(ABOVE LEFT) Carmel’s Taylee Fisher scored 11 points for the Greyhounds in their win over Noblesville on Tuesday. (ABOVE RIGHT) Noblesville’s Maia Blower scored 10 points.
By RICHIE HALL
NOBLESVILLE – The Carmel girls basketball team won an entertaining and competitive game over county rival Noblesville 49-46 Tuesday on Bill Shepherd Court at the Eric Clark Activity Center.
The Greyhounds were in control for most of the first half, cruising to 17-9 lead after the first quarter. Bella Ramsey scored nine points in that period.
Carmel kept going in the second quarter, holding its largest lead at 24-9 midway through the period. Ramsey began the second with a 3-pointer, then Maddy Wallace and Taylee Fisher both made layins.
The Millers began to come back after that, closing out the quarter on a 13-3 run and cutting the Greyhounds’ lead to 27-22 by halftime. The major part of that run was an 11-0 spurt that included five points from Norah Vetor, and she made two free throws with 34.3 seconds left to finish the half.
Maia Blower kept the run going to start the third quarter, nailing back-to-back triples to give Noblesville its only lead of the night at 28-27. Ramsey then scored five straight points to push Carmel ahead 32-28.
“We talked at halftime,” said Hounds coach Jess Darmelio. “We’re like, ‘Look, the pressure is coming. We have to settle and not get so frantic and use our teammates, move up without the ball and really keep trying to get towards that rim.’”
Baskets by Blower and C.C. Quigley tied the game at 32-32. But Carmel finished the third quarter on a 7-1 run and never trailed again. Fisher started things with two free throws, Wallace made a jumper, then Fisher grabbed a steal and scored while being fouled, making the free throw for the and-1.
While the Greyhounds stayed in front for the entire fourth quarter, Noblesville kept things close. Ally Hutchinson scored the Millers’ first eight points, then hit a 3 with just over a minute left to keep her team within 48-46. But Carmel held on for the win; Ramsey got the last point with a free throw at the 3.9-second mark.
Ramsey scored 21 points to lead the Greyhounds, followed by Wallace with 13 and Fisher with 11. Natalie Whelan-Edwards led the rebounds with six, while Wallace dished out four assists.
Hutchinson scored 13 points, with Blower adding 10 points and four assists. Quigley collected six rebounds.
“I definitely loved our fight and I thought our kids in that second half definitely played their butts off,” said Noblesville coach Donna Buckley.
Carmel is 6-1 and plays next Tuesday at Lawrence North. The Millers are 3-2 and host Mt. Vernon Saturday.
