
Alex Hancock 0-0 0-0 0 5
Alex Hunt 2-4 0-0 5 1
Brendon Fisher 0-0 0-0 0 0
Totals 13-40 9-12 41 15
Noblesville 3-point shooting (5-17) Hines 3-6, Schmidt 2-5, Johnson 0-4, Keever-Hill 0-2.
Noblesville rebounds (20) Hines 5, Keever-Hill 3, Schmidt 2, Johnson 1, Hunt 1, team 8.
Southeastern FG FT TP PF
Noah Smith 2-4 0-0 5 1
Aaron Etherington 6-10 1-2 18 2
Chris Grubbs 1-5 4-6 6 4
Vinny Buccilla 2-4 0-0 5 1
Mabor Majak 0-0 2-4 2 4
Kole Hornbuckle 0-1 1-2 1 2
Bradley Beemon 0-2 1-2 1 0
Landon Morris 4-6 1-4 9 2
Elliott Robinson 0-1 0-0 0 1
Totals 15-33 10-20 47 17
Southeastern 3-point shooting (7-16) Etherington 5-8, Smith 1-2, Buccilla 1-2, Beemon 0-2, Hornbuckle 0-1, Robinson 0-1.
Southeastern rebounds (34) Grubbs 8, Morris 8, Etherington 4, Majak 4, Smith 2, Hornbuckle 2, Beemon 2, Buccilla 1, team 3.
Score by Quarters
Noblesville 7 4 18 12 – 41
Southeastern 8 10 14 15 – 47
Noblesville’s Jordan Schmidt scored 11 points for the Millers during their sectional semi-final game with Hamilton Southeastern Friday at Carmel. Pictured for the Royals are Landon Morris (35) and Aaron Etherington (2), who scored 18 points and made five 3-pointers for Southeastern in its 47-41 win. (Kent Graham)