By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
NEW CASTLE – With the intensity level at maximum, with a championship hanging on her shoulders, Reagan Wilson went into attack mode. Not to be denied. Not by two defenders, not by anything as she roared into scoring range and launched the final shot of an instant classic.
She got all the way to the basket, drew contact, banked home a Classic winner and collapsed under her teammates in the corner of New Castle Fieldhouse, a hero’s burial for the kid who finally threw the last shovel of dirt on a team that wouldn’t die.
Wilson’s driving 3-point play with 0.8 seconds left – and more on that critical time factor will be discussed – was the coup de grace in a phenomenal battle as Noblesville fought off Bedford North Lawrence 69-67 in a double-overtime thriller that should be saved in a time capsule and replayed for decades. It was high-level, high-drama, high-wire basketball with a sensational, if not controversial, conclusion.
The Stars, looking to avenge a recent home loss to the Millers, had just taken their last lead on Chloe Spreen’s slashing drive through traffic. The ball nestled through the net with 6.0 seconds left, giving BNL a 67-66 lead. In the following bedlam, Noblesville called a timeout at 4.8. Game officials put time back on the clock, resetting the board back to 6.0.
That proved crucial when Wilson caught the inbound pass between defenders and took off. Tick, tock, tick, tock. Yet the clock didn’t dissolve fast enough as Wilson used the extra time to her advantage, drawing a foul from Karsyn Norman as she blasted her way the full 84 feet to an amazing shot and victory.
Noblesville coach Donna Buckley, coaching the defending 4A state champions, didn’t draw up anything elaborate in the huddle. Wilson was getting the ball, and she wasn’t giving it up. No way, no how.
“The play was Reagan get the ball, see what you can do,” Wilson said with a laugh. “I didn’t want to let my team down. We worked so hard for this win. I drove it as hard as I could.”
That bucket, and the anticlimactic free throw that followed, capped her 20-point night. It also punctuated multiple Noblesville rallies from near destruction. BNL (14-3) owned a five-point edge in the fourth quarter, a six-point lead in the first overtime, and was a stop away from escaping with its third Hall of Fame Classic title in program history. The Millers (13-3) refused to die that way, displaying the heart of champions.
“Our kids are tough,” Buckley said. “We’ve had to overcome a lot of things. They fight, nothing rattles them. When you have kids like that, you have a chance. They just don’t quit.
“Reagan’s pretty freakin’ awesome. She’s just phenomenal. I told her she had six seconds, a lot of time. Keep the ball in your hands. She just made a great play. She went hard and finished strong, a great play from one of the best players in the state. Get her the ball. I just wanted her to get a full head of steam, see if she could get to the basket. She’s going to go. I knew we would get a great look.”
Now the same could be said about the Stars, who erased an eight-point deficit in the third quarter, who stormed back from a 63-58 deficit in the second overtime. Spreen, voted the tournament’s MVP, had 21 points and the clutch go-ahead basket.
“Two really good teams just going at it,” BNL coach Jeff Allen said. “That’s fun basketball. This is why you play the game, play a great team and go toe-to-toe. It was championship level.”
The fun started early. The Millers, who conquered BNL 54-44 in the Pete Pritchett Classic just eight days earlier, made BNL squirm several times. The first was their surge to an 18-12 lead in the second quarter, which BNL obliterated with an 11-2 run to close the half. Spreen’s corner trey, her steal and full-court dash for a spin in the lane, and Mallory Pride’s 8-footer in the paint highlighted that run.’
In the third, BNL missed eight of its first nine shots, fell down 35-27, and bounced back with treys from Norman and Spreen to force a 35-35 deadlock. The next 16 minutes were as tense as a state final.
BNL raced to a 47-42 advantage on Trinidy Bailey’s layup and another Spreen bomb with 3:47 left in regulation. Meredith Tippner brought Noblesville back with two huge baskets. In the first overtime, BNL galloped in front with Pride’s layup off a Norman pass, and another Pride bucket on the baseline for a 57-51 edge. But two turnovers, two missed free throws, and Wilson’s dagger trey from the key with 24 seconds left set up the second overtime.
In the first two minutes of the second extra session, the Millers took control for a 63-58 lead. Emma Brown’s bomb from the key and Norman’s floater in the lane changed that momentum. Spreen hit two free throws for a 65-63 lead with 36 seconds left. Ava Shoemaker hit one free throw, missed the next, chased down the rebound and found Wilson for a layup. That set up the final 18 seconds for the Spreen drive and the Wilson extra-time goal to win it.
Whew. Take a deep breath.
“They’re really good, just like we are,” Allen said. “We’re hard to put away, too. We just came up short. Missed a few free throws and a couple of untimely turnovers, a couple of things didn’t go our way at the end. But I’m proud of the effort. We battled, left everything out there. That’s all you can ask of your kids. In my book, it’s a win.
“That’s basketball. Take nothing away from them. We had our chances.”
Tippner paced Noblesville with 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Dani Mendez grabbed 14 boards.
In addition to Spreen, Norman totaled 18 points while Pride capped a remarkable two-game day with 17 points and 10 boards (her second double-double).
“We just had to tough it out,” Buckley said. “We made enough plays defensively to keep ourselves in the game. They got us down several times, we had to answer. We made just enough plays, and we made the last play on offense.”
All the Millers have the word ‘together’ written in ink on their arms. Perhaps that should be a permanent tattoo.
“I have so much faith in this team,” Miller said. “If anyone had any doubt in their mind, about how it would end like it did, we earned some respect.”
East Central 55, Mishawaka Marian 42 – In the consolation game, East Central senior star Josie Trabel, a Wofford recruit, broke loose for 25 points and 15 rebounds as the Trojans (12-6) pulled away in the second half. Laney Baker added 17 for East Central.
Nevaeh Foster paced the Knights (12-4) with 21 points. She also broke the school record for career points. Shayla Alexander added 12 points and Christa Porter grabbed 10 rebounds.
BNL will return to action on Jan. 3, hosting Jennings County in a key Hoosier Hills Conference clash.
BEDFORD NL STARS (67)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
2 Chloe Spreen, f 3-6 8-16 2-3 9 4 21
22 Mallory Pride, f 0-1 7-12 2-2 10 2 17
24 Madisyn Bailey, g 0-1 1-3 2-2 1 5 4
20 Emma Brown, g 1-5 2-9 0-0 1 5 4
21 Karsyn Norman, g 3-10 6-15 3-5 8 2 18
32 Trinidy Bailey 0-1 1-2 0-0 2 0 2
Totals 7-24 25-57 10-13 34 14 67
NOBLESVILLE MILLERS (69)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
23 Meredith Tippner, f 0-4 8-16 7-9 14 2 23
32 Dani Mendez, f 0-0 0-10 2-2 14 3 2
22 Reagan Wilson, g 1-4 9-16 1-1 5 3 20
3 Kaitlyn Shoemaker, g 3-5 3-7 1-2 1 5 10
11 Brooklyn Ely, g 3-5 3-5 0-0 1 1 9
13 Ava Shoemaker 1-3 2-6 0-0 2 4 5
24 Kate Rollins 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 1 0
43 C.C. Quigley 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 8-22 24-60 11-15 39 19 69
Bedford NL 9 14 12 16 7 9 – 67
Noblesville 12 8 15 16 7 11 – 69
Turnovers – BNL 14, Noblesville 15
Field goal percentage – BNL 25-57 (.439); Noblesville 24-60 (.400)
Free throw percentage – BNL 10-13 (.769); Noblesville 11-15 (.733)
EAST CENTRAL 55, MISHAWAKA MARIAN 42
East Central (12-6) – Josie Trabel 25, Addy Arnult 2, Caitlyn Dick 3, Laney Baker 17, Emily Klem 8.
Mishawaka Marian (12-4) – Shayla Alexander 12, Christa Porter 6, Nevaeh Foster 21, Aliyah Hershberger 3.
All Tournament Team
Chloe Spreen, BNL (MVP)
Mallory Pride, BNL
Reagan Wilson, Noblesville
Meredith Tippner, Noblesville
Josie Trabel, East Central
Nevaeh Foster, Mishawaka Marian
