By Bret Shambaugh
Contributing Writer
FISHERS – Class
4A No. 4 Hamilton Southeastern outlasted previously undefeated 4A
third-ranked Carmel, 54-50, in front of 350 fans Nov. 24 in an
afternoon girls basketball non-conference contest between the two
Hamilton County rivals.
The host Royals (4-1) were paced by the
inside game of 6’0” junior standout Paige Smith (14 points) as well as
blistering 53-percent shooting ( 8 of 11) from behind the 3-point line
as third-year coach Chris Huppenthal improved to a sparkling 51-6
career record.
Smith was 6 of 7 from the floor, while Royals’
junior guard Courtney Osborn was 3 of 5 from behind the arc and
finished with 11 points. Junior forward Kristi Sannella, meanwhile,
contributed 11 points off the bench.
That trio of double-digit
scorers countered Carmel’s 1-2 punch of junior guard Chrissy Steffen
and freshman forward Torrie Thornton. Steffen went 10 of 13 from the
floor (including the Greyhounds’ lone 3-pointer) in scoring a game-high
21 points, while Thornton added 14 points off the bench.
Thornton,
who was 7 of 10 from the floor, is undoubtedly a very early leading
candidate for Miss Basketball in 2011. She impressed with both her
ability to go coast-to-coast as well as to athletically defend.
Neither team led by more than four points through the first three quarters, when there were 10 ties and four lead changes.
Smith’s
inside reverse post move to open the second half gave the Royals a
one-point lead they would not relinquish. Trailing by one point at
intermission at 23-22, HSE outscored the Greyhounds 32-27 in the second
half.
Carmel (4-1) trailed 37-36 to begin the fourth quarter,
but three consecutive turnovers proved to be too much to overcome as
HSE stretched the lead to six in the first three minutes of the final
period.
With just under two minutes to go, HSE enjoyed its
largest lead at 51-44. Yet following two missed free throws by HSE
senior Laura Cook at the 1:40 mark and a pair of Royal turnovers,
Carmel got within two points at 52-50 with 9.1 seconds remaining.
But
after a Carmel timeout, HSE senior guard Victoria Filson avoided being
fouled with a nifty cross-over dribble and executed a perfect
half-court pass to Sannella for a finishing uncontested layup.
These
two excellently coached programs could meet again in the postseason
come February. That tournament meeting, which would take place in 4A
Sectional 9 at Carmel, would pit two contrasting styles – Carmel’s
match-up zone defense against the potentially outstanding marksmanship
of the Royals’ perimeter shooters.
Since HSE can match up with the inside play of Steffen and Thornton, the edge may remain with the Royals.
The good news for both? There is still a lot of exciting basketball to be played prior to sectionals!
CARMEL 2FG 3FG FT TP
Thornton 6’0 FR FOR 7-10 0-0 0-1 14
Spearman 5’10 SR GUA 1-2 0-0 0-0 2
Steffen 5’11 JR GUA 9-11 1-2 0-0 21
McRoberts 6’0 JR GUA 3-6 0-0 3-4 9
Rubendunst 6’0 SO FOR 0-1 0-0 1-2 1
Havel 6’0 SR FOR 1-8 0-1 1-4 3
21-38 1-3 5-11 50
55% 33% 45%
FG% 54%
Turnovers 16
HSE 2FG 3FG FT TP
Williams 5’9 SR GUA 1-2 2-6 0-0 8
Osborn 5’9 JR GUA 1-1 3-5 0-2 11
Cook 5’8 SR GUA 0-2 2-3 1-4 7
Filson 5’7 SR GUA 0-1 0-0 0-0 0
Lamb 6’0 SO FOR 1-4 0-0 1-2 3
Sannella 5’11 JR FOR 3-4 1-1 2-2 11
Smith 6’0 JR FOR 6-7 0-0 2-4 14
12-21 8-15 6-14 54
57% 53% 43%
FG% 56%
Turnovers 17
1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q FINAL
CARMEL 15 8 13 14 50
HSE 15 7 15 17 54
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