By RICHIE HALL
FISHERS – The ebbs and flows of a Mudsock game between Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern are expected, but that doesn’t make them any less intense.
And the intensity was at an all-time high last Saturday when the Royals hosted the Tigers in the Mudsock girls basketball game. The two teams matched each other basket for basket, run for run, and it came down to one last score for the trophy.
Fishers’ Hailey Smith scored that basket, as her layin with less than a minute to go proved to be the winning basket, giving the Tigers the Mudsock game 49-48. It’s the fourth year in a row Fishers has taken home the Mudsock trophy.
The senior Smith took over for the Tigers during the final two minutes of the game. She made 4 of 4 free throws to start, both times putting Fishers up by two points, including a 47-45 lead with 1:28 to go.
Southeastern called a timeout, after which Teegan Acres drained a 3-pointer to get the Royals ahead 48-47. Smith answered with her game-winner after a Tigers timeout, then Fishers stepped up its defense to stop Southeastern in the final 15 seconds.
“Coach (Lauren) Votaw, she was just like, ‘Get Hailey the ball,’ and I knew at that point, it was just me going downhill, trying to draw a foul or something to get some points on the board,” said Smith.
“Hailey is a special basketball player,” said Votaw. “She’s a kid that really loves to do every part of the game. She loves to defend, she loved to rebound.”
It was a full-circle moment for Hailey, as her twin sister Olivia Smith scored the game-winner in the Mudsock game during their freshman year. Olivia Smith was unable to play her senior Mudsock game due to an injury. Hailey Smith played all 32 minutes of the game.
“I felt like I had to play a bigger role tonight than I ever did just because I knew I had to pick up things she would do on the court,” said Hailey Smith. “So, I knew coach wasn’t going to take me out, so I had to play a bigger part, put up more points, boards, whatever I could do to get the win.”
“She’s a competitor,” said Votaw. “And the kid has worked exceptionally hard. And like I said, I think her biggest asset is that she’s not all about the offensive end of the floor. She goes into the game knowing she’s going to defend and rebound. And then when we need her to go get buckets, she goes and gets buckets.”
Hailey Smith, in fact, scored the first five points of the game, on a layin and 3-pointer. Southeastern senior Riley Makalusky answered that with her own layin and 3-pointer, and that pretty much set the tone for the entire contest.
Smith scored 10 points in the first quarter, then a three-point play by Talia Harris gave Fishers a 16-13 lead. The last part of the opening period belonged to HSE’s Olivia Brown, who scored nine points (including a triple), finishing the quarter with a layin to put the Royals up 17-16.
Southeastern went on a 10-2 run that took up most of the second quarter, eventually leading 27-21. Makalusky nailed another 3 during that stretch. Hailey Smith finished the first half with a triple, keeping the Tigers within 27-24 at the break.
A 3-pointer from Maya Makalusky gave the Royals a 36-31 lead in the third quarter, but Fishers finished the period on a 10-0 run to gain a 41-36 advantage. Karina Scott hit two 3s during that run, with Harris scoring an additional four points.
“We make sure everyone knows their role on the team,” said Hailey Smith. “So, for Karina, it’s hitting 3s, coming into the game and hitting shots. Kate (Thomas) rebounding, Ly (Alycia Triplett) rebounding, doing post defense. Everyone has a role on the team.”
That run became a 12-0 stretch when Triplett made a putback to get Fishers ahead 43-36, the largest lead of the game. Southeastern bounced back on a 7-0 run, with all the points scored by Riley Makalusky, to tie the game at 43-43 with 2:17 left.
“I think you have to be proactive and talk about it before, and we talk about it.” said Votaw. The coach said that in games like these, “there are going to be runs. And they are going to go on big runs and we are going to go on big runs, and at the end, you just have to hope that you’ve done your work and that you’re on the right side of it.”
Hailey Smith finished the game with 25 points, including three 3-pointers. For the Royals, Riley Makalusky scored 23 points, with Brown adding 11 points.
“You just love the atmosphere,” said Southeastern coach Brian Satterfield. “You love how the teams compete. I think you got two of the best teams in the state our here competing. I thought we both got out there and competed.”
It was the first loss of the year for the Royals, who are now 11-1 overall, and 3-1 in Hoosier Crossroads Conference play. Southeastern plays two games at home this week, hosting Cathedral on Tuesday and Fort Wayne Carroll Thursday morning.
Earlier win
Fishers went on a road trip to Pendleton Heights last Monday and came home with a 66-51 victory.
The Tigers took care of business in the first quarter, leading 18-8 by the end of the period. Hailey Smith scored 10 points in that quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers. Fishers led 31-23 at halftime; Joirdyn Smith added six points, including a 4-of-4 effort from the free-throw line. The Tigers poured in another 18 points in the third quarter to clinch the game.
Hailey Smith scored 20 points, while Joirdyn Smith added 15 and Olivia Smith contributed 13 points.
Fishers is 11-2 for the season and 3-1 in conference play. The Tigers also host Fort Wayne Carroll on Thursday, with a 4 p.m. tipoff.
FISHERS 49, HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 48
Fishers FG FT TP PF
Joirdyn Smith 0 0-0 0 0
Talia Harris 3 1-1 7 1
Kate Thomas 0 0-0 0 2
Alycia Triplett 3 1-2 8 4
Hailey Smith 8 6-6 25 1
Karina Scott 2 0-0 6 1
Allison Scheu 1 0-0 3 3
Morgan Roberts 0 0-0 0 0
Totals 17 8-9 49 12
Fishers 3-pointers (7) H. Smith 3, Scott 2, Triplett, Scheu.
Southeastern FG FT TP PF
Maya Makalusky 1 2-2 5 0
Teegan Acres 2 0-0 5 2
Riley Makalusky 8 5-6 23 1
Olivia Brown 5 0-0 11 3
Maine Hooks 0 0-0 0 2
Kennedy Holman 1 0-2 2 1
Kayla Stidham 1 0-0 2 1
Lauren Stewart 0 0-0 0 0
Totals 18 7-10 48 10
Southeastern 3-pointers (5) R. Makalusky 2, M. Makalusky, Acres, Brown.
Score by Quarters
Fishers 16 8 17 8 – 49
Southeastern 17 10 9 12 – 48