By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
NOBLESVILLE – Tuesday night’s girls basketball game at Guerin Catholic was the Golden Eagles’ toughest yet. Facing one of the top scorers in not only the state, but the country in senior Laniah Wills, the Golden Eagles showed toughness and grit.
Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be enough as Guerin Catholic fell to Class 2A No. 3 Lapel, 67-51.
Wills, a Butler University commit, grabbed a 2-0 lead for the visiting Bulldogs. Ella Horvath tied it 2-2 on an up-and-under from a Dana Dues pass. After that, Lapel went on a 14-3 run to end the first quarter to lead 16-5.
“They play well together,” Guerin Catholic head coach Danielle Cardinal said. “They all play a great role and complement her. She’s a great player. If they’re not in the 2A state finals, I’ll be shocked.”
Lapel’s lead stayed in the double-digit range throughout the second and the Bulldogs held onto a 36-23 lead at halftime.
The Golden Eagles started off well in the third on a 6-2 stint, thanks to three-pointers from Cecilia Titus and Lauren Keller that cut the deficit under 10 to 38-29, but that’s the closest that Guerin got the rest of the way.
Lapel used its experienced lineup going up against the youth of Guerin, but the Golden Eagles didn’t back down.
“They’ve got good basketball players who play their role exactly how they’re supposed to,” said Cardinal. “He (Zach Newby) is a really good coach, too, so that helps.”
Newby is 129-56 in his eighth season at Lapel. He has two sectional and two regional titles and guided the Bulldogs to a 2A runner-up finish three seasons ago in 2023, losing to Forest Park (38-37).
Wills and sophomore Serenity Conyers shared the scoring to keep Guerin at a distance. Lapel’s lead stayed at around 14-16 points and wound up with a 67-51 win.
“We played hard. They didn’t quit. And, we started to find what worked and they stuck with it,” Cardinal added.
The biggest deciding factor in the outcome was at the free throw line. Guerin Catholic struggled, making just 8-of-22, which could’ve made a big difference. Lapel converted on 14-for-16 at the line. Make even half to three-fourths of those misses and it could have been a completely different result.
Laniah Wills showed why she is both an Indiana all-state and all-star candidate. She was able to score at will, but the Golden Eagle defense didn’t make it easy.
“We’re young and we’re learning, which is super positive,” Cardinal said. “If you can get kids to buy into their role and not worry about ‘me’ but worry about ‘we,’ it makes the biggest difference.”
Unselfish play by this young group will get them far. Numerous factors like that will pay dividends for Cardinal’s young squad.
“Those things that I just talked about will get us where we want to be in February, more so than getting a W today,” Cardinal said.
Willis finished with a game-high 29. She’s the 10th-ranked scorer nationally at 28.2 per game and is also 19th in rebounding with 13.1.
Serenity Conyers (16) and Sophie Goodwin (10) joined Wills in double figures.
Lapel (8-0) hosts Connersville Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.
Caroline Ford and Lauren Keller both scored nine to pace the Golden Eagles. Delanie Cardinal (seven), Dues and Cecila Titus (six each) and Emersyn French (five) spread out the Guerin scoring.
Guerin Catholic (3-2) dropped its second game in a row. There is no rest for Cardinal’s team as tonight, the Golden Eagles play at 6 p.m. at Cardinal Ritter in a girls/boys doubleheader.
