Jordyn Poole, Reagan Wilson take center stage at Noblesville Holiday Invite

NOBLESVILLE — Noblesville played host to four of Indiana's premier girls high school basketball teams Thursday as part of its annual holiday tournament.

The host Millers pulled away for a 65-56 win over Valparaiso in the opener, with Iowa State commit Reagan Wilson pouring in a game-high 29 points and Meredith Tippner adding 20. Senior Becca Gerdt led Valparaiso with 24 points, with Cadynce Clark and Lillian Barnes adding 12 and 11 points, respectively.

The Vikings will face Class 3A No. 1 Norwell in the consolation game after the Knights were unable to keep pace with 4A No. 4 Fort Wayne Snider in a 65-50 loss. Jordyn Poole led the Panthers with 22 points, and was joined in double figures by Ciara Sims with 12. Kennedy Fuelling paced Norwell with 22 points. Makenzie Fuess chipped in 12.

Here are a few takeaways from the daytime session.

Poole (finally) back to 100% for FW Snider. 'It was a blessing in disguise'

Poole was on point, dazzling the crowd with her precision passing and knockdown shooting. The Purdue commit is as good as advertised (probably better, honestly) and considering the experience and skill surrounding her, the Panthers have a real good chance at building upon last year's regional championship run.

"We've played a lot of really good teams on our schedule and that's the best team we've seen so far," said Norwell coach Eric Thornton, whose schedule has included Lawrence North, then-No. 1 Columbia City, Homestead and FW Northrop. "That's a very skilled team."

But only recently did Snider begin pulling things together, because it's only been a few games since its starting point guard felt like her normal self again.

Poole hyperextended her knee during an AAU practice over the summer. She suffered the injury in June and was not officially cleared until the first day of practices. The 5-7 point guard admits she "cheated" a couple times, which probably slowed her recovery a bit, but more daunting was the mental recovery.

Poole said the injury put "a little fear" in her mind, but once she started trusting in it, she began regaining strength and the confidence quickly followed. "It was a blessing in disguise," she continued. "It strengthened my mind a lot and that's something I've dealt with for a long time. My mindset and my confidence are way better."

The statistics have quickly followed. Poole is averaging around 20 points and five assists over her past five games, with a season-high 27 points last week vs. FW Bishop Luers.

Poole's floor vision is unbelievable, but more impressive than the direct assists is her ability to register the hockey assists (passes that indirectly lead to a basket). One that stood out from Thursday: Poole flung a no-look, over-the-head pass to Ciara Sims, who dribbled the baseline and passed off to Tia Phinezy for the easy basket.

"I don't even remember doing that," Poole laughed. "I just did it off instinct."

Wilson's leadership shines through for Noblesville. 'I was happy to see it pay off for her'

Wilson's stats speak for themselves. Her 29 points vs. Valparaiso were a season high and marked her sixth 20-point performance of the season. She enters the nightcap averaging over 16 points and three steals per game, with a shooting percentage right around 40%.

Make no mistake, the Iowa State commit's statistical contributions are (and will continue to be) integral to Noblesville's long-term success, but her role as a senior leader should not be overlooked.

Wilson's vocal presence as a floor general is well-documented. She's constantly talking up her teammates and directing traffic, responsibilities typical of a point guard. But this year's Millers don't have a lot of depth and lack experience at a few positions. Pair that with the fact they've played the most difficult schedule in the state, and it can be very difficult to build confidence and get everyone settled into their roles.

Enter No. 22.

Wilson has focused on bringing the younger players along and "empowering them," coach Donna Buckley said, pointing specifically to guard Ally Hutchinson. The 5-9 sophomore played junior varsity almost exclusively last season, and is now being called upon for varsity minutes against some of the best teams in the state. She had three points vs. Valpo, including a critical layup amidst a 7-0 run that put Noblesville in control in the second half. Another newcomer of note: Brookelyn Grayson, who was solid as she helped fill in for injured senior Ava Shoemaker.

"Reagan's done a great job of bringing those kids along and not letting them get lost, because it would be very easy to do that or not even trust them," Buckley said. "She's been great and I was happy to see that pay off for her today."

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana girls basketball: Noblesville holiday tournament wrap-up