By CRAIG ADKINS
LOGANSPORT – It was the calm that was needed for Noblesville to take care of business as they usually do. From the opening tip, there was quite the adrenaline flowing between the two highly-touted teams.
It was obvious that Crown Point would put a lot of focus on Ashlynn Shade, but it was a matter for the Millers who would be able to make things happen once Shade was defended well enough. Reagan Wilson managed to be that player (again) and that helped propel Noblesville to the semi-state crown in a 62-41 convincing victory over the defending state champion Bulldogs to win the Class 4A north semi-state.
As Reagan Wilson goes, so do the Millers
That calm for the Millers is sophomore point guard Reagan Wilson. She got the game started with a three-point bomb from a Kaitlyn Shoemaker pass that erupted the Noblesville faithful, which literally filled half of the Berry Bowl with its contingent of fans.
Wilson’s trey put the Bulldogs in a hole that they could never climb out of. She had two assists in the quarter and five in the first half as she helped control the flow of the game at both ends of the floor.
“I know my role, that’s who I am and that’s who I’m going to be every night. Good game, bad game or indifferent,” said a confident Wilson.
“I know I have to come out here and be the leader of the team and know that we are going to get done what we want to get done,” continued Wilson on her role as the point guard.
Wilson is one of those players that doesn’t have to be told what to do out there by the coaches, she just does things knowingly.
“Those are two of the best players in the state,” said Noblesville head coach Donna Buckley of Wilson and Shade.
“We’ve got a lot of kids to go with them, but those two in their class, Ashlynn’s one of the best players in the country and Reagan’s one of the best players in the state, no doubt,” continued Buckley on her two leaders in Shade and Wilson.
Reagan does a lot of the little things that don’t show. The way that she is the floor general just speaks volumes of the coaching.
“Our kids believe in defense, our 1-3-1 and box-and-1 that we ran both times against Crown Point. They didn’t question anything. They just go out and do it. We believe in what we do and you have that kind of talent, good things will come from it,” stated Buckley on her team’s defensive capabilities.
Things just continued to click on both ends of the floor for Wilson and the Millers and nothing seemed to stop them en route to the semi-state championship.
Not many teams can do this, but the Millers are a defense first team and then their offense flows. Once their defense sets the tone, it makes room for their offense to get into a groove.
“We know we have to capitalize on the defensive side and defense makes us offense,” said Wilson on the Millers’ and their defense to offense strategy.
“We capitalize in transition, so that’s what helped us win this game,” continued Wilson on what it took for the win.
Mendez has become “Danimal” with her rebounding and defensive prowess
Dani Mendez showed once again how she can help control a game with her rebounding. The junior forward came off of the bench to grab seven rebounds, six of those offensively. She also was able to dish out a couple assists and block two shots.
The Noblesville student body started chanting for Dani at different points in the game when she was rebounding or playing tenacious defense. She has now been nicknamed “Danimal.”
“I just wanted to help us win, help everyone get the ball,” said Mendez on her tough inside play that helped Noblesville fend off Crown Point.
“We couldn’t have done this without everyone, we all contributed,” continued Mendez on the total team effort.
“Just having Big B (Smitherman); both of our presence really helps,” stated Mendez on having the combo of she and Smitherman on the floor simultaneously.
Mendez is having quite the impact on her teammates and what she’s doing is helping create opportunities in different situations, which has been a big attribute to her game as the state tournament rolls on.
“Dani’s playing absolutely amazing. The physicality that she is able to bring to our team is perfect and I’m so proud of her right now and the way she is playing,” said junior Ashlynn Shade on the progression and timeliness of Mendez’s play.
“She was just so physical and when the ball came in her area, she ripped the ball out and saved extra possessions for us,” said Donna Buckley on Mendez’s play against Crown Point.
“Those were 50/50 balls and she made sure those were all ours,” continued Buckley on the aggressive play of Dani Mendez.
Her seven boards in the semi-state win on Saturday gives Mendez 32 rebounds in the Millers’ six postseason games, which definitely makes her presence known to opponents.
The No. 5 Millers (24-4) will face No. 2 Franklin Community (28-1) for the 4A state championship next Saturday at 8:15 p.m. at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Millers and Grizzly Cubs one common opponent that they both lost against. Noblesville lost at Westfield on Dec. 18, 47-42 and Franklin dropped their only game of the season to the Shamrocks, 42-40 in an overtime game at the Hall of Fame Classic.
Noblesville has not been to the State Finals since 1990 and Franklin’s last appearance was in 1998, the first season of class basketball.