Triton Captures Second Straight Sectional Title
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
CULVER - Culver's girls basketball team couldn't help it. Call it bad luck or poor timing, the Cavaliers were the one team that helped define Triton's season.
After starting the season 1-0, Triton lost the next 10. The Trojans redefined player roles, and in the 12th game of the season, snapped the 10-game losing streak by blasting Culver 62-25.
The Trojans did not know it then, but starting with the Culver game, they would go 8-4 in their next 12.
That 12th game took place Saturday night in Culver in the form of a Class A sectional championship. To win the sectional, Triton had to beat Culver on its home floor. The Trojans (9-14) did that, capturing their second straight sectional title and second in school history by beating the Cavaliers (6-15) 51-41.
"When we were 1-10, who would have figured we would win the sectional," Triton coach Mark Heeter said. "As a team, we did some major developing."
Triton sophomore center Betsy Salyer led Triton with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Rachel Speicher added 11 points, and Melissa Nifong chipped in 10 points and 15 rebounds.
The route the Trojans took to win the title proved that while they may have entered the sectional 6-14, what they did was no fluke. Wednesday night they beat 5-14 Oregon-Davis 57-39. They returned to the floor Thursday night to beat 12-9 Michigan City Marquette 56-30. Saturday, they took out Culver.
Where exactly the sectional championship was won and where it was lost depended on who you talked to.
Many would have said in the second quarter. In this quarter Culver's offense played more like Cadavaliers instead of Cavaliers, going 0 of 12 from the field. Triton outscored Culver 12-2 in the quarter to take a 22-7 halftime lead.
"In the first half, we had seven points," first-year Culver coach Kyle Elliott said. "No matter who you play, you're not gonna win with that kind of output.
"We just didn't shoot well. We got the shots we wanted, but they just didn't drop. We reversed the ball and got nice looks. We couldn't get them to drop inside or outside."
The Cavaliers did not hit one field goal from the 4:15 mark of the first quarter until the 4:37 mark of the third quarter, a span of 14:58 to be exact. By then Triton led 30-10.
But Triton turnovers and Culver's change in offensive philosophy got the Cavaliers back in the game. Afte trailing 30-10, the Cavaliers pulled as close as 42-36 with 1:31 left.
Culver's full-court press helped force Triton into 19 second-half turnovers. Offensively, Culver was a perimeter jump-shooting team in the first half; in the second half, the Cavaliers drove to the basket to draw fouls and get to the free-throw line.
Alas, this is where Elliott believed his team lost the game. He watched his team do what he asked by driving to the basket. He also watched his Cavaliers hit only 10 of 28 free throws in the second half.
"You have to hit free throws down the stretch, but we go 12 of 31," he said. "That's where the game was won and lost.
"I told our girls to put us in a position to win. To be honest, we were."
The Cavaliers may have kept missing free throws, but the Trojans kept turning the ball over to them. Turnovers allowed Culver to crawl within 43-36 with 1:09 left.
Then Triton sophomore Rachel Speicher sealed the win. She stole the ball from Culver, hit a layup and drew a foul with 59 seconds left. She hit the free throw to convert the three-point play to increase the lead to 46-36.
"Speicher finished it with her play," Heeter said.
Afterward, Triton boys coach Joe Bennett congratulated Mark Heeter.
"Nothing like trying to give it away at the end," Heeter said to Bennett.
But the Trojans didn't. Their rebounding helped offset all the turnovers - they outrebounded Culver 44-27.
"We did what we do well," Heeter said. "We got the ball inside, and we rebounded with our height."
Triton meets Kouts in the Knox Sectional. At 16-7, Kouts is considered the favorite. Then again, Triton looks at its season as two seasons. The Trojans went 1-10 in their first season; they went 8-4 in their second season.
"We've improved every game," Heeter said. "That's why we're moving on." [[In-content Ad]]
CULVER - Culver's girls basketball team couldn't help it. Call it bad luck or poor timing, the Cavaliers were the one team that helped define Triton's season.
After starting the season 1-0, Triton lost the next 10. The Trojans redefined player roles, and in the 12th game of the season, snapped the 10-game losing streak by blasting Culver 62-25.
The Trojans did not know it then, but starting with the Culver game, they would go 8-4 in their next 12.
That 12th game took place Saturday night in Culver in the form of a Class A sectional championship. To win the sectional, Triton had to beat Culver on its home floor. The Trojans (9-14) did that, capturing their second straight sectional title and second in school history by beating the Cavaliers (6-15) 51-41.
"When we were 1-10, who would have figured we would win the sectional," Triton coach Mark Heeter said. "As a team, we did some major developing."
Triton sophomore center Betsy Salyer led Triton with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Rachel Speicher added 11 points, and Melissa Nifong chipped in 10 points and 15 rebounds.
The route the Trojans took to win the title proved that while they may have entered the sectional 6-14, what they did was no fluke. Wednesday night they beat 5-14 Oregon-Davis 57-39. They returned to the floor Thursday night to beat 12-9 Michigan City Marquette 56-30. Saturday, they took out Culver.
Where exactly the sectional championship was won and where it was lost depended on who you talked to.
Many would have said in the second quarter. In this quarter Culver's offense played more like Cadavaliers instead of Cavaliers, going 0 of 12 from the field. Triton outscored Culver 12-2 in the quarter to take a 22-7 halftime lead.
"In the first half, we had seven points," first-year Culver coach Kyle Elliott said. "No matter who you play, you're not gonna win with that kind of output.
"We just didn't shoot well. We got the shots we wanted, but they just didn't drop. We reversed the ball and got nice looks. We couldn't get them to drop inside or outside."
The Cavaliers did not hit one field goal from the 4:15 mark of the first quarter until the 4:37 mark of the third quarter, a span of 14:58 to be exact. By then Triton led 30-10.
But Triton turnovers and Culver's change in offensive philosophy got the Cavaliers back in the game. Afte trailing 30-10, the Cavaliers pulled as close as 42-36 with 1:31 left.
Culver's full-court press helped force Triton into 19 second-half turnovers. Offensively, Culver was a perimeter jump-shooting team in the first half; in the second half, the Cavaliers drove to the basket to draw fouls and get to the free-throw line.
Alas, this is where Elliott believed his team lost the game. He watched his team do what he asked by driving to the basket. He also watched his Cavaliers hit only 10 of 28 free throws in the second half.
"You have to hit free throws down the stretch, but we go 12 of 31," he said. "That's where the game was won and lost.
"I told our girls to put us in a position to win. To be honest, we were."
The Cavaliers may have kept missing free throws, but the Trojans kept turning the ball over to them. Turnovers allowed Culver to crawl within 43-36 with 1:09 left.
Then Triton sophomore Rachel Speicher sealed the win. She stole the ball from Culver, hit a layup and drew a foul with 59 seconds left. She hit the free throw to convert the three-point play to increase the lead to 46-36.
"Speicher finished it with her play," Heeter said.
Afterward, Triton boys coach Joe Bennett congratulated Mark Heeter.
"Nothing like trying to give it away at the end," Heeter said to Bennett.
But the Trojans didn't. Their rebounding helped offset all the turnovers - they outrebounded Culver 44-27.
"We did what we do well," Heeter said. "We got the ball inside, and we rebounded with our height."
Triton meets Kouts in the Knox Sectional. At 16-7, Kouts is considered the favorite. Then again, Triton looks at its season as two seasons. The Trojans went 1-10 in their first season; they went 8-4 in their second season.
"We've improved every game," Heeter said. "That's why we're moving on." [[In-content Ad]]