Noblesville’s Anna Kiser guards HSE’s Molly Walton. (Photo by Kent Graham)
by
Richie Hall
Sports Editor
Hamilton County Reporter
In its 10th game of the season, the Hamilton Southeastern girls
basketball team reached the 10-win mark.
The Class 4A No. 4 Royals kept their undefeated campaign going Wednesday
night with a 65-31 Hoosier Crossroads Conference win over Noblesville at The
Mill. Southeastern had to battle in the first half, but began to get going in the second half, cruising through and solidifying its place atop the HCC standings at 3-0.
The Millers had an early 9-5 lead on the Royals in the first quarter, with senior
Maddie Knight scoring all nine of those Noblesville points, and Amaya Hamilton
scoring all five of HSE’s points. Southeastern started to roll in the later
minutes of the first, finishing the period on a 9-0 run. Jackie Maulucci and Bailee Poore each 3-pointers.
The Royals began to slowly edge ahead in the second quarter, extending their lead
to 25-14 by halftime. Maulucci drained another 3, while Hamilton added another
three points (free throw and putback).
Maulucci kept shooting hot to begin the third quarter, nailing two quick 3-pointers
to put HSE ahead 31-14 and force the Millers to call a timeout. Then, everybody
started to get hot: Malea Jackson hit two 3s, and Tayah Irvin drained one.
Maulucci’s layin gave the Royals a 46-23 lead; Southeastern scored 21 points in the third and never allowed Noblesville more than nine in any quarter.
“In the second half, we talked to the kids about what we should do, how to attack it
and everything,” said Royals coach Chris Huppenthal. “We just settled down.”
“Beyond that, defensively, I wasn’t happy with how we played at all,” said
Huppenthal. “I think they did a great job back-cutting us, being patient in their
offense, and we did not defensively guard the ball in front of us very well. And again, we didn’t handle their back-cuts very well.”
The Millers held HSE’s Sydney Parrish to four points in the first three quarters, but
she got going in the fourth period by scoring 13 points. That gave Parrish 17 points, tying her with Maulucci for Southeastern high-scoring honors. Maulucci had five 3-
pointers.
“Jackie can hit shots,” said Huppenthal. “They left her open, they were going to
allow her to shoot it. She can do that.”
Hamilton scored 13 points, corralled nine rebounds and dished out five assists,
while Parrish pulled eight rebounds.
Knight continued to play well for the Millers throughout the game. She hit her
second 3 of the contest in the fourth quarter, and wound up leading all scorers with 20 points. Knight also grabbed six rebounds, while Anna Kiser had five.
Noblesville coach Donna Buckley thought her team played “pretty well,”
noting that her team missed shots in the first half.
“I think we were 4-of-19 from the floor, and if we make a few shots in the first half
and it’s a one- or two-possession game instead of 11 points, it could’ve been
interesting in the second half,” said Buckley.
“Obviously they’re very talented with four, maybe five D-I kids. I thought we did a great job. Parrish had four points going into the fourth quarter and we made other kids make plays.”
Southeastern will travel to Dixie Heights, Ky. for the Hoops for Harvest
Tournament on Saturday. The Royals will play Ryle (Ky.) at 4 p.m. The Millers, now
3-6 and 0-3 in the HCC, are off until Dec. 7 when they play at Fishers.
County Commissioners and County Council members are scheduled to meet in joint session on Dec. 5 in what Commissioner Steve Dillinger calls an updating of projects and issues underway or to be considered in the coming year.
Commissioners say they want to give the council information in hopes of creating a more harmonious relationship with the council, which controls the county purse strings. That relationship has been strained from time to time during the past year, mostly over funding of commissioner-proposed projects.
Expected to be discussed is the planned expansion of the Government and Judicial Center, progress on county jail expansion and possibly the allocation of county funds to community service agencies.
Other topics might include the major upgrading of State Road 37, the planned Pleasant Street bridge over White River and a proposed public safety training center, a subject that has also been debated between council and commissioners.
Next year the membership of the council will be altered slightly with the seating of Ken Alexander who replaces retiring councilman Paul Ayers. Whether this change results in a different outcome for some of the commissioners’ proposals remains uncertain.
The joint meeting is not billed as a decision-making session, but could go a long way toward better relations between the two county elective bodies which would be most helpful in the new year as the county faces continued explosive growth and development.
Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools Superintendent Allen Bourff told school board members Wednesday night that his “preferred” grades K-8 redistricting plan is the recommendation he is making to the board and he will not change that recommended map. It is now up to the HSE School Board to decide what to do about drawing new district lines for the HSE Schools, because the board has the final say.
I was unable to attend the Wednesday session, but spoke to people in attendance. There were 25 people that addressed the board, with all but one critical of the “preferred” redistricting plan.
Some parents pointed to the emphasis the school corporation has put on mental health, arguing their child will have mental health issues as a result of the change in schools. The distance between home and the new school, compared to the school their child is now attending, will increase, many parents asserted.
Of the 25 addressing the school board on redistricting, one complimented school officials for coming up with this map.
The major question is where the board goes from here after listening to all these comments. Since Dr. Bourff has said this is his final recommendation, it is now up to the board to come up with any changes, if there are changes.
There was a proposal made to hold a board work session at 6:30am Thursday, December 6th, but Board President Matt Burke says there is no guarantee that meeting will be held. It appears this is the only opportunity board members will have to change the redistricting “preferred” plan before a final decision is made a the December 12th regular school board session.
Burke says it is important that the community know before the December 12th meeting about any changes the board may be contemplating.
The bottom line is this: There will be a vote on redistricting December 12th, and it will take at least four school board votes to enact any grades K-8 redistricting plan.
To view the interactive map illustrating the “preferred” redistricting plan recommended by Superintendent Bourff, use this link.
The big 2018 election may be over, but Hamilton County Republicans and Democrats have not gone into hibernation for the winter. Both parties are planning events tonight (Wednesday) and on Dec. 8.
County Young Republicans will rally at 5:30 tonight at Donatello’s restaurant in Carmel. The open house includes a toy drive to benefit the Villages of Indiana, an adoption agency that also cares for children in foster care.
Then, on Dec. 8, the Hamilton County Federated Republican Women will hold its holiday party at Matteo’s, 40 N. 9th St., Noblesville, beginning at 11:30 a.m. Reservations are required for lunch.
County Democrats will gather tonight at Scotty’s Brewhouse, 14741 Hazel Dell Crossing, for a thank you party for all who aided the party in the recent election. Candidates will be recognized. There will be a discussion on planning for future elections.
The next election, now less than six months away, will be the municipal primary in all Indiana cities and towns.
GOP candidates for mayor of Noblesville have gotten a jump-start on the city election. Three have announced their intentions including Julie Kozicki, Chris Jensen and Mike Corbett. Incumbent mayor John Ditslear is not running for re-election, and a spirited contest for the city’s executive position seems certain.
The county’s other mayors: Andy Cook of Westfield, Scott Fadness in Fishers and Jim Brainard, Carmel, are running again, and to date have no announced opposition. City and town council members, municipal clerks and judges will also be elected next year.
All current city officials are Republicans. Democrats can be expected to run in some of the municipal elections, but usually find it a tough assignment. The last Democrat elected mayor was Robert Wical, winning the Noblesville mayor’s office 44 years ago.
A balanced scoring effort gave the Fishers boys basketball team its first win of the season on Tuesday.
The Tigers beat Muncie Central 84-61 at the Tiger Den.
Fishers got off to a great start, leading 23-11 after the first quarter.
The Tigers led 42-29 at halftime, but the Bearcats cut into that advantage slightly
after three periods, 52-44.
But the Tigers took care of business in the fourth quarter, scoring 32 points. Five
players reached double figures: Willie Jackson scored 15 points, Josiah Matthews
and Alex Szilagyi both added 12, and Luke Hernandez and Terry Hicks both scored 10.
Szilagyi and Hernandez each made two 3-pointers.
Fishers is now 1-2 for the season and will play at Noblesville on Friday. The game
will be the first Hoosier Crossroads Conference match-up for both teams.
Hamilton Southeastern picked up a big win on the road Tuesday, beating Pike 74-66.
The Red Devils led 16-13 after the first quarter, but the Royals came roaring back
in the second, taking a 39-27 lead by halftime. Pike stormed back with a 25-point
third period, taking a 52-47 lead after three quarters. But Southeastern rallied in the
middle of the fourth to pull out the victory.
Noah Smith scored 22 points to lead the Royals, also contributing seven rebounds,
four assists and four steals. Aaron Etherington added 21 points, including a
pair of 3-pointers, and collected five rebounds. Chris Grubbs reached doubledouble
status with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Kole Hornbuckle had five
rebounds and two blocked shots, with Mabor Majak also making two blocks.
Southeastern is 2-0 and hosts Avon on Friday to open Hoosier Crossroads
Conference play.
Delv Design will handle the architectural work for the two Fishers Fire Stations set to be demolished and rebuilt. Meyer Najem will serve as the construction manager for the Fishers Fire Headquarters next to City Hall, which is one of the two structures set to be constructed from scratch.
The Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety approved a total of $925,985 for this work, plus a 3% fee to Meyer Najem for the construction manager services for the Fire Department HQ building.
The Fire headquarters firefighting staff will be housed temporarily at the Fuel Tank facility near the YMCA building, north of 126th Street. The other fire station to be rebuilt, on Allisonville Road near 106th Street and the airport, should be announcing a temporary location during the construction period soon.
Both fire stations were studied by an outside engineering firm and the recommendation was to demolish both structures and build them again from scratch.
Fire Chief Steve Orusa told the board the intent is to maintain the same general outside design as other fire stations in the city.
In other board actions from its Monday meeting:
–The city continues to update speed limits in city subdivisions. The board approved several speed limit changes in a number of neighborhoods in the general northeastern portion of the city. For a full listing of the areas impacted, use this link.
–An upgrade to the fleet power system requested by the Department of Public Works received board approval.
–The fire station on 104th Street will receive a dedicated outdoor air system to improve the quality of the air within the fire station.
–The board voted to allow a portion of the $8.5 million from the funds for road construction on 96th Street, in the area of Lantern and Cumberland Road, to be used for tree clearing along that roadway between now and April 1st, in preparation for a road widening project that is scheduled to begin in 2019.
This is the “preferred” redistricting plan from the HSE Administration
After months of work, data-crunching, community meetings and internal discussions, Hamilton Southeastern School administrators have released what they describe as their “preferred” redistricting plan. This is the K-8 school boundary map that will be submitted to the school board as the recommended plan, to be presented to the board Wednesday night by Superintendent Allen Bourff.
New redistricting maps will take effect for the 2019-2020 school year.
The newly-drawn boundaries will move 2,265 students, including 1,208 at the elementary level and 1,057 at Intermediate/Junior High buildings. The plan will reduce the number of portable classrooms and make way for the new Southeastern Elementary, set to open in August of 2019, located at Cyntheanne Road and Southeastern Parkway.
There were some last-minute adjustments from the map presented at a school board work session held November 20th.
Some of those changes include:
–Moving areas of Sunblest Farms & Sunlake Apartments from Cumberland Road to New Britton, eliminating the need for school buses to cross State Road 37/I-69.
–The Anderson Hall neighborhood near 136th St & Promise Road moves back to
Cumberland Road from Harrison Parkway.
–This plan will grandfather students in grades 3, 5, & 7 only, but no transportation will be provided those choosing the grandfathered option.
There are a number of other changes in this “preferred” plan from other redistricting maps considered through the process.
To review the changes in more detail, you can access the posting on the HSE Schools Web site at this link.
It should be noted no redistricting plan is final until the school board votes to approve, and that is scheduled to happen December 12th.
Anyone wishing to speak at this Wednesday night’s school board meeting, slated to start at 7pm, may do so, but you must register in advance. Here are the rules on how to request 3 minutes to speak before the board:
At each Board meeting, the Board of School Trustees, will, accept comments from persons in attendance on the scheduled agenda, subject to these guidelines:
1.
A person who desires to speak to the Board, about a scheduled public agenda item, must register before the start of the meeting. A registration sheet will be available at least thirty (30) minutes prior to the start of the meeting. Registration will close five (5) minutes before the scheduled start of the meeting. Required registration information will include the name of the person(s) providing the comments, the organization represented (if any), and the agenda item to be addressed.
2.
Statements may not exceed three (3) minutes.
3.
No person may speak more than once on the same topic.
4.
Comments will be directed to the Board, not to an individual Board member.
5.
Comments may not reference specific employees, patrons, or students of the school corporation.
6.
Routine agenda items such as approval of minutes, certified and support staff, and conference reports reviewed by the Board at each meeting are not matters subject to comments by the public during the Board meeting.
7.
If the information is readily available, and is not confidential, Board members or administrators may provide answers to questions. Under most circumstances, questions will be noted and answers returned to the speaker at a later time.
8.
Statements will not be abusive or argumentative. Persons making comments will not debate statements made by other persons.
9.
The Board president will enforce these rules and may take actions necessary to maintain order at the meeting. Such actions may include, but are not limited to:
A.
Stopping the speaker if the statement is too lengthy, unduly repetitive, or otherwise violates this procedure; and
B.
Limiting the total amount of time devoted to public statements based on the number of people wishing to make statements and the length of the agenda.
The policy which is already in effect for addressing the Board on any matter will remain in effect. This means that a person may be placed on the agenda by notifying the Superintendent or Board president at least one week prior to a scheduled Board meeting.
Fishers proved it could play with the big guys – literally – on Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers took on Ben Davis and led for most of the game, before the Giants’ big
men took over in the second half and powered their way to a 76-71 win. The loss
dropped Fishers to 0-2 on the season, but coach Matt Moore said he didn’t want his
players to get caught up in records.
“We just have to continue to improve and get better,” said Moore. “And I think
defensively, we’ve seen some things that have given us trouble in these first two
games that we can address and we can make changes and improvements on.”
Ben Davis ran out to an 11-0 lead to begin the game, with the Tigers finally
getting on the board when freshman Jeffrey Simmons hit a layin with 4:31 in the first
quarter. That opened the floodgates for Fishers, who cut the Giants’ lead to 15-14
by the end of the period. Alex Szilagyi scored five points, Willie Jackson made two
baskets and Terry Hicks hit a 3-pointer.
The Tigers then jumped ahead to start the second quarter when Jackson scored off
a steal. That put Fishers ahead 16-15 and it would not trail again until the fourth quarter.
Jackson scored eight points in the second period, including a 3. Luke Hernandez came
off the bench to hit two 3s late in the quarter, and Josiah Matthews’ 3 pushed the Tigers
ahead 33-25 at halftime.
“I think Luke has found what he does for us, and in that game in particular, with his
ability to shoot it,” said Moore. “You get the right matchup, he’s just got to catch it and
let it go. And I was proud of him to come in in that opportunity and take advantage of it
and we definitely need more guys to continue to do that.”
Fishers stayed in front for the entire third quarter, despite Ben Davis starting to make
a move. Duwand Jones, a huge 6-foot-9 center, made his presence known with 13
points in the third. His back-to-back layins cut the Tigers’ lead to 46-45, then a dunk had
the Giants within 48-47. But Fishers finished the quarter with two free throws from
Jackson, and a Hernandez jumper kept the Tigers ahead 52-47 after three.
Simmons’ layin got Fishers ahead 56-49 early in the fourth. But then Ben Davis’ other
talented big man, 6-foot-5 Jalen Windham, got going. He hit a 3-pointer and a jumper
to cut Fishers’ lead to 56-54. Szilagyi and Matthews both hit 3s, and a Jackson layin
kept the Tigers up 66-62 with three and a half minutes left.
The Giants’ Jamari London made a layin to slice Fishers’ lead to 66-64, then a Kai
Steinman 3 put Ben Davis back on top.
Windham was then fouled while taking a 3-point shot, and he made all three free
throws to move the Giants ahead 70-66. Ben Davis remained in front for good, despite
one more 3-pointer from Hernandez.
Windham finished the game with 28 points, while Jones scored 26.
“The ball finds those guys when it’s time to win,” said Moore. “Credit to those guys,
they made plays down the stretch. It’s an exciting game to be part of, it’s a game that
we’ve not often been in where we’ve led a majority of the way after the slow start.
“But I was proud of guys. I thought we shot the ball well, I thought our shot
selection was good. We hit our free throws, we were 14-for-14 from the line, only had
six turnovers. So we did enough to be in position, but we just got to find those ways
to get stops down the stretch to stretch it out our way.”
Jackson scored 25 points for Fishers, with Szilagyi adding 12. Matthews and
Hernandez both scored 11 points, and each made three 3-pointers.
