'That's just Ashlynn': Shade's 'inspiring' performance lifts Noblesville girls to 4A title

INDIANAPOLIS —Ashlynn Shade went to the gym with her dad every Friday night as a fourth grader hoping that one day she'd be at Gainbridge Fieldhouse playing for a state championship.

That opportunity finally arrived Saturday night and when it did, the Noblesville junior took full advantage, scoring a game-high 31 points on 13-of-22 shooting (all 2-pointers), with seven rebounds, five assists and three steals to lift the Millers to a 76-52 victory over Franklin in the IHSAA Class 4A championship game.

Another legendary performance from the five-star UConn commit, who became the third player to match Reicina Russell's 4A championship game scoring record (2002, Terre Haute South), and the first since Columbus North's Ali Patberg in 2015. "That's just Ashlynn," sophomore Ava Shoemaker said. "It's inspiring, everything she does."

"This is unreal. I feel like I could play another game right now," Shade beamed. "My adrenaline's going and I'm just so happy."

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Insider: Noblesville's road to state title was a gauntlet. And Millers just kept getting better.

Shade recovered from an inauspicious first quarter (two points on 1-of-5 shooting) to kickstart the offense in the second. She quietly found her rhythm with a couple assists, then drilled six straight field goals as Noblesville (25-4) — which hit 11-of-18 following a 4-for-12 start — swung a two-point first-quarter deficit to a 44-25 advantage with two minutes left in the half.

"We weren't doing great at the beginning, but we didn't break down," said Ava Shoemaker, who logged 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting. "We stayed together as a team and we persevered. We kept going. We kept scoring."

"We also got the ball to Ashlynn Shade," added junior Kaitlyn Shoemaker, Ava's older sister. "She was awesome tonight."

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Don't let the scoreboard tell the story: This team 'got Franklin basketball to its highest point.'

Unsurprisingly, the "get the ball to No. 12" approach paid off down the stretch, as well.

The Millers' offense fell stagnant over the final four minutes of the third quarter, as Franklin drew within 11 behind a 10-0 run. But just as the Grizzly Cubs (28-2) staged their final assault, Shade delivered an emphatic 3-point play to initiate a title-clinching 18-2 run.

That final scoring binge featured contributions from Ava and Kaitlyn Shoemaker, Dani Mendez (finished with nine points, eight rebounds) and Reagan Wilson (12 points, seven assists, two steals), but Shade did most of the damage, recording seven points, three rebounds and an assist over the five-minute stretch.

The key to both the second and fourth quarters was seeing that first shot fall, said Shade, whose offensive success was driven by her willingness to stay patient and not settle for jumpers. Once the Millers got her driving to the basket and posted up inside, she was unstoppable.

"Her game is something everybody looks up to and wants to be," said freshman Meredith Tippner (five points, five rebounds, two blocks, two steals and three assists). "Then just seeing her succeed how she did, she deserves it."

"She works so hard and is so deserving of everything she's getting," added Kaitlyn Shoemaker, who recorded seven points, five rebounds and three assists. "I'm just so proud and happy to have her as a teammate and as a friend."

Asked about Shade's 4A tournament run (averaged 22.6 over seven games), Buckley referred back to an 11-point loss to Zionsville in mid-January. That late-season setback served as a turning point for the entire team, including Shade, whom Buckley challenged to not settle offensively. "No one can guard you," she told her star player.

"Ashlynn really accepted that challenge. She's been unbelievable," Buckley said. "Don't get me wrong. She's so good all the time. But she's been next level. Totally unstoppable. I've never seen anything like it."

Shortly after subbing out, Shade looked up from the bench to see her face plastered on the video board above center court. The moment caught the junior and her teammates off-guard initially — "I didn't even know what it was for until someone told me," she laughed — but once they learned what she'd accomplished, it wasn't much of a surprise.

"If you haven't seen her play, you probably have no idea (what she's capable of)," Buckley said. "But we see it everyday, so sometimes we forget that like, she's ridiculous."

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA girls basketball finals: Ashlynn Shade leads Noblesville to title