by

Rich Torres

Hamilton County Reporter

When the calendar flipped two weeks ago, so did the mentality for the
Carmel girls basketball team.

Stuck at 6-8 prior to the new year with eight games left on the regular-season
schedule, the Greyhounds’ resolution for 2019 was momentum, and so far they’re
right on track.

Winners of three straight, Carmel pushed its streak to four in row on Tuesday
night, defeating potential Class 4A Sectional 8 foe Fishers 68-41 to claim its fourth
victory in five games.

“It’s amazing what we’ve done this year, coming from a really good team last year,
and everyone doubting us and saying that Carmel wasn’t going to be as good without certain seniors that graduated,” Greyhounds senior Reagan Hune said. “I think we really bought into our roles and have really stepped up. Now, we’re just excited to finish the season out.”

The defending sectional champion Greyhounds (10-9) are upping the ante with the
state tournament two weeks away and the postseason draw this Sunday, and it starts with defense.

Up 8-0 to start against Fishers (11-9) before the visiting Tigers tied the game
11-11 by the end of the first quarter, Carmel applied the pressure to open the second quarter, leading to a decisive 18-0 run.
“When we faced them in previous years just like tonight, we focused on jumping on
them early and making a statement,” Hune said. “We just have to keep the ball rolling heading into the sectional season.”

Hune was one of three double-digit scorers for Carmel, which shot 50 percent
from the field and erupted for a 23-point second quarter and another 22 points in the fourth.

Sophomore Bridget Dunn had 13 points with three rebounds, and Hune posted 12
points with two steals and three rebounds. However, it was freshman Kate Clarke, who stands 6-0, that provided the spark.

A former starter that has cemented herself as the Greyhounds’ first reserve off the bench, Clarke contributed immediately, scoring seven points in the first 1:28 of the
second quarter en route to a game-high 14 points.

“Any more the sixth man is very underappreciated and not understood, and Katie
has come out from the bench and has really done a lot of good things for us. It’s not easy to be pulled from the starting lineup and understanding the reasoning for it and what we’re looking for,” Carmel coach Erin Trimpe said. “She came out tonight and really put on a show. We love seeing that from her.”

Clarke shot 6-of-11 from the field and hauled in six rebounds to go with three
assists. She buried a 3-pointer to kickoff the Greyhounds’ key run. Her second longrange dagger put Carmel ahead 27-11 as Fishers went scoreless the first five minutes of the second quarter.

Lydia Stullken ended the Tigers’ drought with a bucket at the 3:00 mark and
cut the Greyhounds’ lead 31-17 with three straight conversions in the paint. Stullken paced Fishers with a team-high 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Tamia Perryman had 11 points and five rebounds for Fishers, while Carmel’s
defense disrupted Tigers’ leading scorer Katie Burton, who entered averaging 12.6
points per game. Burton finished with seven points on 3-of-6 shooting.

“We knew she was a phenomenal player that not only creates for herself but for her
teammates. She does such a great job at that, so we really worked at practice the past few days on how to deny her the ball,” Trimpe said. “We kind of did it by committee.”

The Greyhounds’ defense kept the Tigers’ under 35 percent from the field and
forced nearly 20 turnovers.

A 10-3 run in the third quarter increased Carmel’s lead to 20 points. The margin
reached 27 points after a Lauren Gartenhaus 3-pointer late in the fourth.

“We let them fight back in the first quarter, which we talked about in pregame;
those runs are going to happen, and we withstood it,” Trimpe said. “We came out in that second quarter, and that was a very impressive effort by all of our girls. We
went deep into our bench tonight and asked a lot of our girls, especially on the defensive end.”

The result opened the passing lanes on offense with 14 assists overall. Sophie Bair
had six assists and three steals. Hune and Macy Berglund both has two steals. Mackenzie Wood added nine points and nine rebounds.

“We have really started to stress how that defensive end can turn into the offensive game we want to play,” Trimpe said.

“And it got us some really good transition opportunities.”
Fishers travels to Avon on Saturday, followed by consecutive home games next
week against 4A No. 10 Lawrence North and Franklin Central.

Carmel hosts 4A Pike on Friday night in a Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference
matchup before ending the regular-season on the road at Cathedral on Monday and at league rival Ben Davis on Jan. 25.

“We’re at a place that I love, and I told them, once we got through winter break
when we looked at our schedule and broke things down, how important it was going to be to roll into sectional with a couple of wins under our belt,” Trimpe said. “It’s been fun to see them buy into that and take that momentum.”

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern had a successful Senior Night, as the Class 4A No. 1 Royals
honored their five seniors, then beat 4A No. 10 Lawrence North 56-45.

Southeastern led 15-12 after the first quarter, then pulled away in the second
period for a 34-22 halftime lead. Jackie Maulucci hit two 3-pointers in the first
quarter, then senior Malea Jackson and junior Sydney Parrish each made two 3s in
the second.

Parrish had eight points in the second quarter, then added eight more in the third,
on her way to 24 points and four 3-pointers.

Jackson totaled three 3s for the game (she made one in the first quarter) and scored 10 points.

Senior Amaya Hamilton scored nine points. Hamilton said that even with it being
the Senior Night game, the Royals were playing for the team and as a family, just as
they do every game night.

Parrish pulled 10 rebounds for a doubledouble, while Hamilton had six rebounds
and four assists. Maulucci also handed out four assists. Royals coach Chris Huppenthal called the game overall a solid team effort, and was pleased with the ball movement in the first half.

Southeastern is 19-1 for the season and will play at Zionsville Friday night as part
of a Hoosier Crossroads Conference girls-boys doubleheader

The Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety enacted legal steps toward converting the Nickel Plate Rail Line into a trail.  The actions Monday came in three arts….first, a resolution declaring the city’s intentions under the National Trails System Act (view the resolution at this link) and an agreement under the National Trails System Act (available at this link). The second resolution declares the rail property as surplus  (see it at this link).

In other actions:

–The board approved three contracts for legal services.  Jennifer Messer will continue to handle economic development matters as well as provide general legal counsel to the city.  The law firm of Barnes & Thornburg will provide services on bond matters, and the Krieg Devault firm will serve the city on the legal side of  Planning & Zoning matters.

Messer will be paid a retainer of $20,000 a month, and will file monthly reports as in the past, with the following provision as part of the contract:

“Although the City will pay only the Retainer, consistent with past practice, Messer Law will continue to submit monthly invoices for services so that the City may track the services performed on its behalf. Further, if Messer Law’s semi-annual (January 1st to June 31st; or July 1st – December 31st) billings reflect an average, billable rate for the time period above One Hundred Eighty-Five and no/100 Dollars, the City may seek repayment of any amounts paid in excess of an average billable rate of One Hundred Eighty-Five and no/100 Dollars ($185.00), per hour. ”

–The city is contracting once again with the Hamilton County Humane Society to provide animal control services in 2019.

–Approval was given for dredging services in the area of the planned Geist City Park, to be provided by Citizens Energy.  The first phase cost of $100,000 will come from the bond funding the new park.

–Two change orders were approved for the Allisonville Road widening project from 126th Street to 131st Street.

–The city entered into a 3-year contract with the Kleenit Group to provide office cleaning services.  The cost was increased due to the increase in cleaning space added, including the new Police Headquarter, Pavilion, Parks and Recreation Basement, Waste Water Treatment Plant, Sewer Offices, Switch Garage, and the new Department of Public Works Operations Building.  Starting in 2019, the city will see a yearly increase in cost for office cleaning services of $212,016, taking the city’s original not to exceed contract with Kleenit Group, Inc. Starting in 2019, we will have a yearly increase in cost for these services of $212,016, taking our original not to exceed contract with Kleenit Group, Inc. from $334,115.00 to $514,131.00.  The additional cost was factored into the 2019 city budget.

Hamilton County Reporter

The Hamilton County Highway Department has a shortage of snow plow drivers this year.

With the county receiving nearly eight inches of snow this past weekend, it was all hands on deck, including Hamilton County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt (left) and County Councilman Steve Schwartz (right). Schwartz and Heirbrandt volunteered their time to help clear county roads.

If you have an interest in working as a snow plow driver, contact the Hamilton County Highway Department at 317-773-7770 or apply in person at 1700 S. 10th St., Noblesville.

There were two more filings for Fishers city offices today, both incumbents for city council district office and both were Republicans.

John Weingardt, currently occupying the city council seat for the South Central District, has officially filled his paperwork to run for another term.  Pete Peterson, who serves on the Southeast District Council seat, also turned in his paperwork to run for another term.

Weingardt and Peterson both have served stints as city council president.

Here are all the filings for Fishers city offices as of the close of business Monday, January 14th:

Fishers City Clerk (vote for 1)
Jackie Bowen (Republican) (1-9-19)
Jennifer L. Kehl (Republican) (1-11-19)

Fishers City Judge (vote for 1)
Daniel E. Henke (Republican) (1-10-19)

Fishers City Council, North Central (vote for 1)
Eric Moeller (Republican) (1-9-19)

Fishers City Council, Northeast (vote for 1)
Brad DeReamer (Republican) (1-9-19)

Fishers City Council, Northwest (vote for 1)
Mike Colby (Republican) (1-9-19)

Fishers City Council, Southwest (vote for 1)
David C. George (Republican) (1-9-19)

Fishers City Council, Southeast (vote for 1)
Pete Peterson (Republican) (1-14-19)

Fishers City Council, South Central (vote for 1)
John W. Weingardt (Republican) (1-14-19)

Fishers City Council, At Large (vote for 3)
Cecilia Coble (Republican) (1-9-19)
Todd Zimmerman (Republican) (1-9-19)

The next Fishers City Citizens Academy is set for this spring, and you can be a part of it.  The class gives local citizens a look at how local city government works.

The ten-week program goes February 13 and lasts through April 16.  The program allows residents to connect with city leaders, earn a greater understanding of day-to-day operations, and get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at Fishers’ unique facilities and departments, including stormwater, the fire and police departments, parks, and more.

If interested, do not delay.  The registration deadline is February 7th.

The schedule is available at this link.

In order to register, use this link.

Special accommodations, such as ASL interpreters, can be arranged for this program. Please contact Dan Domsic by email or phone at (317) 595-3151 at least two business days prior to the first meeting regarding requests for special accommodations

As 2019 began, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness sat down with me at City Hall to record a podcast interview, looking back on 2018 and looking forward to 2019.  In the latter part of the past year, there were many developments announced.

One was the $157 million project to be undertaken by Browning Investments, including developments on the south side of 116th Street and on the north side just west of City Hall.   The south side project will include a new headquarters building for First Internet Bank.  A new hotel will also be a part of the plans.

Then there was the announcement of a new $14 million Hub & Spoke building on 106th Street near the planned Nickel Plate Trail.  It will house several private firms and provide badly-needed training facilities for those pursuing a career in the building trades.  I talked with the two people spearheading Hub & Spoke, David Decker and Travis Tucker, in a podcast you can hear at this link.

A couple of new office buildings are coming to the Municipal Complex, including one already under construction near the library.

So, I asked the mayor what Fishers residents can expect in the way of new developments in 2019?  His answer was interesting,

Fadness expects his focus to be on creating jobs in the city in the coming year.

“You have to build the physical environment, and I think we have enough in the pipeline that will really change the trajectory of our city for the good,” the mayor said, “but now it’s really getting back to the blocking and tackling of recruiting companies, bringing more jobs to our city.”

Fadness points to vacant spaces around the city that could attract employers.  The old Roche building, once a bank call center, visible from Interstate 69, is ripe for job creation, according to the mayor.  He also believes the I-69 corridor will be ready for growth once The Yard is constructed.

The mayor did throw in one cautionary note….he has been proven wrong in the past when predicting real estate growth will stabilize in Fishers, but as he sees it now, his focus is on growing jobs.

The mayor also talked about the issues facing the commercial area of the city at 116th Street and Allisonville Road.  The city had a plan based on Kroger’s original announcement to build a new store in the area, replacing the current one.

Now that Kroger says it will remodel the current grocery and not build the new facility, the city is back to the drawing board.  Fadness says the city is working constantly on developing that area of the city, but timing is everything in allowing such developments to happen.

You can listen to my podcast interview with Scott Fadness earlier this month at this link

by

Richie Hall

Sports Editor

Hamilton County Reporter

After a tough first half, Hamilton Southeastern broke away from Westfield in the third quarter and rode the momentum to a 67-56 victory Friday night in the second game of a Hoosier Crossroads Conference girl-boy doubleheader.

The Shamrocks scored the first basket of the game, a 3-pointer by freshman Braden
Smith. The Royals’ first points came from a putback by sophomore Vinny Buccilla, and that set the tone for the game, as both young stars would lead their respective teams.

Noah Smith give HSE a 5-3 lead on a 3-pointer, after which Westfield went on an
8-0 run. Zach Banks scored four points during that time. The Royals cut the lead to
11-10 by the end of the quarter, including a 3 from Aaron Etherington, who was returning after missing some game with an ankle injury.

Smith got Southeastern ahead 15-13 early in the second period with five quick
points, including a 3. Landon Morris scored six points in the later minutes of the quarter; his basket after an offensive rebounds put the Royals up 23-19. Banks made two free throws with seven second left in the half to keep Westfield within 23-21 at halftime.

HSE coach Brian Satterfield said the team tried to pick up its energy level during
halftime, and did just that.

“At the defensive end, I thought we were more active and got our hands on some
things,” said Satterfield. “And then when that happened, that allowed us to get out and go in transition. And we definitely were more efficient offensively.”
Southeastern began to roll in the third quarter, with Buccilla leading the charge. He
threw in five 3-pointers in that period, which ended with the Royals ahead 49-33.

“He did a nice job,” said Satterfield. “He just keeps growing. He didn’t get his shot to
quite fall in the first half, but he really stepped up and hit some big shots for us. The
thing is, once he hit them, guys were looking for him and got him the basketball there when he was on that run.”

The momentum from the third quarter helped carry Southeastern through the fourth quarter, even as the Shamrocks made one last big push by finishing the game on an 11-0 run. Smith made five 3-pointers in that quarter, he would lead all scorers with 22 points and total six 3-pointers.

Buccilla led the Royals with 17 points, while Smith earned a double-double of 11
points and 10 assists. Smith also played well on defense with four steals.

“That second half, he was that motor that made us go,” said Satterfield. “He didn’t
have to score as much, and he kept finding guys that could hit the open shot for us. He was our leading scorer at halftime, but then in the second half, he became our distributor and that’s what you got to love about him. He comes out and he does what we need to try and win ball games.”

Chris Grubbs led the Southeastern rebounding with six, with Smith grabbing
five. The Royals had eight blocked shots as a team, with Mabor Majak making four
blocks and Morris getting three.

After Braden Smith’s 22, Banks and Welch each scored 16 points. Welch hit four
3-pointers and had five rebounds. Benji Welch handed out five assists.

“We just allowed them too many easy baskets in the lane,” said Westfield coach
Shane Sumpter. “That was our whole deal is that we just can’t let them transition
baskets. We can’t turn the ball over leading to transition baskets. And I thought that first three minutes of the second half was really the basketball game. All of those things happened. We had some turnovers, we had some quick shots that led to their transition baskets and then they got a lot of stuff in the
lane.”

Still, Sumpter thought his team did “a lot of good things” during the game.
“I thought we got off to a good start,” said Sumpter. “I thought our first half went
as planned. Missed a couple shots and really felt like we could’ve been up a couple
buckets at the half.”

Southeastern is 2-1 in the conference and 9-4 overall, while the ‘Rocks are 1-2 in the
HCC and 6-4 overall. Both teams are scheduled to play games tonight – the Royals
would travel to Anderson (that game has now been postponed due to weather & is rescheduled for February 12th at Anderson) while Westfield would host Lafayette Jefferson.

by

Richie Hall

Sports Editor

Hamilton County Reporter

If there’s anything a veteran-heavy basketball team knows how to do, it’s
how to stay calm when things get a little tough.

Hamilton Southeastern’s girls team has plenty of veterans, with four seniors who
have been playing since freshmen. They don’t panic in close situations, which is what the Royals were in after the first quarter with Westfield Friday night.

After playing to a 12-12 first quarter tie with the Shamrocks, Southeastern got going
in the second quarter, and that momentum carried the Class 4A No. 1 Royals to a 56-30 Hoosier Crossroads Conference victory.

Southeastern is now 6-0 in HCC play and 18-1 overall.

“I’m enjoying this team, how they work together,” said HSE coach Chris Huppenthal. “Everything they’ve done together. For our seniors, it’s been a four-year process. For everybody else that’s come on, they’ve worked their way into the process, and I’m happy for everything that they’ve been able to accomplish up to this point. But they also, and we also know, that there’s a lot more out there that we want to accomplish.”

“Hupp definitely calls us the veteran team, since we’ve all really been playing
since our freshman year,” said Tayah Irvin, one of those veteran seniors. “And I think
that helps, because then we all know what we’re going to expect from teams. We’ve all learned how to come together when we have to face adversity and everything, so it definitely helps.”

The Royals were getting challenged by a young-leaning Westfield team, which
includes freshman Alyssa Crockett. The 6-foot-1 guard scored five points in the first
quarter, including a 3-pointer, while 6-foot sophomore Gigi Eldredge also adding five points.

Southeastern, meanwhile, got four points from Irvin, and 3s from senior Malea
Jackson and junior Jackie Maulucci also helped out. The Royals then took over in the second quarter, outscoring the ‘Rocks 16-2 for a 28-14 halftime lead.

Senior Amaya Hamilton poured in seven points, including a 3, while junior Sydney
Parrish added four points. Parrish, HSE’s leading scorer, was held without a point in
the first period, but she would get going in the second half.

“What was nice for us early on was we were able to build a lead at halftime and she
really, scoring-wise, wasn’t a big part of that,” said Huppenthal. “And I think that
shows that we have a lot of different components that can score for us.”

Meanwhile, Southeastern’s defense only allowed Westfield one basket, a two-pointer from senior Jade Shipley.

“As a kid, I’ve always wanted to play defense to stand out to coaches and  everything,” said Irvin. “So it’s definitely become a part of me as an athlete, so I feel like my defensive ability is what gives energy to the team, and makes us able to be as successful, because my energy on defense feeds to Syd’s energy on offense, and Malea’s energy on offense. Just energy throughout the whole team.”

The Royals comfortably cruised through the second half, outscoring Westfield in both quarters. In the third period, Jackson hit another 3-pointer, while Hamilton and Parrish scored on back-to-back layins late to put HSE ahead 39-20.

Jackson threw in her third 3 of the game to begin the fourth quarter. Parrish also got hot in the fourth, scoring 11 points to finish with a game-high 21.

“Syd’s going to get going at some point,” said Huppenthal. “It’s just a matter of time. Her first half, scoring-wise, wasn’t one of her best first halves, but second half, she got going and just played like Syd.”

Jackson and Hamilton both scored 11 points, while Maulucci made two 3-pointers.
Parrish also grabbed seven rebounds, with sophomore Lydia Self collecting six and
Hamilton getting five. Self also handed out six assists.

“That’s a really, really good ball club,” said Westfield coach Ginny Smith. “They’re
really, really well-coached. They get after you. They’re not afraid to make an extra pass on offense. They’re not afraid to get on the floor for a loose ball. And those kind of things show in a game like that.”

Eldredge led Westfield with eight points and six rebounds, while Crockett scored six
points.
“I think Gigi, though she didn’t score a lot in there, she demanded the basketball,”
said Smith. “She had to be guarded, and that opened things up a little bit for our guards. I’m proud of Gigi’s effort and what she did. Alyssa, she continued to fight and she continued to batte out there. And I think all in all, I don’t know what her stat line looks like, but I know what I watched, and that kid played with a lot of heart and a lot of effort today. I’m more proud of that than I am of stat lines. I think our young kids, they gave us everything they had.”

The Royals will host Lawrence North on Tuesday. Westfield is now 3-3 in the conference and 15-5 overall, and will play its conference finale next Friday against
Brownsburg at The Rock.

Hamilton County Reporter

Fishers dropped a 45-36 Hoosier Crossroads Conference game at Brownsburg
on Friday, the first HCC loss of the year for the Tigers.

The Bulldogs led 9-4 after the first quarter and 17-14 at halftime. The Tigers
came back to tie the game at 25-25 after three periods, thanks to two 3-pointers by
Alex Szilagyi, and another 3 by Josiah Matthews. But Brownsburg outscored Fishers 20-11 in the fourth.

Jeff Simmons led the Tigers with 12 points, while Szilagyi threw in three 3s for
nine points.

Fishers is 2-1 in the HCC and 10-5 overall. The Tigers host Avon next Friday
in another conference contest.