Winners of two straight games, the Tippecanoe Valley girls basketball team looked to make it three on Monday night while playing host to Western. The Lady Vikings trailed for most of the first half, but a big third quarter put the home side in front and they never looked back, picking up a 58-37 win to get to .500.
Western began the game by scoring the first three points, but it was Valley who controlled things from there. The Lady Vikings used a suffocating press as well as some solid half court defense to muck things up for the visitors, leading to a quick 9-0 run in the first two minutes of the contest. Four different players scored during the burst, putting Valley up early.
The visitors responded nicely though, scoring six straight points of their own to knot things up in a hurry and force a timeout by the Lady Vikings. Through four minutes of play, both sides had shown what they were capable of.
Western was putting up a large chunk of its offense from beyond the arc. Given the opportunity to shoot, the Lady Panthers took it more times than not, and it often proved to be the right choice. After the slow start, the visitors had got it going on the offensive end and had extended their lead to seven.
Towards the end of the quarter, Valley got one final shot to fall to cut into the lead a tad, but still trailed by five 18-13 going into the second.
The Lady Vikings had more than a few opportunities early in the quarter to cut into the deficit with a series of fast breaks, but were unable to convert on the chances. Even though the offense had slowed down, the defense for Valley remained tenacious. The Western advantage stayed around six for the opening minutes of the period.
With under three minutes to go in the half, the Lady Vikings made their move. A three for Hailey Stookey followed by a layup for Dalynne Bussard got the home side to within two, the closest they had been during the quarter. Lucy Hayden got in on the fun a possession later, making a shot inside to get her team to within one with two minutes to go.    Junior Lucy Hayden of Valley works her way down the lane to the basket during Monday night's home game against Western...Nieter

Hayden continued her big quarter with a free throw and another layup to tie the game on two separate occasions in the final minute. With the Lady Panther’s last second shot bouncing off the front of the rim, things remained even as both teams went to the locker room knotted up at 27 all.
Things stayed that way as the third quarter got going, with both sides going scoreless for the first two minutes. Finally, a breakaway for Hadley Wise turned into an easy two points, putting Valley on top for the first time since the first quarter. She’d add another steal and score moments later to make it a four-point game.
Wise continued her big quarter with a three ball to make it seven straight points for both herself and the home team. Western finally scored its first basket of the second half four minutes into the period, but they were now the ones playing catch up.
The Lady Vikings continued to press the action and add on to their lead, matching their largest of the game at nine with two minutes to go in the third. They didn’t stop there, adding another shot from distance in the final minute to go up double digits. After outscoring their opponent 16-4 in the quarter, Valley was now up 43-31.
The home side began the fourth quarter by taking the air out of the basketball, being deliberate with its passes and draining the clock while holding on to its lead. Five minutes remained in the game and the Lady Viking lead had only gotten bigger, as they now led by 15.
Valley was able to stay in front by double digits as time continued to tick away, still up by 15 with three minutes to go. The home side didn’t slow down in the final minutes, instead still pushing and growing its lead even more until the final buzzer sounded on an emphatic win.
Wise led all scorers with 20 points while Hayden had 14.
Tippecanoe Valley (6-6) will play at the Brebeuf Jesuit Invite on Dec. 28.