Brown, Stutzman's Return Not Enough For TV
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
MENTONE - Starters Jeff Brown and Nick Stutzman returned to Tippecanoe Valley's lineup Tuesday evening after serving a four-game suspension.
Would they - could they - lead the Vikings to a win in their first game back?
Nope.
Not against Plymouth, anyway. You know, 17-2 Plymouth, the basketball team ranked No. 16 in the state? Plymouth defeated Valley 61-55.
A Brian Wray three-pointer broke a 4-4 tie and gave Plymouth a 7-4 lead. The Pilgrims grabbed the lead and drew their line in the sand, daring the Vikings to cross.
Valley never did. The Pilgrims led the rest of the way. Their lead peaked at nine points and shrank to two points. When the Vikings closed in, the Pilgrims swatted them away.
Going in, the Vikings seemed to have more to play for. They had Brown and Stutzman and their 28 points and 13 rebounds back. A win over state-ranked Plymouth would be big. A win would also keep them from slipping under .500.
For Plymouth, this was another game on the schedule.
Both teams shot well. The Vikings hit 20 of 37 shots, while Plymouth made 20 of 38.
"I thought we controlled the tempo," Valley coach Gregg Sciarra said. "We were pretty good from the perimeter. If our guys had enough time, they knocked their shots down.
"It's too bad Plymouth knocked theirs down, especially at the beginning of the game."
For Valley, it was a matter of too much Nick Wise, free throws and turnovers late in the first and second halves.
Wise, a 6-foot-4 senior All-State candidate, scored inside. He scored outside. He finished with 29 points, hitting 8 of 17 field goals and 7 of 7 free throws. He made 4 of 6 three-pointers.
Plymouth made 15 of 19 free throws, including 14 of 16 in the fourth quarter. Valley made 6 of 10 free throws.
Two Viking turnovers in the last 90 seconds of the first half led to six Plymouth points. Two Viking turnovers in the last 39 seconds of the game led to three Plymouth points.
Plymouth made three straight three-pointers that helped the Pilgrims build a 19-10 lead in the first quarter. But an Eric Love three-pointer with 2:52 left before halftime capped a 15-6 Valley run that cut Plymouth's lead to 27-25.
The Vikings had only four turnovers the first half, but two crucial ones came right before halftime. Wise made Valley pay for both, as he hit two three-pointers to put Plymouth up 33-25. The Pilgrims settled on a 33-28 halftime lead after a Brown three-pointer.
Plymouth built the lead in the third quarter, going up 41-32 with 5:23 left. Love stopped this Plymouth run with another three, pulling the Vikings within 41-35. Plymouth led 45-42 when the third quarter ended.
Again the Pilgrims shoved Valley back. A three-point play by Wise pushed the Plymouth lead to 52-45. A Brown field goal followed by another Love three cut the lead to two at 52-50 with 1:51 left.
Plymouth fended off this Viking charge, taking a 56-52 lead with 1:06 left. The Vikings had the ball, but they threw it out of bounds with 39 seconds left.
They fouled Wray and sent him to the free-throw line with 33 seconds left. Wray missed the front end of a one-and-one, but teammate Matt Cramer tipped the offensive rebound out to Wise. The Vikings fouled Wise, and his two free throws upped the Pilgrim lead to 58-52 with 25 seconds left.
Cramer came up big again seconds later. He tipped a Viking pass near halfcourt. Wray came up with the loose ball, and Valley sent him to the free-throw line. He made one to up the lead to 59-52 with 13 seconds left.
"We're down 52-50, and if we do something good, we have a chance," Sciarra said. "If we get a steal, we have a chance to go ahead. We battled back and had our chances, but we didn't get it done."
The Vikings played better than the last time they faced Plymouth. The Pilgrims pounded Valley 81-60 in a December tournament.
"Valley can shoot the ball," Plymouth coach Jack Edison said. "This is what we expected the first time. They hit key shots, passed the ball well, drove to the basket and collapsed our defense. They always seem to play us tough when we come over here."
But?
"Defensively, I thought we made big plays."
Brown led Valley with 17 points. Love, who hit 4 of 6 three-pointers, finished with 14.
Valley, 9-10, ends the regular season by hosting Oak Hill on Friday. [[In-content Ad]]
MENTONE - Starters Jeff Brown and Nick Stutzman returned to Tippecanoe Valley's lineup Tuesday evening after serving a four-game suspension.
Would they - could they - lead the Vikings to a win in their first game back?
Nope.
Not against Plymouth, anyway. You know, 17-2 Plymouth, the basketball team ranked No. 16 in the state? Plymouth defeated Valley 61-55.
A Brian Wray three-pointer broke a 4-4 tie and gave Plymouth a 7-4 lead. The Pilgrims grabbed the lead and drew their line in the sand, daring the Vikings to cross.
Valley never did. The Pilgrims led the rest of the way. Their lead peaked at nine points and shrank to two points. When the Vikings closed in, the Pilgrims swatted them away.
Going in, the Vikings seemed to have more to play for. They had Brown and Stutzman and their 28 points and 13 rebounds back. A win over state-ranked Plymouth would be big. A win would also keep them from slipping under .500.
For Plymouth, this was another game on the schedule.
Both teams shot well. The Vikings hit 20 of 37 shots, while Plymouth made 20 of 38.
"I thought we controlled the tempo," Valley coach Gregg Sciarra said. "We were pretty good from the perimeter. If our guys had enough time, they knocked their shots down.
"It's too bad Plymouth knocked theirs down, especially at the beginning of the game."
For Valley, it was a matter of too much Nick Wise, free throws and turnovers late in the first and second halves.
Wise, a 6-foot-4 senior All-State candidate, scored inside. He scored outside. He finished with 29 points, hitting 8 of 17 field goals and 7 of 7 free throws. He made 4 of 6 three-pointers.
Plymouth made 15 of 19 free throws, including 14 of 16 in the fourth quarter. Valley made 6 of 10 free throws.
Two Viking turnovers in the last 90 seconds of the first half led to six Plymouth points. Two Viking turnovers in the last 39 seconds of the game led to three Plymouth points.
Plymouth made three straight three-pointers that helped the Pilgrims build a 19-10 lead in the first quarter. But an Eric Love three-pointer with 2:52 left before halftime capped a 15-6 Valley run that cut Plymouth's lead to 27-25.
The Vikings had only four turnovers the first half, but two crucial ones came right before halftime. Wise made Valley pay for both, as he hit two three-pointers to put Plymouth up 33-25. The Pilgrims settled on a 33-28 halftime lead after a Brown three-pointer.
Plymouth built the lead in the third quarter, going up 41-32 with 5:23 left. Love stopped this Plymouth run with another three, pulling the Vikings within 41-35. Plymouth led 45-42 when the third quarter ended.
Again the Pilgrims shoved Valley back. A three-point play by Wise pushed the Plymouth lead to 52-45. A Brown field goal followed by another Love three cut the lead to two at 52-50 with 1:51 left.
Plymouth fended off this Viking charge, taking a 56-52 lead with 1:06 left. The Vikings had the ball, but they threw it out of bounds with 39 seconds left.
They fouled Wray and sent him to the free-throw line with 33 seconds left. Wray missed the front end of a one-and-one, but teammate Matt Cramer tipped the offensive rebound out to Wise. The Vikings fouled Wise, and his two free throws upped the Pilgrim lead to 58-52 with 25 seconds left.
Cramer came up big again seconds later. He tipped a Viking pass near halfcourt. Wray came up with the loose ball, and Valley sent him to the free-throw line. He made one to up the lead to 59-52 with 13 seconds left.
"We're down 52-50, and if we do something good, we have a chance," Sciarra said. "If we get a steal, we have a chance to go ahead. We battled back and had our chances, but we didn't get it done."
The Vikings played better than the last time they faced Plymouth. The Pilgrims pounded Valley 81-60 in a December tournament.
"Valley can shoot the ball," Plymouth coach Jack Edison said. "This is what we expected the first time. They hit key shots, passed the ball well, drove to the basket and collapsed our defense. They always seem to play us tough when we come over here."
But?
"Defensively, I thought we made big plays."
Brown led Valley with 17 points. Love, who hit 4 of 6 three-pointers, finished with 14.
Valley, 9-10, ends the regular season by hosting Oak Hill on Friday. [[In-content Ad]]