2021-2022 High School Season
Noblesville Holiday Tournament
Category: 2021-2022 High School Season Written by Trevor Andershock
The Noblesville Holiday Tournament title game pitted Chesterton against Norwell. The Trojans entered 8-0, while the Knights were 8-1.
Senior guard Travis Grayson could not be stopped early on. The Chesterton speedster slashed to the basket regularly and also made two threes in the first half. He scored 12 of Chesterton’s first 18 points. The Trojans held an 18-11 lead in the second quarter behind Grayson’s scoring.
The Knights were methodical in the half-court and worked their way back. Norwell’s leading scorer, Luke McBride, found good looks early but looked rushed and failed to convert. He still scored seven first-half points, but McBride was just two of eight from the field.
Norwell, as a team, shot 4-18 from the field in the first half. Other than Grayson, Chesterton was not much better at 10-23.
Fouls started to mount for Chesterton in the second period. Travis Grayson, Carson Parrish, and Justin Sims all picked up their second foul in the second quarter.
After Lleyton Bailey made three free throws, Norwell cut Chesterton’s lead to 26-23. From there, Grayson took over. He created three steals on the defensive end and converted them to three baskets himself. In a heartbeat, it went from a three-point game to nine.
Chesterton would extend its lead to three possessions throughout the game, and Norwell would come back. That happened this time as well. McBride nailed a three before Bailey hit a three.
The game became choppy in the third and fourth due to foul calls, flops, charges, turnovers, and other things. Norwell was shooting the bonus before it had been called for a second-half foul. The Chesterton crowd erupted in the fourth when the first Norwell foul was called.
The fourth quarter was a slugfest, with each team getting good looks but failing to convert for the most part. Chesterton only scored six points in the final period, but Grayson had a critical bucket with three minutes left. It came off a set where he brought the ball up the court and slashed to the bucket as screens were set on each side of the court. As the lane parted, Grayson split the middle for the score.
McBride answered by cutting backdoor for an easy layup.
With Chesterton leading 40-39, the Trojans melted time off the clock. Norwell stood back before deciding to apply pressure and trap the first pass. The possession ended with Grayson shooting a floater and Justin Sims flying in for the offensive rebound. However, the sophomore forward drew a foul and split his free throws.
Norwell could not get a shot to drop in the final two and a half minutes despite getting multiple looks. The McBride backdoor layup was the last point that Norwell posted.
Chesterton captured the 2021 Noblesville Holiday Tournament title with the 43-39 victory.
Grayson scored 22 points in the championship game and was named the tournament’s most valuable player. He was 10-13 from the field in the final game.
Chris Mullen only scored three points but corralled ten rebounds and dished three assists. Carson Parrish had the final fastbreak score for Chesterton and finished with six points. Sims tallied five points and three rebounds.
McBride, named to the all-tournament team, scored 18 points in the loss. The junior also recorded six rebounds. Bailey finished with six, and Jake Parker and Luke Graft scored four points.
Chesterton is 9-0 on the season, and Norwell drops to 8-2.
As Crown Point and Noblesville met in the Noblesville Holiday Tournament third-place game, Bulldogs senior Drew Adzia took it over early. The silky-smooth shooter outscored Noblesville in one point in the second quarter. Adzia shot four of six from deep in the opening half for 16 points.
When AJ Lux took an Adzia pass and made a three, Crown Point led 25-13 a few minutes into the second quarter. Sophomore Aaron Fine helped Noblesville climb back into the game. He nailed back-to-back threes to cut Crown Point’s lead to six.
Noblesville could not make up ground for long as Crown Point continued to play lights-out on the offensive end. The Bulldogs shot 6-10 from three in the first half and an eFG% of 79. That enabled Crown Point to lead 32-23 at the half.
Cooper Bean opened the second half with a three, and the Millers were off to the races. However, it was a completely different half for Noblesville. After only scoring 23 in the first half, the Millers scored 16 in the first six minutes of the third quarter. Bean and Preston Roberts provided most of the production.
After not starting, Roberts stepped up significantly, with Noblesville down at the half. The junior wing tallied nine points and six rebounds in the second half to turn the game around for the Millers.
After a hot-shooting first half, Crown Point’s offense disappeared in the second. The Bulldogs only managed three points in the third quarter, and they were all free throws. It took Crown Point nine minutes into the second half to make its first field goal.
However, it was still a game. Noblesville played well in the second half, but the Millers were not torching the nets either. Noblesville’s lead reached seven points multiple times in the fourth, but Crown Point stayed within striking distance.
Lux did not have a good shooting day, but he still had the confidence to stick a three with 1:05 left in the game. That pulled Crown Point within two points.
It was short-lived as Fine scored on the other end. Noblesville maintained a two-possession lead the rest of the way. The sophomore was steady throughout the game on his way to a team-high 15 points.
Noblesville took third place as the tournament host with a 57-50 win.
EJ Smith added 13, and Bean tallied 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Roberts finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.
Adzia finished with 18 points and five assists. Lux tallied 17 points, three steals, three assists, and three rebounds. Lou Mureiko added eight.
In the fifth place game, Lawrence Central and Northridge battled.
Kamari Jones opened the scoring with a three-pointer for Lawrence Central, but that was the Bears’ only score for the first three and half minutes of the game. Northridge had a scoring drought to begin the game too. The Raiders were scoreless for over two minutes before Malachi Campbell made a three.
Things picked up from there. DaJohn Craig hit a three for LC to finish the first period. That gave the Bears a 15-9 advantage.
The second-quarter pace was torrid with long passes, steals, offensive rebounds, and blocks. Lawrence Central scored the first four points of the second period to lead 19-9, but Northridge answered with an 11-0 run to take the lead. Blake Jacobs scored in the lane, then hit a top-of-the-key three to get the Raiders rolling.
Josh Mickens was not the most efficient in the first half, but his power and athleticism allowed multiple looks on many possessions. His effort led to a nine-point, nine-rebound half.
Lawrence Central 30-25 at the half.
The Bears pushed the lead to 39-30 before Nolan Bales leaked out for a bucket then two triples. That gave Northridge a considerable boost. Micah Hochstetler also played well for the Raiders in the third quarter. His sixth point of the quarter gave Northridge a 45-41 lead.
Northridge’s lead reached six points a few times in the fourth quarter, but Craig never let Lawrence Central fall too far behind. The junior guard played a fantastic second half and saved his best for last.
Northridge had the ball up 56-55, and Lawrence Central worked for a steal instead of fouling. It worked to perfection as Craig picked the pocket of Hochstetler before scoring on the other end. Craig followed that by ripping the ball from Jacobs and making two free throws.
With Lawrence Central up three, the Raiders still had a chance. Scott Radeker called timeout with six seconds left as the ball crossed halfcourt. That typically sets up a good look for the tie, but the inbound pass was off the mark. Craig was again there for the steal, and he finished the game with a dunk at the buzzer.
Lawrence Central captured fifth place with the 61-56 win.
Craig recorded 25 points, five steals – three in the final 30 seconds, and three rebounds. Mickens finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Kamari Jones added nine points, and Tashaun Coleman scored eight.
Hochstetler’s 14 led Northridge. He also had nine rebounds and five assists. Jacobs tallied 12 points and five rebounds. Bales added 11, and Malachi Campbell scored nine.
Chesterton and Noblesville met with an opportunity to advance to the Noblesville Holiday Tournament championship on Wednesday afternoon.
Chesterton sophomore surprised Noblesville early by stepping out to the three-point line. The forward nailed two triples to get Chesterton off to a quick start.
The Trojans always rely on senior point guard Travis Grayson, and he found his grove slashing to the basket. He scored seven first-quarter points. His ability to get downhill is a game-changer for Chesterton. When he is turning the corner, the Trojan offense flows much easier.
Turnovers hurt Noblesville early, and Chesterton capitalized on them. The Trojans also bullied their way to scores in the paint. In the first half, Chesterton scored 16 points in the paint.
Cooper Bean’s shooting kept Noblesville in the game in the second quarter. The junior guard scored eight points as the Millers stayed within striking distance.
Chesterton led 36-25 at the half.
EJ Smith started producing off the dribble for Noblesville in the third. He is a dynamic guard that causes problems with his quickness.
Sims started the fourth with a power back to the basket move, then made a spot-up three. That extended Chesterton’s lead to 55-39. Sims finished with 13 points, five rebounds, and a surprising three from deep.
Junior wing Preston Roberts made a significant impact as a rebounder and scorer for Noblesville. Smith found Roberts spotting up for a three early in the fourth. He finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Chesterton worked the ball throughout the fourth, continuously moved, and slipped to the basket for paint scores. Grayson drove to the basket and dropped dimes regularly in the second half. The player and ball movement kept Noblesville at bay. The Millers cut Chesterton’s lead to eight points with a minute to play, but it was too late.
Chesterton advanced to the title game with a 64-54 win.
Grayson led the Trojans with 14 points and five assists. Chris Mullen added ten points and eight rebounds. Carson Parrish recorded eight points, and his brother, Tyler, added seven.
Smith led Noblesville with 14 points. Aaron Fine tallied nine points and four assists. Bean finished with eight points, five rebounds, and three assists. Hunter Walston scored eight.
Chesterton plays Norwell for the 2021 Noblesville Holiday Tournament championship at 7:45 PM tonight.
Norwell and Crown Point squared off in the first semifinal of the Noblesville Holiday Tournament. Norwell hit three of its first five threes with Luke McBride doing plenty of damage. Behind McBride’s scoring and Luke Graft’s offensive rebounding, Norwell sprinted to an 11-2 lead.
Crown Point drew early fouls but did not convert from the line. It took until the Bulldogs' sixth free throw attempt to get on the scoreboard when AJ Lux knocked one home. He scored in the paint shortly after making a couple of free throws.
Senior guard Drew Adzia steadied the Crown Point ship. He scored in the lane, then buried a three to get Crown Point right back in the game.
The story of the first half was told with Norwell’s rebounding and Crown Point’s poor free-throw shooting. Graft and Ashton Federspiel dominated the offensive glass for Norwell in the first half. They gave Norwell extra shots and kick out threes throughout the opening half. However, crown Point went 2-9 from the free-throw line in the first 16 minutes.
Norwell led 23-22 at the break.
After a slow start to the second half, Lux converted an and-one before Adzia hit a floater in the lane. Those two buckets gave Crown Point a 30-26 advantage. Offensive rebounds provided Norwell with extra shots, and Lleyton Bailey’s banked three from the left side capped a 7-0 Norwell run.
Ashton Federspiel scored on a post move to begin the fourth, and then Bailey nailed another triple. Norwell led 38-34 early in the final quarter.
Norwell forced Crown Point into contested shots, and the Bulldogs could not get shots to drop. Carter Delich and Keaton Buuck were the only CP players to make field goals in the fourth.
McBride continued to protect the ball and make free throws for Norwell. He finished with 19 points and seven rebounds.
Norwell won 49-45 to advance to the Noblesville Holiday Tournament title game.
Bailey recorded 11 points, Federspiel nine, and Jake Parker five for Norwell. The Knights grabbed 13 offensive rebounds, with Graft tallying five.
Adzia led Crown Point with 15. Lux added 11 points and four rebounds. Carter Delich helped with nine points and five rebounds. Buuck had seven points and five rebounds.