By RICHARD TORRES
For The Reporter
CARMEL – Fishers head coach Garrett Winegar didn’t overcomplicate the situation when his Tigers huddled before the start of the fourth quarter Saturday night.
With his top-ranked Class 4A Tigers tied with rival Noblesville, 38-38, during the Sectional 8 title game inside the Eric Clark Athletic Center, Winegar simply reminded his players who they were.
For a dominating wave of seven minutes in the fourth quarter on Bill Shepherd Court, the Tigers didn’t just remember.
They showed why they are the defending 4A state champions.
“It’s our motto. Relentless. Dynamic. Together. When we all come together and have a hive mind, one mind, we can do a lot of incredible things,” Fishers senior JonAnthony Hall said. “You saw it here defensively in the fourth quarter. They couldn’t score.”
The unbeaten Tigers (27-0) strung together an 11-0 run to open the fourth quarter, and the No. 8 Millers (19-6) went scoreless for seven minutes, as Fishers pulled away to repeat as Sectional 8 champions, 55-46.
“It’s a great sectional. Every coach and every team are super talented. You know how it is in tournament time; possessions are going to slow down. Everyone is a little tighter. We knew it was going to come down to making plays in the moments,” Winegar said. “We made some adjustments, and we made the plays when we needed to.”
The first tide-turning play was a 3-pointer by senior Millen McCartney, followed by a layup from sophomore Jason Gardner Jr. to put Fishers ahead 43-38.
Prior to the momentum shift, both teams deadlocked six times, including five times in the first half.
The Millers tested the Tigers at every opportunity, tying the score four times in the first quarter before junior Justin Curry II handed Noblesville a 12-10 lead with a buzzer-beating putback.
A 16-5 Noblesville run in the second quarter turned a 19-14 deficit into a 30-24 halftime lead that senior T.J. Davidson capped with a layup before time expired.
“We knew since we played them the first time that they’ve improved a lot. This was the game they wanted the most. This is the game that left a bad taste in their mouth the first time we played them, so we knew this time it was going to be a different game,” Hall said. “We were going to have to play a little bit harder.”
Fishers beat Noblesville during the regular season, 74-40, on Dec. 6, and they won 49-47 in last year’s Sectional 8 finals.
The Millers led 36-29 in the third quarter with payback in mind for the postseason rematch, but the Tigers fed off the capacity crowd’s energy and pieced together a 9-2 run to tie the game before the fourth quarter.
The Millers had three players in double figures, paced by Davidson with 14 points. Curry had 13 and junior Baron Walker finished with 10.
However, the Tigers matched them with three of their own led by Gardner’s 14 points, Hall’s 11 and senior Nathan Baker’s 12. Sophomore Cooper Zachary had seven points, while McCartney added another seven. Senior Justin Kirby provided four points – all in the second half.
“That’s the strength of our team. We’re basically playing seven right now. All seven of them can go for double figures in any game, and they really don’t care who does as long as the team wins,” Winegar said.
“When you have 12 guys that are truly bought in, and they don’t care about themselves. They only care about one thing, and that’s winning and they’re really talented, I think you have a chance to do things like this.”
Winning has been the Tigers’ way since Jan. 27, 2024, which marks their last loss, coincidently on the same court they won their 40th consecutive game for the program’s second straight sectional title.
“(Coach) told us, this is what we’re literally made for. We’ve been in these moments a lot of times, and we always come out on top. At least that’s how it feels, like every time, if everyone thinks the same way, and we always do,” Hall said. “We’ve used close games this year as lessons. Never settle. We have the mentality of keep going and going.”
The Tigers’ final run involved points from four different players, highlighted by a finishing touch alley-oop dunk by Hall off of Zachary’s fourth assist to put Fishers ahead 49-38 with 1 minute, 30 seconds left in the game.
Noblesville didn’t score until the final minute and posted eight points in the frame against Fishers’ 17.
“Some of those (Noblesville) guys have been my friends since the sixth grade. I knew they were going to compete until the end, and they sure did. They gave us a run for our money,” Baker said.
The Tigers will face Harrison (19-6) Saturday at Frankfort’s Case Arena for the Regional 4 championship with a shot at the program’s second title overall and second straight.
Photos by Julie Montgomery & Joshua Herd
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