By RICHIE HALL
Reporter Sports Editor
After its first game of the season, Noblesville girls basketball coach Donna Buckley had this to say about her team:
“When we can put 32 minutes together, I think we’re going to be a pretty good basketball team,” she said.
The Millers played fantastic basketball for most of their game at Lawrence North on Thursday. Unfortunately, things went sour for Noblesville in the last four minutes, during which the Wildcats went on a 15-2 run and won 53-41.
“Three-and-a-half quarters, I thought we played really good basketball,” said Buckley. “I thought it was a fun game. Both groups were competitive and getting after it, and then we just stopped rebounding. That’s the difference in the game.”
The game was a battle from the opening tip. Lawrence North had two runs in the first half that got them out to semi-comfortable leads, but Noblesville erased them both.
The Wildcats scored six unanswered points to go up 8-4 midway through the first quarter, before the Millers came back to lead 9-8. Emily Kiser scored on a putback after collecting her own rebound, and Mallory Johnson drained a 3-pointer.
Lawrence North started a 7-0 run late in the first that finished with the first basket of the second quarter and put the Wildcats ahead 18-11. Again, Noblesville answered. Kiser scored five points in the run, with Maddie Knight scoring off a rebound in between.
The Millers led 27-25 at halftime. LN briefly took the lead back twice in the third quarter, but Johnson made her second 3 of the game to give Noblesville a 35-31 lead.
Johnson was the Millers’ leading scorer, with 18 points.
“We got on Mallory a little bit after the scrimmage,” said Buckley. “She took three shots in the scrimmage and that’s unacceptable. She’s got to be a kid that scores, and she really took that challenge and I thought she played very well tonight for us. She definitely is a kid that can put up big numbers.”
Johnson made two free throws early in the fourth quarter to give Noblesville a 37-33 lead, then got another pair of foul shots to put the Millers ahead 39-38 with 4:40 left. But after that, the Wildcats took over, using their speed and offensive rebounding to go on their 15-2 run.
“We didn’t rebound in the fourth quarter, and then for whatever reason we let their zone defense just really bother our guards,” said Buckley. “We’re a little bit young at guard and inexperienced, and I thought that really showed in the fourth quarter.”
After Johnson, Kiser had her customary double-double, scoring 16 points and pulling 15 rebounds. Kiser also had two blocked shots.
“Our older kids did a nice job and our young kids did some good things as well,” said Buckley.
The Millers play their first home game of the season on Saturday, hosting Fort Wayne Snider. Tipoff is 6:30 p.m.
ABOVE: Mallory Johnson (3) led all Noblesville scorers with 18 points during the Millers’ season-opening game Thursday at Lawrence North. (Kirk Green)
BELOW: Emily Kiser scored 16 points and pulled 15 rebounds.
More game images are available at the following website:
https://capturephotographybydkirk.smugmug.com/Noblesville-at-LN-G-V-BB/
