Hamilton County Reporter
Fishers beat Hamilton Heights 41-33 in a hard-fought, all-county game Wednesday at the Tiger Den.
The Class 4A No. 5 Tigers led 10-6 after the first quarter, with Audra Emmerson scoring five of Fishers’ points.
Freshman Olivia Smith stepped up in the second period, adding another five points and helping the Tigers to a 23-12 halftime lead. Meanwhile, the Huskies’ Bayleigh Runner hit a 3-pointer in each of the first two quarters.
The third period was a low-scoring one, but Fishers was still in front, 31-19, at the end of that quarter. Emmerson added two more 3s, while Runner scored five points. The Huskies made a run in the fourth period, at one point getting the lead below five. But the Tigers finished the game solidly from the free-throw line, making 10 of 14 attempts.
“The free-throw line was our friend,” said Fishers coach Lauren Votaw. She was happy with the win, and “especially a win in that fashion,“ she said.
“Hamilton Heights did a great job,” said Votaw. “They had an excellent game
plan coming in and Runner was who she is. The kid’s phenomenal. She was bigtime when they needed her to be big-time and other kids hit shots.”
Emmerson led the Tigers with 17 points, including three 3-pointers.
“She worked really hard in the off-season, especially on that 3-point shot,” said
Votaw. “I thought she was very steady tonight, consistency. She kept her cool
under pressure and also was shooting it really well.”
Katie Burton had seven rebounds to go with her six points.
Runner drained five 3-pointers, finishing with 19 points. She also collected six
rebounds. Jillian Osswald added seven points, and she and MyKayla Moran both
pulled three rebounds.
“I’m super proud of our locker room, super proud of our girls,” said Heights coach Keegan Cherry. “We had a game plan coming in and I thought we executed that really well.
We’re in position to win the ball game late.”
The coach was also pleased that his team limited its turnovers, with only eight
for the game.
“Our guard play was fantastic in controlling turnovers,” said Cherry.
Fishers is still perfect at 10-0 for the season and will play Saturday afternoon
at Bishop Chatard. The Huskies are 4-4 and host Norwell, also on Saturday afternoon.