Fishers cruised to a 75-54 victory over Anderson Tuesday night at the Tiger Den.
Fishers got off to a solid start, leading 20-13 after the first quarter. Jeffrey
Simmons scored seven points, while Alex Szilagyi made a pair of 3-pointers. The
Tigers then poured in 24 points in the second period to take a 44-23 lead; Willie
Jackson led the way with seven points, and Szilagyi drained two more triples. Fishers
held its halftime margin throughout the second half.
Four Tigers players landed in double figures. Simmons scored 18 points, while
Josiah Matthews and Szilagyi each scored 15. Szilagyi made another 3-pointer in the
third quarter to give him a total of five for the game. Jackson scored 13 points; he is
now Fishers’ all-time leading scorer with 910 career points.
The Tigers are 14-6 and will host Pendleton Heights on Friday.
Chris Grubbs hit a last-second jump shot for Hamilton Southeastern Tuesday night, and that sent the Royals to a 71-70 victory over New Castle at the Southeastern gym.
It was a close game throughout. The Trojans led 21-19 after the first quarter and 30-29 at halftime. New Castle then held a 50-46 lead after three quarters, but the Royals poured in 25 points in the fourth, culminating in Grubbs’ game-winner.
Aaron Etherington scored 16 points to lead the scoring; both he and Grubbs collected five rebounds, with Etherington dishing out four assists. Noah Smith added 12 points and handed out eight assists.
Grubbs and Mabor Majak each contributed 11 points.
The third annual Fishers City of Service awards ceremony is set for Tuesday, February 26th, 6pm, at the Forum Conference Center. Any volunteer is welcome to the free dinner event. You can register at this link.
I spoke with Dan Domsic and John DeLucia about this year’s event.
There is now at least one Democrat throwing her hat in the ring for a Fishers City Council seat. Local business owner and arts activist Jocelyn Vare has announced her intention to run for city council at-large.
Vare points to her extensive experience, as well as “a fresh perspective and much-needed transparency to the council.”
She has lived in Fishers for 20 years and opened her small business, an advertising firm named Propeller Marketing, in 2001. She began volunteering in and around the Fishers community in 2008 and continues that work. She has volunteered in many arts organizations and is a past president of the Fishers Arts Council.
In the news release announcing her candidacy, Vare says she “combines creativity with sound business strategy to encourage economic growth and enhance the community.” Running as a Democrat, she claims a track record of collaboration, viewing herself as “the community’s candidate.”
“The best ideas often come from residents themselves, not always politicians,” said Vare. “Our public officials have a responsibility to listen and learn before making decisions that shape the future or replace the heritage of our community. Fishers residents should be able to trust in the city leaders who represent them, and our city leaders should trust the citizens to participate in a meaningful way.”
The candidate will be hosting a series of “Ask Me Anything” events on Facebook as well as a series of community listening events in the coming weeks. A schedule for these events will be posted on Facebook in the coming days. For more information about Jocelyn, visit www.JocelynVareForFishers.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
So far, all three Republican incumbents serving as at-large city councilors have filed for re-election in the May primary.
The Rolling Knoll neighborhood of Fishers, near 116th Street and Hoosier Road, was the scene of a fatal accident Sunday night. One person was arrested in connection with the crash.
The collision took the life of Jonathon Reynolds, 24, of Indianapolis. According to information collected by Fishers Police, a Honda, driven by Gayl Adams, 66, from Indianapolis, was attempting to turn northbound onto Bell Plaine Boulevard from eastbound 116th Street at the time of the collision. Adams told police she did not see the motorcycle, driven by Reynolds, traveling westbound, and was unable to avoid the crash.
Fishers officers say they observed an odor of an alcoholic beverage. Adams submitted to a Breath Alcohol Test which indicated a blood alcohol content of .15%. Adams was taken into custody and transported to the Hamilton County Jail without incident. She faces charges of Operating A Vehicle While Intoxicated.
The accident was reported around 6:30pm. Reynolds, who was driving the motorcycle, was taken to St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, where he died from his injuries. Adams was treated for minor injuries at the scene.
As the temperature in and around Fishers climbs to above average levels and the snow melts, this would be a good time to send out praise for some very special people.
Recording-breaking low temperatures are dangerous. We were being told by the experts to stay inside and only venture out if absolutely necessary when the severe cold hit. If you did venture out, you were advised to dress warmly, in layers and don’t expose your skin to the cold for more than a few minutes.
Many of us heeded those warnings, but there were some that could not. Who were these people?
They bore titles such as – Duke Energy employees, city police officers, sheriff’s deputies, town marshals, state troopers, firefighters, ambulance crews, snow plow drivers…..you get the drift. There were many people out in the very, very cold, restoring power, helping those of us stranded in those tough conditions.
As the weather moderates, let’s take a moment to recognize and thank all those private sector workers and public servants that ventured out into dangerous weather to help us. I believe we need to give a big thanks to all of them.
If you see any of these special people around town, tell them how much you appreciate their work during some of the coldest weather we have seen in a very, very long time. They will appreciate it!
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a single vehicle crash which resulted in the deaths of two individuals late Friday night.
First responders were dispatched to the 26600 block of southbound U.S. 31 in northern Hamilton County shortly after 11 p.m. on Friday on the report of a vehicle in a field. Callers reported one of the people involved in the crash was trapped in the vehicle while another was thrown from the car.
The preliminary investigation indicates a 2005 red Chevrolet Cobalt was southbound on U.S. 31 north of 266th Street when, for unknown reasons, it left the right side of the roadway and struck a tree approximately 1,500 feet north of the intersection.
The driver of the vehicle, identified as Coltin D. Heath-Brumfiel, 23, Kokomo, was ejected from the vehicle during the crash. He was pronounced dead at the scene. It is unknown if he was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. The passenger, Meghann K. Clement, 25, Kokomo, was trapped in the vehicle as a result of the crash. She was also pronounced dead at the scene. Reports indicate Clement was wearing a seat belt during the incident.
Witnesses of the crash told deputies the Cobalt changed lanes and fishtailed before leaving the roadway and striking the tree.
Toxicology tests were performed to determine if alcohol or other substances contributed to the fatal crash; however, test results are pending.
The incident is under investigation by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Crash Team. Anyone with information pertaining to the crash is asked to contact the team through Hamilton County Public Safety Communications at 317-773-1282.
The Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Sheridan Police and Fire departments.
Southeastern’s Amaya Hamilton (left) battles with Carmel’s Macy Berglund for the ball during the game. Also pictured are Carmel’s Kate Clarke, HSE’s Malea Jackson and Carmel’s Bridget Dunn. (Reporter Photos by Kent Graham)
by
Richie Hall
Sports Editor
Hamilton County Reporter
Defense wins championships, and Hamilton Southeastern’s defense brought it a long, long awaited girls basketball sectional championship on Saturday night.
The Class 4A No. 1 Royals won their first sectional since 2007 (and fourth overall) by beating Carmel 47-34 in front of a large and screaming crowd at the Southeastern gym.
With the victory, the Royals earned a trip to play in the Kokomo regional next Saturday.
It’s worth the wait of one more week for a process that began last summer.
“We started back in June,” said Southeastern coach Chris Huppenthal. “I told our kids, we weren’t going to win a sectional championship in February, we were going to win it starting right now. And from Day 1 in June, when we got together in the summer, these kids had a goal to focus. And we told our kids in the locker room before we came out that we had a passion and we had a commitment to come out here to play with some fire, to play with some enthusiasm. That’s what our kids did. Played with a lot of energy.”
That energy and passion began spilling out with under two minutes left in the game,
when the Royals players realized that they were going to win.
“It just means everything,” said senior Malea Jackson. “This is what we’ve been working towards since the end of last season. This is our one goal that we’ve been going for. It’s just a great feeling, I can’t even put it into words. We’ve become such a family and to win this together, it’s just the best feeling in the world.”
Carmel was the three-time defending sectional champion coming into the game, so the Greyhounds weren’t going down without a fight. They kept it close with the Royals in the first quarter, which ended with a layin by senior Reagan Hune and Carmel leading 10-8. Junior Sydney Parrish scored six of HSE’s points.
Southeastern started the second period with an 8-0 run, and it would never trail
again. Jackson hit a 3-pointer, then senior Amaya Hamilton added five more points, a
layin and a 3. Senior Macy Berglund ended the run with a pair of free throws, but that
was followed by another Royals run: Junior Jackie Maulucci made a 3-pointer and a free
throw, and Jackson threw in another 3 to put Southeastern up 23-12.
Baskets by sophomore Bridget Dunn and Hune cut the Royals’ lead to 23-16 by halftime. The third quarter was a defensive affair, with Southeastern scoring five points and Carmel four. Jackson hit a 3 and Parrish made a jumper, while Berglund hit two free throws and Hune made a layin.
“That’s the only thing we work on in practice: Defense, defense, defense. Defense wins championships. We get offense based on the defense,” said Jackson.
A putback by Hamilton began the fourth quarter, and that pushed the Royals’ lead to
30-20. Carmel made one last stand, with Dunn draining a 3 and Hune scoring again,
cutting the HSE lead to 30-25. But Southeastern made yet another 7-0 run to jump
ahead 37-25; Parrish added another five points.
Two more Hune baskets got Carmel within 37-29, but the Royals would finish the game out from the free throw line, going 10 of 12 from the line in the final two and a half minutes.
Parrish scored 16 points, with Jackson adding 13, including three 3-pointers. Parrish had a fine defensive game with nine rebounds and two blocked shots. Hamilton had five rebounds. Tayah Irvin had another solid defensive game.
Hune scored 14 points for Carmel, which finished its season 14-11. Hune and Mackenzie Wood both pulled four rebounds.
“They played so hard,” said Greyhounds coach Erin Trimpe. “We had a game plan and in the first half, we really fought defensively. We executed it. But Hamilton Southeastern, they’re so good. They’re so solid in their sets and what they’re running. They didn’t panic when we got a couple stops. You have to give them a lot of credit for the way they handled themselves tonight.”
The Royals will play the winner of the DeKalb sectional in the first semi-final at Kokomo next Saturday morning. The DeKalb championship will be decided on Monday between Fort Wayne Northrop and Fort Wayne Carroll. Homestead and Zionsville will play in the second semi-final, each team having won their respective sectional on Saturday.
Southeastern is 23-1 for the season, the most wins for the Royals since 2007.
A large Southeastern student section was there to cheer on the Royals girls basketball team as it won its first sectional title since 2007.
Documents were signed Monday by Hamilton County Commissioners for Phase 2 of the reconstruction of 276th/281st streets, a project that will get underway this summer, connecting State Road 19 with U.S. 31. Phase 1, which involved improvements to 276th from just west of Gwinn Road and 31, is now all but completed.
The second phase involves building a gently curved new road from 276th to 281st.
The newly rebuilt 281st will meet State Road 19 where the existing 281st continues east toward State Road 37. County Highway Director Brad Davis says this connection will provide a good east-west roadway from 31 to 37 across Jackson and White River Townships.
The project will be bid in May with construction expected to start by July. The cost of about $5.5 million is being paid with $4 million in federal funds and the remainder in local funds.
The new road between 19 and 31 will have a much improved road surface with wider shoulders and improved intersections, thus providing motorists from the Atlanta and Arcadia areas easier access to 31. Beck’s Hybrids, whose operation is served by the new road, is participating in providing some of the needed right-of-way.
