Panthers Defense Stymies Vikings
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
Entering with an eight-game win streak, the Vikings had that come to an end by a 51-32 count Thursday at home, moving to 9-6 on the year.
"They had an eight-game winning streak, played some teams tough this year and were feeling good about themselves," NorthWood's Indiana Hall of Fame coach Steve Neff said. "I was a little wary going into the game, but we played good defense and moved the ball pretty well."
That defense held Valley to its lowest offensive output of the season, one point under the 33 the Vikings scored in a 49-33 loss to Plymouth on Dec. 4.
The ball movement also allowed junior Courtney Frantz to lead the Panthers with 15 points, followed by junior Lindsey Steffen's 10, senior Courtney Simpson's eight and junior Kelcie Lehman's seven.
"We do have chances for balance on our team," Neff said. "We're still not where we want to be, but we're getting a little closer."
On top of her eight points, Simpson also posted a game-high 13 rebounds, while Steffen was a major problem for the Vikings, recording eight rebounds, dishing four assists and finishing with three steals.
"They're a very solid basketball team, and that's why they're 10-5," Valley coach Gary Teel said. "They're very aggressive defensively. Offensively, they're very aggressive taking the ball to the basket. It was tough for us to defend they're aggressive style of play."
Through the first quarter, Valley was allowed to get some points in the paint against NorthWood's man defense, but once a 2-3 zone was implemented, that scheme became much more difficult. Each time an entry pass would be thrown to the top of the key, the Panthers swarmed the recipient, forcing her to kick it back out, stalling the Valley offense.
"We had to take (sophomore Allison) Thacker away, who's a good three-point shooter, then not allow (senior Whitney) Sparkman or (senior Melody) Hoffer score," Neff said. "We did a nice job on defense - for the most part."
Hoffer led Valley with eight points and nine rebounds, while Sparkman was the home team's next leading scorer with six points.
Making life even tougher for the Vikings was a 1-for-17 shooting night behind the three-point arc, allowing NorthWood to remain in zone defense.
"Normally, we're not going to take 17 three-pointers," Teel said about the eight treys shot by his girls in the fourth quarter, when they were already down by over 20 points.
Perhaps the most disheartening aspect of the loss was the lack of defensive intensity on Valley's part.
On two occasions, Frantz scored an easy bucket on an in-bound play by just stepping into the paint and receiving the pass for a lay-up.
In another example of slow defense, after grabbing a defensive rebound, Steffen was allowed to go coast-to-coast for a bucket early in the second quarter. On Valley's ensuing possession, Lehman got a steal, and then proceeded to go coast-to-coast as well.
"We had three girls down there, they just didn't get back," Teel said. "Sometimes, they felt like they got fouled, then stood there instead of running down the court. But NorthWood is quick. They have good team speed.
"It's just our guards responsibility to get back, and stop the basketball," he added. "Try to take a charge the best you can. We just didn't do a good job of that."
While both teams are in Sectional 21, the loss was a setback for Valley, but not the end of the world.
Holding a 5-0 mark in the Three Rivers Conference, Valley needs to beat 2-12 Southwood Saturday at 6:15 p.m. for at least a share of the conference title. With a win, the Vikings will get a chance to wrap a conference title up at home against 8-6 Manchester Jan. 31.
"One game doesn't make the whole season," Teel said. "There's still a lot of good things that can happen for this team. Right now, we're sitting and 5-0 in the conference. We determine our own destiny, and we have two (conference) games left to play. We've climbed the ladder five steps, and we have two yet to go. The most important game on our schedule is Southwood, which is coming up Saturday. That'll be a big game for us."
NORTHWOOD 51, TIPPECANOE VALLEY 32
N 10 15 15 11 - 51
V 6 5 12 9 - 32
NW (51) - Heeter 2 0-0 4, Lehman 3 1-1 7, Frantz 6 3-5 15, Simpson 3 2-2 8, Steffen 4 2-2 10, A. Lechlitner 0 0-0 0, Campbell 0 0-0 0, Bontrager 0 0-1 0, Roe 0 0-0 0, Olson 3 1-4 7, Styles 0 0-0 0 , H. Lechlitner 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 9-17 51.
Valley (32) - Thacker 1 2-2 4, Myers 1 2-3 4, Hoffman 1 0-0 3, Hoffer 4 0-0 8, Sparkman 3 0-0 6, Boggs 0 1-2 1, Minnick 1 2-3 4, Parker 0 0-0 0, Inglehearn 0 0-0 0, Groom 0 0-0 0, Keirn 0 2-2 2. Totals 11 9-12 32.
3-point goals - NW 0-4, Valley 1-17 (Hoffman); Team Fouls (fouled out) - NW 11, Valley 12 (Sparkman); Turnovers - NW 16, Valley 15; Rebounds - NW 37 (Simpson 13, Steffen 8), Valley 23 (Hoffer 9); Assists - NW 9 (Steffen 4), Valley 6 (Hoffman 2, Hoffer 2); Steals - NW 11 (Lehman 4, Steffen 3), Valley 2; Blocks - NW 3 (Simpson 2), Valley 3; Records - NW 10-5, Valley 9-6
JV - NW 38, Valley 36
Valley JV Stats: Points - Groom 20, Keirn 9, Minnick 7; Record - 9-4[[In-content Ad]]
Entering with an eight-game win streak, the Vikings had that come to an end by a 51-32 count Thursday at home, moving to 9-6 on the year.
"They had an eight-game winning streak, played some teams tough this year and were feeling good about themselves," NorthWood's Indiana Hall of Fame coach Steve Neff said. "I was a little wary going into the game, but we played good defense and moved the ball pretty well."
That defense held Valley to its lowest offensive output of the season, one point under the 33 the Vikings scored in a 49-33 loss to Plymouth on Dec. 4.
The ball movement also allowed junior Courtney Frantz to lead the Panthers with 15 points, followed by junior Lindsey Steffen's 10, senior Courtney Simpson's eight and junior Kelcie Lehman's seven.
"We do have chances for balance on our team," Neff said. "We're still not where we want to be, but we're getting a little closer."
On top of her eight points, Simpson also posted a game-high 13 rebounds, while Steffen was a major problem for the Vikings, recording eight rebounds, dishing four assists and finishing with three steals.
"They're a very solid basketball team, and that's why they're 10-5," Valley coach Gary Teel said. "They're very aggressive defensively. Offensively, they're very aggressive taking the ball to the basket. It was tough for us to defend they're aggressive style of play."
Through the first quarter, Valley was allowed to get some points in the paint against NorthWood's man defense, but once a 2-3 zone was implemented, that scheme became much more difficult. Each time an entry pass would be thrown to the top of the key, the Panthers swarmed the recipient, forcing her to kick it back out, stalling the Valley offense.
"We had to take (sophomore Allison) Thacker away, who's a good three-point shooter, then not allow (senior Whitney) Sparkman or (senior Melody) Hoffer score," Neff said. "We did a nice job on defense - for the most part."
Hoffer led Valley with eight points and nine rebounds, while Sparkman was the home team's next leading scorer with six points.
Making life even tougher for the Vikings was a 1-for-17 shooting night behind the three-point arc, allowing NorthWood to remain in zone defense.
"Normally, we're not going to take 17 three-pointers," Teel said about the eight treys shot by his girls in the fourth quarter, when they were already down by over 20 points.
Perhaps the most disheartening aspect of the loss was the lack of defensive intensity on Valley's part.
On two occasions, Frantz scored an easy bucket on an in-bound play by just stepping into the paint and receiving the pass for a lay-up.
In another example of slow defense, after grabbing a defensive rebound, Steffen was allowed to go coast-to-coast for a bucket early in the second quarter. On Valley's ensuing possession, Lehman got a steal, and then proceeded to go coast-to-coast as well.
"We had three girls down there, they just didn't get back," Teel said. "Sometimes, they felt like they got fouled, then stood there instead of running down the court. But NorthWood is quick. They have good team speed.
"It's just our guards responsibility to get back, and stop the basketball," he added. "Try to take a charge the best you can. We just didn't do a good job of that."
While both teams are in Sectional 21, the loss was a setback for Valley, but not the end of the world.
Holding a 5-0 mark in the Three Rivers Conference, Valley needs to beat 2-12 Southwood Saturday at 6:15 p.m. for at least a share of the conference title. With a win, the Vikings will get a chance to wrap a conference title up at home against 8-6 Manchester Jan. 31.
"One game doesn't make the whole season," Teel said. "There's still a lot of good things that can happen for this team. Right now, we're sitting and 5-0 in the conference. We determine our own destiny, and we have two (conference) games left to play. We've climbed the ladder five steps, and we have two yet to go. The most important game on our schedule is Southwood, which is coming up Saturday. That'll be a big game for us."
NORTHWOOD 51, TIPPECANOE VALLEY 32
N 10 15 15 11 - 51
V 6 5 12 9 - 32
NW (51) - Heeter 2 0-0 4, Lehman 3 1-1 7, Frantz 6 3-5 15, Simpson 3 2-2 8, Steffen 4 2-2 10, A. Lechlitner 0 0-0 0, Campbell 0 0-0 0, Bontrager 0 0-1 0, Roe 0 0-0 0, Olson 3 1-4 7, Styles 0 0-0 0 , H. Lechlitner 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 9-17 51.
Valley (32) - Thacker 1 2-2 4, Myers 1 2-3 4, Hoffman 1 0-0 3, Hoffer 4 0-0 8, Sparkman 3 0-0 6, Boggs 0 1-2 1, Minnick 1 2-3 4, Parker 0 0-0 0, Inglehearn 0 0-0 0, Groom 0 0-0 0, Keirn 0 2-2 2. Totals 11 9-12 32.
3-point goals - NW 0-4, Valley 1-17 (Hoffman); Team Fouls (fouled out) - NW 11, Valley 12 (Sparkman); Turnovers - NW 16, Valley 15; Rebounds - NW 37 (Simpson 13, Steffen 8), Valley 23 (Hoffer 9); Assists - NW 9 (Steffen 4), Valley 6 (Hoffman 2, Hoffer 2); Steals - NW 11 (Lehman 4, Steffen 3), Valley 2; Blocks - NW 3 (Simpson 2), Valley 3; Records - NW 10-5, Valley 9-6
JV - NW 38, Valley 36
Valley JV Stats: Points - Groom 20, Keirn 9, Minnick 7; Record - 9-4[[In-content Ad]]
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