Triton Braces For Rising Sun's Triple Towers In State Finals
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
BOURBON - The talk has been that Triton's romp through the tournament has come a year early.
Mark Heeter has one question for those who think that: What about Missy Nifong?
Nifong is the lone senior on the team and the leading scorer at 12.7 points per game. More importantly, Heeter considers her leadership "invaluable."
"Next year was no good to her," Heeter, the Triton coach, says. "She wanted to go this year."
The Trojans are going, the first Triton team to advance to the state finals in any sport in school history. The 19-7 unranked Trojans meet No. 4 25-2 Rising Sun in Saturday's 10:30 a.m. Class A state championship.
Rising Sun advanced by beating No. 1 White River Valley (25-1) 50-42 in the Loogootee Semistate championship; Triton advanced by drubbing 13-12 Lapel 64-38 in the Triton Semistate.
To all the critics who attempt to belittle Triton's achievement by whining "but it's class basketball," the Trojans aren't even thinking of the tournament in terms of class basketball; all they have cared about is surviving and advancing by winning ballgames, and look where it's gotten them.
"Look what it's done for the community, for the girls," Heeter said. "Everyone around here is excited."
Rising Sun is south of the Ohio River near the Ohio border. The town has 2,500 people and the school 315 students.
The small school nicknamed the Shiners also has three 6-foot players, identical twins Jessica and Jennifer Brock and Erin Turner. All three start, and the Brocks are first and second on the school's career-scoring list.
"Jessica Brock not only broke the girls' record here," Rising Sun assistant coach Mike Seipel says, "she also broke the boys' record."
She broke the boys' record of 1,584 in the second to last game of the regular season. She's at 1,690 and counting.
Jessica averages 18.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game and shoots 54 percent from the floor. Jennifer averages 13.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and shoots 48 percent from the floor. Turner adds 9.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. As a team, Rising Sun shoots 49 percent from the field and averages 31.3 rebounds per game. The Shiners' defense of choice has been a 2-3 zone.
It is the three 6-footers, the only players who score more than 6.9 points per game on the team, who give opposing coaches pause.
"With their height," Heeter says, "the key to winning this game will be making certain we block out and rebound. If we don't keep them off the offensive boards, we'll be in trouble if we're giving them two or three shots.
"The Brocks are great players, but they're no better than some of the other players we've already faced."
But Heeter believes Triton has two advantages over Rising Sun: depth and schedule strength.
After Rising Sun's top trio, two others score between five and seven points per game. After the top five, the scoring drops to 1.8 ppg.
Heeter counts two 3A schools on Rising Sun's schedule. After that, the rest are 2A or A.
"Our schedule has been our advantage," Heeter says. "We've played teams like Plymouth, NorthWood and Rochester. That's why we've lost seven games, because we've played really good teams."
Seipel agrees.
"I'm sure Triton will be one of the best teams we've faced on our schedule," he says. "They may have seven losses, but their losses came against good schools. Down here, we have a lot more smaller schools than up north.
"The school we've played that Triton reminds us of is South Ripley. They have good size, a few people who can shoot from the perimeter, and they get down the floor quick."
Triton has all the offensive pieces: an inside/outside player, a slasher, a garbage (wo)man, a distributor and a do-everything player.
The Trojans have the 5'11" Nifong, who can score inside or shoot three-pointers; freshman Ashley Senff, a slasher who attacks the basket; Brandie Ganshorn, the ball distributor; Betsy Salyer, who gobbles up offensive rebounds for putbacks; and Rachel Speicher, a quick, talented athlete who does a little of everything.
The Trojans have delivered woodshed jobs in the tournament, spanking teams by an average of 26 points. They are 6-0 in the tournament, but they hosted the sectional, regional and semistate, a fact often stated by detractors.
"I would love to host the state finals here," Heeter admits. "But these girls, they want this free trip to Indy. They want to give up the home court for this whole experience."
But Rising Sun, 70-6 over the last three years, relishes the experience as well, and the Shiners are more tournament-tested. They have won regionals every year since the class system began in 1998, but this is the first year they've won the semistate. And they did it by beating the No. 1 team in the state.
"Experience is probably the biggest factor," Seipel says. "Two years ago we lost by one point at the semistate, and last year we lost by two points at the semistate. That's a tough way to have to walk out.
"Our girls would not be denied this time."
Triton plays the game with the accelerator mashed to the floor; the Trojans have led by double-digits at halftime in five of the six postseason games. The offense often runs like this: Defensive rebound by Nifong or Salyer, outlet pass to Ganshorn, Ganshorn pass down the court to Speicher or Senff, Speicher or Senff to the basket. Defensively, the Trojans use full-court presses and traps to force steals for transition baskets.
To Triton, the more chaotic the game, the better. The Trojans' natural athletic ability takes over.
"We play better," Nifong says, "when we don't think."
While a quick-striking offense has carried Triton, the Shiners' have won with a defense that has shut teams down to 32 points per game in the postseason. Only one team has scored more than 35 in any of the six games, and that was No. 1 White River Valley with 42.
The Shiners average 58 points per game this season, but they've played lower-scoring, fewer-possession games in the tournament and settled on an average of 48.
Heeter's plan? Try to run the Shiners out of the gym, like the Trojans have done to other teams in the tournament.
"I think we have a great chance to beat them," he says. "I don't think they can keep up with us. If we go into the 60s, we should win."
The Shiners are ready for whatever craziness Triton throws at them. For them, this is the year. The Brocks, the top two scorers in school history, are seniors.
"We've done our homework on this one," Seipel says. "We're ready." [[In-content Ad]]
BOURBON - The talk has been that Triton's romp through the tournament has come a year early.
Mark Heeter has one question for those who think that: What about Missy Nifong?
Nifong is the lone senior on the team and the leading scorer at 12.7 points per game. More importantly, Heeter considers her leadership "invaluable."
"Next year was no good to her," Heeter, the Triton coach, says. "She wanted to go this year."
The Trojans are going, the first Triton team to advance to the state finals in any sport in school history. The 19-7 unranked Trojans meet No. 4 25-2 Rising Sun in Saturday's 10:30 a.m. Class A state championship.
Rising Sun advanced by beating No. 1 White River Valley (25-1) 50-42 in the Loogootee Semistate championship; Triton advanced by drubbing 13-12 Lapel 64-38 in the Triton Semistate.
To all the critics who attempt to belittle Triton's achievement by whining "but it's class basketball," the Trojans aren't even thinking of the tournament in terms of class basketball; all they have cared about is surviving and advancing by winning ballgames, and look where it's gotten them.
"Look what it's done for the community, for the girls," Heeter said. "Everyone around here is excited."
Rising Sun is south of the Ohio River near the Ohio border. The town has 2,500 people and the school 315 students.
The small school nicknamed the Shiners also has three 6-foot players, identical twins Jessica and Jennifer Brock and Erin Turner. All three start, and the Brocks are first and second on the school's career-scoring list.
"Jessica Brock not only broke the girls' record here," Rising Sun assistant coach Mike Seipel says, "she also broke the boys' record."
She broke the boys' record of 1,584 in the second to last game of the regular season. She's at 1,690 and counting.
Jessica averages 18.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game and shoots 54 percent from the floor. Jennifer averages 13.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and shoots 48 percent from the floor. Turner adds 9.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. As a team, Rising Sun shoots 49 percent from the field and averages 31.3 rebounds per game. The Shiners' defense of choice has been a 2-3 zone.
It is the three 6-footers, the only players who score more than 6.9 points per game on the team, who give opposing coaches pause.
"With their height," Heeter says, "the key to winning this game will be making certain we block out and rebound. If we don't keep them off the offensive boards, we'll be in trouble if we're giving them two or three shots.
"The Brocks are great players, but they're no better than some of the other players we've already faced."
But Heeter believes Triton has two advantages over Rising Sun: depth and schedule strength.
After Rising Sun's top trio, two others score between five and seven points per game. After the top five, the scoring drops to 1.8 ppg.
Heeter counts two 3A schools on Rising Sun's schedule. After that, the rest are 2A or A.
"Our schedule has been our advantage," Heeter says. "We've played teams like Plymouth, NorthWood and Rochester. That's why we've lost seven games, because we've played really good teams."
Seipel agrees.
"I'm sure Triton will be one of the best teams we've faced on our schedule," he says. "They may have seven losses, but their losses came against good schools. Down here, we have a lot more smaller schools than up north.
"The school we've played that Triton reminds us of is South Ripley. They have good size, a few people who can shoot from the perimeter, and they get down the floor quick."
Triton has all the offensive pieces: an inside/outside player, a slasher, a garbage (wo)man, a distributor and a do-everything player.
The Trojans have the 5'11" Nifong, who can score inside or shoot three-pointers; freshman Ashley Senff, a slasher who attacks the basket; Brandie Ganshorn, the ball distributor; Betsy Salyer, who gobbles up offensive rebounds for putbacks; and Rachel Speicher, a quick, talented athlete who does a little of everything.
The Trojans have delivered woodshed jobs in the tournament, spanking teams by an average of 26 points. They are 6-0 in the tournament, but they hosted the sectional, regional and semistate, a fact often stated by detractors.
"I would love to host the state finals here," Heeter admits. "But these girls, they want this free trip to Indy. They want to give up the home court for this whole experience."
But Rising Sun, 70-6 over the last three years, relishes the experience as well, and the Shiners are more tournament-tested. They have won regionals every year since the class system began in 1998, but this is the first year they've won the semistate. And they did it by beating the No. 1 team in the state.
"Experience is probably the biggest factor," Seipel says. "Two years ago we lost by one point at the semistate, and last year we lost by two points at the semistate. That's a tough way to have to walk out.
"Our girls would not be denied this time."
Triton plays the game with the accelerator mashed to the floor; the Trojans have led by double-digits at halftime in five of the six postseason games. The offense often runs like this: Defensive rebound by Nifong or Salyer, outlet pass to Ganshorn, Ganshorn pass down the court to Speicher or Senff, Speicher or Senff to the basket. Defensively, the Trojans use full-court presses and traps to force steals for transition baskets.
To Triton, the more chaotic the game, the better. The Trojans' natural athletic ability takes over.
"We play better," Nifong says, "when we don't think."
While a quick-striking offense has carried Triton, the Shiners' have won with a defense that has shut teams down to 32 points per game in the postseason. Only one team has scored more than 35 in any of the six games, and that was No. 1 White River Valley with 42.
The Shiners average 58 points per game this season, but they've played lower-scoring, fewer-possession games in the tournament and settled on an average of 48.
Heeter's plan? Try to run the Shiners out of the gym, like the Trojans have done to other teams in the tournament.
"I think we have a great chance to beat them," he says. "I don't think they can keep up with us. If we go into the 60s, we should win."
The Shiners are ready for whatever craziness Triton throws at them. For them, this is the year. The Brocks, the top two scorers in school history, are seniors.
"We've done our homework on this one," Seipel says. "We're ready." [[In-content Ad]]