Valley Comes From Behind For OT Win Over Trojans
February 22, 2020 at 5:33 a.m.
Valley Comes From Behind For OT Win Over Trojans
By Alaister McFarren-
The comeback victory was spearheaded by freshman Paul Leasure, who scored 28 points on 10-13 shooting, including 4-5 from three-point range.
The first quarter was a tight defensive battle, with Triton up 9-6 at the end of the quarter.
Both teams found their rhythm offensively in the second quarter. Triton maintained their lead throughout, with the score sitting at 25-20 at the half.
The game’s final outcome might have been very different if a made half-court shot by senior Tanner Trippiedi had not been waved off on a travel call at the halftime buzzer.
“I said my piece about that during the game,” said Valley head coach Chad Patrick. “I’ll have to go back and check out the video, but from my vantage point that was not a travel.”
The third quarter was yet another defensive battle, but an action-packed one. An energetic chain of events was kickstarted when Triton senior Jared Bules missed a wide-open layup on a fast break. Valley grabbed the rebound and pushed the ball up the court for an open layup of their own, only for Triton senior Tyler Heckaman to pin the ball against the backboard for a block. On the subsequent play, sophomore Dawson Perkins got a block in the same manner.
Although he was scoreless on the night, Perkins grabbed six boards and rejected four shots.
Over the first four-and-a-half minutes of the third, only two points were scored. By the end of the third, Valley had scored only seven and Triton only six.
Down 31-27 entering the fourth, Valley managed to save their best basketball for the closing minutes. Leasure, who scored 10 of his 28 in the fourth quarter and overtime, gave them their first lead of the game on a floater with 4:30 remaining. He hit the next two baskets of the game – both threes – and two free-throws to make the score 41-34.
A three by Oviedo made it 41-37. Triton hit a free throw, and then Oviedo was fouled on another three-pointer. He made two of his three free throws to tie the game at 41.
Valley was given the chance to take the lead with 20 seconds left when sophomore Braden Shepherd was sent to the line during the bonus, but he missed the shot. Although Perkins grabbed the offensive rebound, Triton snatched it away from him and pushed it down the court.
The officials called a travel on Oviedo with 3.8 seconds left, however, and Valley was unable to get a shot off before the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
Valley sophomore DJ Estep hit a three to start the period, followed by a made basket by Leasure. Oviedo scored the next five points, tying the game once more, before Valley pulled away for good on the strength of 5-8 shooting from the line.
“This was a character-building week,” said Triton head coach Jason Groves, whose team had lost on Tuesday to a buzzer-beater by Rochester. “If we had lost by 20 or 30 points, then there’s not much you can say, but when you lose two close games, I have to start looking at myself.”
Despite the loss, Groves was proud of his team’s effort.
“(Valley) just made shots when it counted,” he said. “We fought back several times when we got down in the fourth and overtime.”
Patrick credited Valley’s full-court pressure with giving them energy in the second half.
“It didn’t result in steals, but it got us momentum we needed at the end,” he stated.
Despite Leasure’s big night, Patrick felt that it could have been even bigger if the Vikings had focused on getting him even more shots.
“We always knew he could shoot,” Patrick said, “but when you’re that hot, we should have been kicking it out even more on our drives.”
Patrick also praised sophomore Rex Kirchenstien’s defense on Oviedo.
“(Oviedo) did score 17, but not when Rex was on him,” he said.
In the JV game, Triton defeated Valley 47-24 behind 16 points from sophomore Cole McKinney. Valley was led in scoring freshman Brendyn Stump with 11 points.
Triton (10-10) plays at Bremen on Tuesday. Valley (9-12) plays at Wawasee Friday.
The comeback victory was spearheaded by freshman Paul Leasure, who scored 28 points on 10-13 shooting, including 4-5 from three-point range.
The first quarter was a tight defensive battle, with Triton up 9-6 at the end of the quarter.
Both teams found their rhythm offensively in the second quarter. Triton maintained their lead throughout, with the score sitting at 25-20 at the half.
The game’s final outcome might have been very different if a made half-court shot by senior Tanner Trippiedi had not been waved off on a travel call at the halftime buzzer.
“I said my piece about that during the game,” said Valley head coach Chad Patrick. “I’ll have to go back and check out the video, but from my vantage point that was not a travel.”
The third quarter was yet another defensive battle, but an action-packed one. An energetic chain of events was kickstarted when Triton senior Jared Bules missed a wide-open layup on a fast break. Valley grabbed the rebound and pushed the ball up the court for an open layup of their own, only for Triton senior Tyler Heckaman to pin the ball against the backboard for a block. On the subsequent play, sophomore Dawson Perkins got a block in the same manner.
Although he was scoreless on the night, Perkins grabbed six boards and rejected four shots.
Over the first four-and-a-half minutes of the third, only two points were scored. By the end of the third, Valley had scored only seven and Triton only six.
Down 31-27 entering the fourth, Valley managed to save their best basketball for the closing minutes. Leasure, who scored 10 of his 28 in the fourth quarter and overtime, gave them their first lead of the game on a floater with 4:30 remaining. He hit the next two baskets of the game – both threes – and two free-throws to make the score 41-34.
A three by Oviedo made it 41-37. Triton hit a free throw, and then Oviedo was fouled on another three-pointer. He made two of his three free throws to tie the game at 41.
Valley was given the chance to take the lead with 20 seconds left when sophomore Braden Shepherd was sent to the line during the bonus, but he missed the shot. Although Perkins grabbed the offensive rebound, Triton snatched it away from him and pushed it down the court.
The officials called a travel on Oviedo with 3.8 seconds left, however, and Valley was unable to get a shot off before the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
Valley sophomore DJ Estep hit a three to start the period, followed by a made basket by Leasure. Oviedo scored the next five points, tying the game once more, before Valley pulled away for good on the strength of 5-8 shooting from the line.
“This was a character-building week,” said Triton head coach Jason Groves, whose team had lost on Tuesday to a buzzer-beater by Rochester. “If we had lost by 20 or 30 points, then there’s not much you can say, but when you lose two close games, I have to start looking at myself.”
Despite the loss, Groves was proud of his team’s effort.
“(Valley) just made shots when it counted,” he said. “We fought back several times when we got down in the fourth and overtime.”
Patrick credited Valley’s full-court pressure with giving them energy in the second half.
“It didn’t result in steals, but it got us momentum we needed at the end,” he stated.
Despite Leasure’s big night, Patrick felt that it could have been even bigger if the Vikings had focused on getting him even more shots.
“We always knew he could shoot,” Patrick said, “but when you’re that hot, we should have been kicking it out even more on our drives.”
Patrick also praised sophomore Rex Kirchenstien’s defense on Oviedo.
“(Oviedo) did score 17, but not when Rex was on him,” he said.
In the JV game, Triton defeated Valley 47-24 behind 16 points from sophomore Cole McKinney. Valley was led in scoring freshman Brendyn Stump with 11 points.
Triton (10-10) plays at Bremen on Tuesday. Valley (9-12) plays at Wawasee Friday.
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