By RICHIE HALL
Reporter Sports Editor
A tough third quarter from Lawrence Central sent Noblesville to a Tuesday night loss at The Mill.
The Millers fell to the Bears 70-42. Noblesville kept pace with LC in the first half, but the Bears turned up the heat to open the second half, outscoring the Millers 23-7 in the third quarter.
“It was the start of the third that really put us behind the eight ball,” said Noblesville coach Brian McCauley.
The Millers got off to a nice start, with Eagan Keever-Hill hitting a 3-pointer for the game’s first basket. Noblesville led for most of the first quarter, with Ryan Barnes making a couple baskets and Jaron Youree’s ‘3’ putting the Millers ahead 10-6.
Lawrence Central led a couple times in the first, but Keever-Hill ended the quarter as it began, nailing a 3-pointer. That put Noblesville up 15-14.
The Millers still led 21-19 midway through the second period, helped out by a ‘3’ from Xavier Hines. The Bears took the lead after that, but Noblesville was still within 26-23 at halftime.
But Lawrence Central controlled the third quarter right from the start. Nijel Pack hit a 3-pointer and D’Andre Davis made a layin, and the Bears’ lead quickly became 31-23.
“It went from three to eight in two possessions, and that was the backbreaker,” said McCauley.
Jordan Schmidt’s 3-pointer got the Millers back within five, but LC scored the next seven points to go up 38-26. The Bears’ lead steadily increased for the remainder of the game.
Ryan Barnes led Noblesville with 12 points.
“He was solid,” said McCauley. “He did a nice job of posting strong and finishing around the basket well.”
Schmidt finished the game with 10 points; he joined Keever-Hill in making two 3-pointers. Hines had five rebounds.
The Millers are now 9-11 for the season. Noblesville will host Avon on Friday in a Hoosier Crossroads Conference game that will also serve as the Millers’ Senior Night.
In a schedule change, Noblesville’s game at Zionsville will now be played at 7 p.m. next Tuesday, Feb. 20, in a varsity-only contest. The game was to be played on Saturday, but was moved because the Eagles’ girls basketball team will compete in the semi-state that afternoon.
Lawrence Central 70, Noblesville 42
Noblesville FG FT TP PF
Jaron Youree 2-4 0-0 5 1
Jordan Schmidt 3-9 2-2 10 2
Eagan Keever-Hill 3-7 0-0 8 2
Xavier Hines 1-6 1-3 4 0
Ryan Barnes 5-10 2-4 12 2
Alex Hancock 0-0 0-0 0 1
Alex Hunt 1-1 1-2 3 2
Brendan Fisher 0-0 0-0 0 0
Evan Wilson 0-0 0-0 0 0
Jordan Gadis 0-0 0-0 0 0
Totals 15-37 6-11 42 10
Score by Quarters
LCHS 14 12 23 21 – 70
Noblesville 15 8 7 12 – 42
Noblesville 3-point shooting (6-15) Schmidt 2-5, Keever-Hill 2-3, Hines 1-5, Youree 1-1, Barnes 0-1.
Noblesville rebounds (14) Hines 5, Keever-Hill 2, Fisher 1, Schmidt 1, Hunt 1, Barnes 1, Hancock 1, team 2.
ABOVE: Noblesville’s Jordan Schmidt scored 10 points for the Millers in their Tuesday game with Lawrence Central at The Mill. Schmidt had two 3-pointers in the game.
BELOW: Jaron Youree made a crucial 3-pointer for the Millers in the first quarter. (Kent Graham)
Natalie Nickless sprinted to the other end of the basketball court as she caught the long pass. She pump faked her defender, shot the ball, and made another 3-pointer for her team. The University High School senior has consistently been ranked among the top 3-point shooters in the state of Indiana and now she has the chance to demonstrate her talent on the national stage.
Natalie can represent her school, city, and state through the High School 3-point Championship #DreamFearlessly Fan Vote Competition, occurring in conjunction with the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio, Texas. Sixteen players from across the nation have been selected and the winner is determined through fan votes.
Help Natalie achieve her dream and vote by going to HighSchoolSlam.com Click Girl’s 3 Point at the top, you will find Natalie on the right side, 3rd picture down in round 1.
Individuals can vote once per day on multiple devices between February 13-20. Then, the top eight finalists will progress with weekly head to head voting until a single winner is determined on March 16.
Your votes are the key to Natalie winning the competition and guaranteeing her place at the 3-Point Championship! Encourage your friends and family to vote every day!