by

Richie Hall

Sports Editor

Hamilton County Reporter

WESTFIELD – Sectional 8 is known throughout Indiana to be one of the
toughest sectionals in any sport, especially in girls basketball.

That was certainly true Tuesday night’s two first-round games. Host Westfield took to the court first, and the Shamrocks defended their home gym with a 54-44 win over Zionsville. In the second game, No. 5-ranked Hamilton Southeastern held off a late surge from No. 10 Carmel to get a 51-44 victory.

Westfield will take on No. 3-ranked Fishers in the first semi-final on Friday,
which tips off at 6 p.m. The Royals play Noblesville in the second semi-final.

THREE-FOR-ALL
The Westfield-Zionsville game started as a “three-for-all.” The Eagles used
a pair of 3-pointers to take an 10-5 lead with 4:30 left in the first period. Jessica
Castor also made a 3 during the early part of the quarter.

But the Shamrocks let loose from beyond the arc in the later part of the period.
Alyssa Crockett hit a 3, then Ava Henson drained back-to-back triples, giving
Westfield a 14-10 lead. The run continued into the second quarter, with Crockett’s
basket putting the ‘Rocks ahead 16-10.

Westfield never trailed again, although Zionsville would remain close for the entire game. The Shamrocks led 27-25 at halftime, but Crockett quickly pushed that lead to 32-25 just a few seconds into the third quarter, making a layin and a 3-pointer.

Westfield coach Ginny Smith said her team had been talking about being mentally tough, “that in this sectional, probably every game’s going to be close,” she said. “We got to be able to take some punches and be able to come back from those. And I felt like tonight we had a really good game plan defensively. I felt like we stuck to the game plan.”

Henson said the team did “a lot of mental training” while preparing for the
game. “And I think because of our preparation, that gave us confidence and just
to not panic and be calm and play our game, because when we play our game,
it doesn’t matter what the other team’s doing. We know that we can come back.
They make a shot, that’s over with, we can come back and get the next one. So
that’s our mentality. When stuff like that happens, just keep playing and just fix
what happens.”

Henson hit a 3 to give the ‘Rocks their largest lead of the game, 35-27, early in the third. Ashtin DeCraene stepped up in the later part of the period, with a triple and two foul shots, making the free throws with 2:06 left. Neither team scored for the remainder of the quarter,
which ended with Westfield up 41-33.

“I think we had a great third quarter, and that’s not been the norm for us this year,” said Smith. “We’ve always struggled somewhat in the third. It was really good to see the kids come out with a level of just grittiness to them. They resolved to not let down. I think it showed in the end.”

The Shamrocks maintained a four- to eight-point lead for most of the fourth period, pulling away in the final minute as the Eagles were forced to foul. Henson made 3 of 4 free throws in the final 18.2 seconds, with Castor and DeCraene both chipping in two.

Henson, a senior, finished the game with 18 points, including three 3s, and led
the rebounding with four. Crockett added 16 points and DeCraene scored 10. Olivia Robey helped out with five steals and four assists.

Westfield improved to 14-10 after the win, while Zionsville finished its season
6-17.

FIGHT TO THE FINISH
The Southeastern-Carmel game started in similar fashion to the first contest,
with a back-and-forth first quarter. The Greyhounds’ Hannah Lach opened things
up with a 3-pointer, then Jackie Maulucci answered with five straight points, a layin
and a 3.

iara Gill tied the game with a basket, and Bridget Dunn hit a 3-pointer, but HSE’s Lydia Self made a 3 to tie the game again. Lach drained a second triple to put Carmel up 11-8.
Sydney Parrish then scored seven straight points for the Royals, ending the first period with a jumper, then opening the second with a 3 and a layin. Lauren Morris made the run 10-0 with a 3-pointer; that put Southeastern up 18-11 and it would stay in front the rest of the way.

“We knew coming over here that this wasn’t going to be easy,” said HSE coach Chris Huppenthal. “They got some really, really good players and they battled the
whole game.”

The Royals led 27-20 at halftime, with Parrish making a 3 to finish the half.

Southeastern then took a 42-29 lead late in the third quarter; Parrish added another nine points, with Self and Morris each hitting another 3-pointer.

Carmel made a 9-0 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters. Kate Clarke started it with a triple, then Dunn’s layin was the final basket of the third period.

Clarke opened the fourth with two foul shots, and a putback from Dunn got the ‘Hounds within 42-38.

“We knew they’d make runs,” said Parrish. “We knew it was going to be a game of runs. I give credit to them for making that run. It’s really hard to come back in the fourth quarter and do that. But credit to our team and our defensive end. We were able to get stops, score, stop, score and handle the ball under the pressure and I think that’s what won us the
game.”

Parrish ended the run with a layin, then added two free throws to give HSE a 46-38 lead. Lach cut it to 46-40 with a basket. Southeastern began to drain the clock, and ran it down before Self was fouled in a 1-and-1 situation with 1:39 left. She made both foul shots to put the Royals up 48-40, and HSE was able to hang on from there.

“Something that we’ve talked about all year is, you don’t try to win this game in February,” said Huppenthal. “You start preparing for this back in June and July and get your kids ready to play basketball.”

Parrish finished the game with 25 points, including three 3-pointers, and broke the Hamilton County girls scoring record with a second-quarter putback.

Parrish now has 1,887 career points, moving past the 1,869 points scored by
Noblesville’s Courtney Cox, a record that had stood for over 30 years.

“A lot of it’s my teammates,” said Parrish. “You can’t put up that many points
without getting the ball from your teammates and setting you up, so big credit to
them.”

“It’s good she has the record,” said Huppenthal. “You look at one of the best players ever to come out of this county as well as the state.”

Parrish was named as one of the 10 semi-finalists for the Naismith High School Girls Trophy, presented to the top girls player in the United States.

“What people get to see here and what we’ve got to see for the last four years is
special with her,” said Huppenthal. “She’s obviously a great basketball player. She’s
a heck of a teammate.”

Self scored eight points; she and Morris both had two 3s. Parrish led the rebounds with eight, while Maulucci collected seven rebounds and handed out five assists. Parrish also blocked two shots.

Dunn scored 15 points for Carmel and pulled nine rebounds, with Clarke adding 10 points. Dunn had two blocks.

“I am just so proud of them,” said Greyhounds coach Erin Trimpe. “They never quit.” She credited her team with fighting back after getting down by 13 points.

“But HSE is just such a good team, so you have to credit the things that they did,” said Trimpe. “But I was really proud of our effort and the way we fought back and the way we kept in it and didn’t quit, ever.”

Southeastern is 21-2 for the season, while the Greyhounds finished 15-8.

A lengthy discussion about a proposed expansion of an apartment complex near 141st Street and State Road 37 at December’s Fishers City Council meeting may provide a glimpse into how the council will evaluate such future plans in the city.  The council voted to delay a vote on the rezoning, and the property owners have now advised the Fishers Plan Commission the rezone request has been officially withdrawn.

At the December council session,  three council members (DeReamer, Peterson & Block) voiced support for the additional apartments east of the current Woods of Britton.  Four council members voiced opposition (Zimmerman, Coble, Stoller & Moeller).  Two (George & Weingardt) did not express an opinion.

Steve Hardin, the attorney representing Phil Lambert, the President of Regency Windsor Management and owners of Woods of Britton, saw a possible vote that would not allow the project to go forward, so he requested a continuance at the December session which the council unanimously approved.

Now, Mr Lambert has sent an e-mail to Tony Bagato, Director of Planning and Zoning for the City of Fishers, saying “we have chosen to go ahead and withdraw our
proposal to construct apartments ¡n the Fishers Marketplace.” The Plan Commission will have the withdrawal letter before it at Wednesday evening’s meeting.

This gives a hint as to how council members view multi-family housing, and apartments come under that umbrella.  How will the council members evaluate future apartment plans in the city?

Several council members opposed the Woods of Britton expansion because they want that location available for commercial development once the State Road 37 reconstruction is complete.  However, the council members favoring the project point to struggles experienced by the commercial operations just south of Woods of Britton in the Fishers Marketplace.

The city is pursuing a low-income apartment project to be developed along Lantern Road south of downtown, and most council members appear to be in favor of pursuing that.

So, it will be interesting to see if any other developers will propose market-rate apartments in Fishers and, if so, how the city council members evaluate any proposal to provide the zoning needed.

For two years in the 1970s my full-time job was hosting a 4-5 hour overnight radio talk show.  The radio station ownership was quite nervous about someone challenging their license renewal, so the talk show provided them with lots of public service time ammunition should the license ever be challenged (there were challenges filed but none were successful).

Hosting a daily talk show for a living is hard, very hard.  Only those of us that have actually done it can understand how much work it is.

My approach to hosting the old Night Action talk show was to have interesting guests when possible (it wasn’t always easy to book guests when the show starts at 11pm) and to allow everyone’s political views to be given a fair amount of time.  I offered my opinions, but never shouted down or shut down people disagreeing with me.

A former listener to Night Action found me on the Internet several years ago.  He listened while in high school.  He wrote to me that my radio talk show exposed his mind to political points of view he had never considered before, and credited the way I ran the show for providing those perspectives. Night Action aired more than 50 years ago.  You never know what impression you leave on people.

Even after my stint on Night Action was over, I still hosted daily talk programs for six more years, in addition to other duties.  I always kept the same approach about welcoming all views.

Why do I write all this?  Because there is a talk show guy that I rarely agree with.  Rush Limbaugh invented the conservative talk show that could also be entertaining.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had on the books something called the “Fairness Doctrine” that required anyone with a radio or TV license to provide time for all political views, not just one.

As broadcasting was deregulated in the 1980s, broadcast licensees were no longer required to adhere to that Fairness Doctrine and had the right to take whatever political positions they wanted, without caring about other views.

This is what allowed talk shows like Limbaugh’s to boomerang into successful radio.  Just providing one side of political issues resonated with enough radio listeners to make it profitable.

Many have been very critical of what Limbaugh and those that later followed him have brought us.  The political radio talk often isn’t about what is and is not good public policy, but what will enrage the proper number of listeners to make money.

I have listened to Limbaugh on occasion – not a lot, but some.  He is a consummate professional radio guy.  He knows how to communicate with a radio audience and does it well.

I would never do a talk radio show like Limbaugh’s but I cannot argue with success, and Rush is successful.  The total radio audience, although less compared to what it once was, is still big, and even if you can just get a decent slice of that audience, you can be successful, just like Limbaugh.

For the record, I do not agree with Rush Limbaugh much.  I think the argument that radio talk shows, such as his, have not been good for the body politic in America, has some merit.

But the purpose of this commentary is not to point out our disagreements, because I am praying for Rush Limbaugh.  He announced on his radio program February 3rd that he is suffering from “advanced stage lung cancer” and will be away from the microphone while undergoing treatment.

I watched my father suffer from lung cancer that led to his death 26 years ago.  I was with him many times as he was treated for the disease.  My dad was a fighter and fought that disease as long as he could.  Watching someone battle lung cancer is an ugly thing to do.

So, Rush Limbaugh, I often disagree with your politics but credit you with finding a radio persona that has been successful.  As one former radio talk person to another, you will be in my prayers as you fight this awful disease.  I wish you well.

Then you can recover, get back on the airwaves, and we can disagree once again.

The Fishers Test Kitchen has been in the works for a very long time.  Marketed as a restaurant for chef entrepreneurs, it has space for three chefs to offer creative meals, and shares the dining area with Sun King craft beer offerings.

Saturday, February 1st, was the first day the pubic could experience the Test Kitchen, and people voted with their feet to try out the food.

The Test Kitchen is located in Fishers District, near Ikea and the new Hyatt Hotel, along 116th Street east of I-69.  The development was once marketed as The Yard, but some legal issues resulted in a change to the marketing name for the culinary center to Fishers District.

The three chefs in the Test Kichen at the opening are Carlos Salazar (Lil Dumplings), Adam & Alicia (Natural State) and John & Kim (Korave).

Hamilton County Reporter

Fishers dropped a tough game at Franklin Central on Saturday, falling 58-57 in a Hoosier Crossroads Conference contest.

The Tigers got off to a good start, leading 21-15 after the first quarter. Jeffrey Simmons had eight points in that period, with Charlie Smith adding six.

But the Flashes came back in the second quarter to take a 33-29 lead into halftime. After an even third quarter, Fishers cut into Franklin Central’s lead, but the Flashes were able to hold on for the onepoint win.

Alex Szilagyi scored 22 points, including 15 in the second half. Szilagyi made three 3-pointers. Simmons finished with 12 points.

The Tigers are 2-3 in HCC play and 13-5 overall. They will travel to Kokomo’s Memorial Gym next Saturday for a 4:30 p.m. conference game with Westfield, as part of Basketball Day Indiana.

Hamilton County Reporter

By using what coach Brian Satterfield called “next man up mentality,” Hamilton Southeastern got a Saturday night victory.

The Royals hosted Mishawaka Marian and came away with a hard-fought 49-46
win, their seventh in a row. Southeastern jumped out to an 18-2 lead in the first quarter and was still ahead 18-6 at the end of the period.

Early in the second quarter, Kole Hornbuckle got injured and had to leave the game. The Royals were also without Vinny Buccilla, so other players had to step up. The Knights made a comeback in the second period, but Southeastern still held a 23-20 lead at halftime and was up 39-36 after three quarters.

Marian scored the first five points of the fourth quarter to take a 41-39 lead, but the Royals came back with a 7-0 run to lead 46-41, and held on from there.

Mabor Majak earned a double-double of 14 rebounds and 13 points, while DeAndre Rhodes had 12 points, five assists and two blocks.  Elliot Robinson added nine points, while Sam Jacobs handed out five assists. Satterfield said Jason Stutz gave HSE great minutes off the bench to help lead the spark in the fourth quarter. Stutz made a steal at the end of the game to secure the win.

“Great team effort,” said Satterfield.

The Royals are now 11-5 and travel to Franklin Central on Thursday for a Hoosier Crossroads Conference game.

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton County Chief Deputy Treasurer Kim Good has filed a defamation lawsuit against former Treasurer’s Office employee Susan Byer.

Good

A statement issued by Good’s attorney said, “Good was accused by Byer of engaging in criminal conduct when she waived statutory fees on late tax payments on behalf of her family and friends.”

At the request of the Hamilton County Commissioners, the Indiana State Police and Special Prosecutor Brad Eaton conducted an investigation into Byer’s allegations.

Eaton ruled there was insufficient evidence to prove improper conduct.

“Making false statements which suggest a public official engaged in criminal conduct, with malice towards that official, is defamation,” said Good’s attorney Mario Massillamany.

Byer, in 2018, filed her own lawsuit alleging she was unjustly terminated from her position in the Treasurer’s Office.

Byer’s suit, filed in Hamilton County Superior Court 1 is scheduled for jury trial in October.

Good’s suit filed in Hamilton County Superior Court 4 has not yet been set for trial.

Byer and Good have both filed on the Republican ballot for the county’s Treasurer spot in the upcoming Primary Election.

For the second time, the Brixx Pizza restaurant in downtown Fishers, in the Depot Building on 116th Street just south of City Hall, has closed.  This closure is effective Saturday, February 1st.

Brixx had closed once before about 2 years ago, but reopened a few months later under different ownership.

This story will be updated if LarryInFishers receives any further information.

Dan Canan will serve as president of the Fishers Redevelopment Commission in 2020, following a vote taken during the Thursday meeting.  Tony Bonacuse was voted vice president of the commission and Damon Grothe will be secretary.

The commission approved an amendment to the project agreement approved by the commission last year to the Flexware Innovations AMP West building, under construction near the Nickel Plate Amphitheater. Economic Development Director Megan Baumgartner  says the original plan was for an 8,000 square foot facility, but the project is facing some construction “challenges,” and as a result, will increase the building space to about 12,000 square feet to maximize the plans. As part of the amendment approved by commission members, AMP West will be allowed access to some additional parking.  The closing date has been pushed back to June first of this year, due to these changes.

An agreement was approved for the developers of the new Nickel Plate Hotel, part of the large project underway along 116th Street near City Hall.  The 116 room facility will be part of the Hilton Tapestry brand.  After a lengthy series of negotiation sessions with the city, Baumgartner told commission members the city will reimburse $2.1 million of the construction costs, which are estimated to total $21 million.  The reimbursement will come from the city’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) reserves.  Included in this agreement is a $100,000 contingency fund, should there be additional costs in constructing this building next to the Nickel Plate Trail, Baumgartner says.  The hotel will have access to the parking garage, and hotel guests will not pay for the parking privilege.   The hotel is projected to be finished at about the same time as the First Internet Bank headquarters.

In one more action, the commission approved an amendment to the development project to the north of 116th Street downtown, east of the municipal complex.  This will postpone the closing date by 2 months due to delays in the design process.  Construction on this part of the plan should begin in about 2 months, Baumgartner says.  The agreement also deals with the project’s interface with the Nickel Plate Trail construction, which will be adjacent to the development.

Hamilton County Reporter

The Fishers girls basketball team completed an undefeated Hoosier Crossroads Conference championship Friday at Franklin Central, beating the Flashes 52-34.

The Class 4A No. 4 Tigers got off to a strong start, leading 14-7 after the first quarter, then led 24-14 at halftime. Fishers made another run in the third period, outscoring Franklin Central 17-9 to take a 41-23 lead.

Kaitlynn Feagan led the Tigers with 15 points, making three 3-pointers. Lydia Stullken collected 12 rebounds to go with eight points, and Katie Burton also scored eight points and pulled five rebounds. Tamia Perryman had six rebounds.

Fishers finished HCC play a perfect 7-0 and the regular season 21-1, tying the school record for wins. The Tigers also reached 21 wins in the 2013-14 and 2008-09 seasons.

Fishers will play at the Westfield sectional next week. The Tigers got the bye and will take on the winner of Tuesday’s Westfield-Zionsville game in the first semi-final next Friday.