Seniors Lift Noblesville, Hamilton Southeastern in Sectional 8 Openers; HSE Rematches Fishers

Baron Walker took over when it mattered, drilling a left-wing 3 to give Noblesville a lead and finishing the decisive sequence with a three-point play with 1:17 remaining as the Millers beat Zionsville 42-38 in Class 4A Sectional 8 first-round play at Noblesville. Rylan Gore had tied the game at 38-38 with 1:43 left before Walker’s go-ahead play sealed the win.

Noblesville coach Scott McClelland singled out Walker’s late shots as the difference, calling those moments “winning plays.” McClelland added, “I thought the kids really showed some true resilience and resolve there in the fourth quarter, even after Zionsville took the lead,” “Tip your hat to them. They had some guys make some shots. I’m just proud of our guys. They showed some true grit and true toughness. Wins in March are never easy.” The Millers advance to the sectional semifinal from the host site with the 42-38 victory.

Hamilton Southeastern closed the nightcap on a high note as senior Landon Osswald poured in 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 68-61 win over Westfield. Osswald drained two big 3-pointers to start the fourth quarter and finished with the game’s biggest numbers, and he framed the win in program context: “Watching us every year, I wanted to get to that stage and win a sectional game.” The victory marked a significant milestone for HSE, which entered the game with a 15-9 record.

A Facebook post captured the feel of the night at Noblesville: “Both Hamilton Southeastern and Westfield were clicking on offense from the opening tip in Sectional 8 play at Noblesville on Tuesday.” The nightcap score of 68-61 for HSE coincidentally matches Fishers’ 68-61 win over Hamilton Southeastern on Dec. 19, a prior meeting that heightened interest in Friday’s semifinal matchups.

Sources provided conflicting semifinal pairings for Friday night. One line states, “Noblesville will play in the sectional semifinal on Friday night against Fishers.” Another passage reads, “The stage will be even bigger and brighter on Friday night when HSE (15-9) plays Mudsock rival and top-ranked Fishers (23-0) in the sectional semifinal. Fishers defeated HSE 68-61 on Dec. 19, which feels like ancient history.” Those two statements cannot both be true; officials should confirm the official Sectional 8 bracket or the schools’ athletic communications before publication of semifinal schedules.

For verification and box score detail, raw stat and ranking excerpts provided for follow-up include the Inccstats snippets below for reporter review and cross-checking: Jaxsen Muncie | 12 | Tipton | 17:38 | #486 | | 53 Monroe Cluff | 11 Bryce Pittman | 10 | Westfield | 17:39 | #500 Carson Ackley | 10 | Westfield | 17:40 | #504 Hayden Hoback | 10 | Hamilton Southeastern | 17:40 | #508 Ashton Sommer | 10 | Guerin Catholic | 17:42 | #520 Kale Ormes | 10 | Fishers | 17:43 | #524 Austin Rankin | 9 | Guerin Catholic | 17:44 | #530 Bradyn Livingston | 12 | Noblesville | 17:44 | #532 Elijah Cluff | Hamilton Southeastern | 17:44 | #535 Charlie Ritter | 10 | Hamilton Southeastern | 17:45 | #536 Drew Neely | 12 | Westfield | 17:45 | #542 Braylen Floyd | 9 | Fishers | 17:48 | #557 Parker Melling | Fishers | 16:42 | 19.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 4.6 | 5.4 | 6.0 | 6.7 | 7.7 | 8.0 | 8.2 Isaac Smith | Hamilton Southeastern | 16:44 | 20.5 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 4.6 | 5.1 | 6.7 | 7.4 | 7.5 | 7.7 Riley Schamp | Hamilton Southeastern | 16:44 | 20.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 6.0 | 6.8 | 7.3 | 7.9 Jack Rush | Noblesville | 16:45 | 20.9 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 5.6 | 6.0 | 6.3 | 6.9 Cooper Click | Noblesville | 16:53 | 24.6 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.7 Rudy Bowman | Hamilton Heights | 16:54 | 24.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 4.6

Ranking excerpt: | Rank | Name | Grade | School | Rating | State Rank | | 1 | Sam Quagliaroli | 12 | Fishers | 15:09 | #1 | | 2 | John Libs | 11 | Noblesville | 15:39 | #6 | | 3 | Liam Powers | 11 | Hamilton Southeastern | 15:52 | #15 | | 4 | Luke Moster | 12 | Guerin Catholic | 15:58 | #23 | | 5 | Nate Thomas | 11 | Fishers | 15:58 | #26 | | 6 | Banner Barnes | 10 | Noblesville | 16:00 | #29 | | 7 | Benson Davis | 11 | Pendleton Heights | 16:08 | #41 | | 8 | Ronnie Neal | 12 | Noblesville | 16:12 | #51 | | 9 | Jack Strong | 12 | Noblesville | 16:17 | #58 | | 10 | Simon Nickelson | 11 | Lapel | 16:18 | #61 | | 11 | Isaiah Vos | 9 | Noblesville | 16:19 | #67 | | 12 | Nick Vega | 12 | Hamilton Southeastern | 16:26 | #85 | | 13 | Ty Conner | 12 | Westfield | 16:27 | #88 |

Photographs and galleries from the host site are available for review: See photos of IHSAA boys basketball sectionals at Noblesville. Image captions provided in supplemental material include: Combat image, Combat image, Combat, Soccer image, Soccer image, Soccer, Racing image, Racing image, Racing, Fantasy image, Fantasy image, Watch image, Watch image, Network image, Network image.

Friday’s semifinal pairings will determine whether top-ranked Fishers faces Noblesville or Hamilton Southeastern; officials should confirm the Sectional 8 bracket to set times and coverage.