by

Richie Hall

Sports Editor

Hamilton County Reporter

After four games, things have been going rather well for the Fishers girls basketball team.

The Tigers have won all four of their games, including an easy Wednesday victory over Anderson, 79-49 at the Tiger Den. Fishers’ early-season success hasn’t gone unnoticed, as the Tigers came into the ICGSA Class 4A rankings at No. 8 this week.

Everyone has been contributing to the team, both veteran players and young ones. Of course, the seniors set the tone, and Fishers coach Lauren Votaw is pleased with how her 12th-graders are leading the way.

“I’m going to credit our seniors with doing a phenomenal job of setting the tone and setting the culture of this idea of putting the team before yourself,” said Votaw. “They get so excited when their teammates succeed. We’ve talked a lot about that, and a lot about that being an important part of being a great team. And so hopefully that continues.”

Fishers slowly worked its way to a 16-7 lead by the end of the first quarter, with senior Kaitlynn Feagan hitting a pair of 3-pointers along the way. Another bright spot was freshman Olivia Smith, who had six points. Smith and her twin sister Hailey Smith have been solid for the Tigers during their first few high-school games.

“And they work extremely hard and they’re very coachable,” said Votaw. “They’re well-liked by their teammates. It’s been a very smooth transition for them overall.”

The Tigers then blasted off to a 44-24 lead by halftime. Junior Katie Burton took over in that period, scoring 15 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Burton had one basket in each of the other three quarters, giving her a team-leading 21 points for the game.

Six different players scored in the second period, but Fishers did better in the third quarter, with seven players getting in the scorebook. Senior Tamia Perryman led the way in that period with seven points, on her way to 10 for the night.

“It’s good,” said Perryman. “We’ve got a lot of stuff to still work on, but right now we’re good.”

Perryman has committed to play at Marian University next year.

“It felt like home when I went for my visit,” she said.

The Tigers led 65-34 after three quarters, and held the lead around that margin during the fourth period. The bench players got the chance to play, and they had some good minutes: Sophomore Kaiya Walker had four points, with junior Jordan Imes and sophomore Charlotte Gaffin both getting two.

“I don’t know if I would say it’s been a surprise, but it’s been one of the top positives from the first four games of our season is the depth that we have, especially just at that guard position, that ability to bring in guards that can handle the basketball and defend is so valuable,” said Votaw.

Feagan joined Perryman with 10 points, while both Hailey and Olivia Smith scored nine points each. Burton collected six rebounds, with Olivia Smith and Lydia Stullken both getting five rebounds.

Audra Emmerson had eight points for the Tigers, while Stullken and Shae Shaffer rounded out the scoring with two points each – 11 different players scored for Fishers.

Fishers will travel to Northwest Indiana on Saturday to compete in the Lake Central Classic, where the Tigers will take on the host Indians in a morning game and Valparaiso in an afternoon contest.