Triton Continues Quest For Repeat

July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.

By DALE HUBLER, Times-Union Sports Writer-

BOURBON - Triton girls basketball coach Mark Heeter admits to being superstitious, and he wants nothing more than a little taste of deja vu.

The Trojans lost to Rochester a year ago late in the regular season, and then won their last two regular season games before smashing the state tournament competition, finishing with a 20-7 record and the school's first state title in any sport.

Triton enter's Wednesday's Kouts 1A Regional game with a 19-3 record, its last loss came to Rochester, and so far the Trojans have smashed their tournament competition.

While the Arby's resteraunt chain advertises different as being good, Heeter and his top-ranked team are fine with things being the same.

"Ever since that Rochester game, we've really been getting better," Heeter said. "Our defense is really starting to pick it up. Yes, I am very superstitious."

The Trojans got the bye in last week's Culver Sectional before dismantling Cuvler 55-26 in the semifinal round and then Oregon-Davis 72-43 in Saturday's title game.

Kouts enters tomorrow's game sporting an 18-6 record, winning its sectional championship game 89-66 over Michigan City Marquette. The Fillies won their first sectional game 47-16 over Westville and the semifinal game 68-36 over Morgan Township. Three of Kouts' losses have come to one team - Hebron, currently 19-4 and still alive in the state tournament. Triton's three losses have come to Plymouth, Manchester, and Rochester. Plymouth and Rochester were 3A top-10 teams, while Manchester was a 2A team that finished the regular season with a 14-6 record.

Triton and Kouts are no strangers to each other. Two years ago, Kouts topped the Trojans 53-51 in the regional championship on a last-second tip-in. Triton came back and smashed Kouts 71-42 in last year's regional.

Three starters on each team remain from that game two years ago. A year ago that tip-in didn't sit well with Heeter and the Trojans, they got their revenge and went on to win the state title. To Triton, tommorrow is just another game on the road back to Indianapolis and Butler Fieldhouse.

Kouts, on the other hand, wants to avenge last year's 29-point regional loss and would love nothing more than to host and knock off the No. 1 team in Class A.

"It has developed a rivalry because we've played twice in the regional," Kouts coach Susan Sanders said. "It was a close game two years ago, and we're anxious to play them again. I think the No. 1 thing that stands out about them is their balance. They have so many kids that are weapons. On any given night any of their starters can score in double figures. We can't key on just a couple players, because the rest are capable of stepping up."

Ashli Senff, who started last year's state championship game as a freshman, leads Triton in scoring with 16.4 points per game. Seniors Betsy Salyer and Rachel Speicher add 11.1 and 8.8 points per game, respectively.

Five-foot-8 senior Erica Martin, a four-year starter, leads Kouts with 23.3 points per game, while classmate Andrea Amor chips in with 10.3

"We have to stop Erica Martin, she averages 24 points per game," Heeter said. "They've had a lot of success the last three years, and it's at their place."

Wednesday's game is slated to tip off at 7:30 p.m., with the winner advancing to Saturday's Triton Semistate where it will play either Clinton Prairie (16-7) or South Newton (15-9).

No. 5 KOUTS (18-6)

Coach: Susan Sanders

Home team in caps

Kouts 47, LAVILLE 27

KOUTS 59, North White 53

KOUTS 67, West Central 58

North Judson 51, KOUTS 42

Kouts 54, HANOVER CENTRAL 41

KOUTS 85, Westville 20

KOUTS 63, Oregon-Davis 48

HEBRON 56, Kouts 37

KOUTS 59, Morgan Township 34

Hebron 47, KOUTS 44

Kouts 70, KNOX 55

Kouts 68, South Central 54

KOUTS 59, LaCrosse 28

Kouts 62, WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP 37

Kouts 76, LaCrosse 18

Kouts 61, Wheeler 53

Hebron 61, Kouts 50

Kouts 73, WHEELER 56

Michigan City Marquette 71, KOUTS 69

BOONE GROVE 59, Kouts 57

KOUTS 53, Morgan Township 29

Morgan Township Sectional

Kouts 47, Westville 16

Kouts 68, Morgan Township 36

Kouts 89, Michigan City Marquette 66

No. 1 Triton (19-3)

Triton home games in caps

Coach: Mark Heeter

Triton 69, North Judson 60

Triton 62, Oregon-Davis 41

Triton 58, Argos 21

Triton 62, South Central 35

Triton 69, Culver Girls Academy 24

Triton 73, Bethany Christian 33

Triton 44, Knox 35

Triton 64, Tippecanoe Valley 61 (OT)

Triton 46, Bremen 35

Triton 61, New Prairie 57 (OT)

Triton 51, John Glenn 36

Triton 54, Culver Community 51

Plymouth 50, Triton 43

Manchester 57, Triton 55

Rochester 70, Triton 59

Triton 69, Jimtown 30

Triton 40, LaVille 31

Triton 58, FW Canterbury 30

Triton 73, Caston 26

Triton 68, Whitko 36

Culver Community Sectional

Triton 55, Culver Community 26

Triton 72, Oregon-Davis 43

KOUTS A REGIONAL

2000-2001 No. 1 TRITON GIRLS BASKETBALL STATS (Leaders only)

Name FG FG% 3-PT 3-PT% FT FT% PTS PPG A APG S SPG R RPG

Senff 140-276 50.7 24-73 32.9 56-79 71 360 16.4 77 3.5 79 3.6 94 4.3

Salyer 114-230 49.6 0-2 0 22-41 54 250 11.4 37 1.7 27 1.2 237 10.8

Speicher 70-168 41.7 1-7 14.3 35-63 56 176 8.8 32 1.6 35 1.8 100 5.0

Feldman 66-131 50.4 3-8 37.5 39-68 57 174 7.9 35 1.5 36 1.6 109 5.0

Ganshorn 47-121 38.8 13-45 28.9 ?? ?? 112 5.1 86 3.9 30 1.4 49 2.2

Westafer 31-80 38.8 6-19 31.6 12-20 60 80 3.6 17 0.8 14 0.6 54 2.5

Triton 528-1160 45.5 48-156 30.8 202-359 56 1306 59.4 320 14.5 255 11.6 776 35.3

Opponents 310-1022 30.3 48-190 25.3 220-382 58 888 40.4 181 8.2 183 8.3 589 26.8

2000-2001 No. 6 KOUTS GIRLS BASKETBALL STATS (Leaders only)

Name FG FG% 3-PT 3-PT% FT FT% PTS PPG A APG S SPG R RPG

Martin 217-419 51.8 37-80 46.3 89-112 79 560 23.3 58 2.4 69 2.9 140 5.8

Amor 86-245 35.1 50-162 30.9 25-39 64 247 10.3 135 5.6 46 1.9 73 3.1

Pendowski 87-234 37.2 8-24 33.3 38-58 66 220 9.2 64 2.7 46 1.9 136 5.7

J. Howard 45-116 38.8 10-38 26.3 21-33 63 121 6.3 46 2.0 26 1.1 97 4.2

Brown 71-153 46.4 0-0 0 7-10 70 148 6.2 25 1.0 15 0.6 94 3.9

Howard 21-55 38.2 3-10 30 9-12 75 54 3.4 30 1.9 6 0.4 36 2.3

Kouts 570-1344 42.4 108-316 34.2 211-313 67 1459 60.8 415 17.3 243 10.1 720 30

Opponents 409-1139 35.9 49-187 26.2 207-334 62 1074 44.8 230 9.6 144 6.1 692 28.8 [[In-content Ad]]

BOURBON - Triton girls basketball coach Mark Heeter admits to being superstitious, and he wants nothing more than a little taste of deja vu.

The Trojans lost to Rochester a year ago late in the regular season, and then won their last two regular season games before smashing the state tournament competition, finishing with a 20-7 record and the school's first state title in any sport.

Triton enter's Wednesday's Kouts 1A Regional game with a 19-3 record, its last loss came to Rochester, and so far the Trojans have smashed their tournament competition.

While the Arby's resteraunt chain advertises different as being good, Heeter and his top-ranked team are fine with things being the same.

"Ever since that Rochester game, we've really been getting better," Heeter said. "Our defense is really starting to pick it up. Yes, I am very superstitious."

The Trojans got the bye in last week's Culver Sectional before dismantling Cuvler 55-26 in the semifinal round and then Oregon-Davis 72-43 in Saturday's title game.

Kouts enters tomorrow's game sporting an 18-6 record, winning its sectional championship game 89-66 over Michigan City Marquette. The Fillies won their first sectional game 47-16 over Westville and the semifinal game 68-36 over Morgan Township. Three of Kouts' losses have come to one team - Hebron, currently 19-4 and still alive in the state tournament. Triton's three losses have come to Plymouth, Manchester, and Rochester. Plymouth and Rochester were 3A top-10 teams, while Manchester was a 2A team that finished the regular season with a 14-6 record.

Triton and Kouts are no strangers to each other. Two years ago, Kouts topped the Trojans 53-51 in the regional championship on a last-second tip-in. Triton came back and smashed Kouts 71-42 in last year's regional.

Three starters on each team remain from that game two years ago. A year ago that tip-in didn't sit well with Heeter and the Trojans, they got their revenge and went on to win the state title. To Triton, tommorrow is just another game on the road back to Indianapolis and Butler Fieldhouse.

Kouts, on the other hand, wants to avenge last year's 29-point regional loss and would love nothing more than to host and knock off the No. 1 team in Class A.

"It has developed a rivalry because we've played twice in the regional," Kouts coach Susan Sanders said. "It was a close game two years ago, and we're anxious to play them again. I think the No. 1 thing that stands out about them is their balance. They have so many kids that are weapons. On any given night any of their starters can score in double figures. We can't key on just a couple players, because the rest are capable of stepping up."

Ashli Senff, who started last year's state championship game as a freshman, leads Triton in scoring with 16.4 points per game. Seniors Betsy Salyer and Rachel Speicher add 11.1 and 8.8 points per game, respectively.

Five-foot-8 senior Erica Martin, a four-year starter, leads Kouts with 23.3 points per game, while classmate Andrea Amor chips in with 10.3

"We have to stop Erica Martin, she averages 24 points per game," Heeter said. "They've had a lot of success the last three years, and it's at their place."

Wednesday's game is slated to tip off at 7:30 p.m., with the winner advancing to Saturday's Triton Semistate where it will play either Clinton Prairie (16-7) or South Newton (15-9).

No. 5 KOUTS (18-6)

Coach: Susan Sanders

Home team in caps

Kouts 47, LAVILLE 27

KOUTS 59, North White 53

KOUTS 67, West Central 58

North Judson 51, KOUTS 42

Kouts 54, HANOVER CENTRAL 41

KOUTS 85, Westville 20

KOUTS 63, Oregon-Davis 48

HEBRON 56, Kouts 37

KOUTS 59, Morgan Township 34

Hebron 47, KOUTS 44

Kouts 70, KNOX 55

Kouts 68, South Central 54

KOUTS 59, LaCrosse 28

Kouts 62, WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP 37

Kouts 76, LaCrosse 18

Kouts 61, Wheeler 53

Hebron 61, Kouts 50

Kouts 73, WHEELER 56

Michigan City Marquette 71, KOUTS 69

BOONE GROVE 59, Kouts 57

KOUTS 53, Morgan Township 29

Morgan Township Sectional

Kouts 47, Westville 16

Kouts 68, Morgan Township 36

Kouts 89, Michigan City Marquette 66

No. 1 Triton (19-3)

Triton home games in caps

Coach: Mark Heeter

Triton 69, North Judson 60

Triton 62, Oregon-Davis 41

Triton 58, Argos 21

Triton 62, South Central 35

Triton 69, Culver Girls Academy 24

Triton 73, Bethany Christian 33

Triton 44, Knox 35

Triton 64, Tippecanoe Valley 61 (OT)

Triton 46, Bremen 35

Triton 61, New Prairie 57 (OT)

Triton 51, John Glenn 36

Triton 54, Culver Community 51

Plymouth 50, Triton 43

Manchester 57, Triton 55

Rochester 70, Triton 59

Triton 69, Jimtown 30

Triton 40, LaVille 31

Triton 58, FW Canterbury 30

Triton 73, Caston 26

Triton 68, Whitko 36

Culver Community Sectional

Triton 55, Culver Community 26

Triton 72, Oregon-Davis 43

KOUTS A REGIONAL

2000-2001 No. 1 TRITON GIRLS BASKETBALL STATS (Leaders only)

Name FG FG% 3-PT 3-PT% FT FT% PTS PPG A APG S SPG R RPG

Senff 140-276 50.7 24-73 32.9 56-79 71 360 16.4 77 3.5 79 3.6 94 4.3

Salyer 114-230 49.6 0-2 0 22-41 54 250 11.4 37 1.7 27 1.2 237 10.8

Speicher 70-168 41.7 1-7 14.3 35-63 56 176 8.8 32 1.6 35 1.8 100 5.0

Feldman 66-131 50.4 3-8 37.5 39-68 57 174 7.9 35 1.5 36 1.6 109 5.0

Ganshorn 47-121 38.8 13-45 28.9 ?? ?? 112 5.1 86 3.9 30 1.4 49 2.2

Westafer 31-80 38.8 6-19 31.6 12-20 60 80 3.6 17 0.8 14 0.6 54 2.5

Triton 528-1160 45.5 48-156 30.8 202-359 56 1306 59.4 320 14.5 255 11.6 776 35.3

Opponents 310-1022 30.3 48-190 25.3 220-382 58 888 40.4 181 8.2 183 8.3 589 26.8

2000-2001 No. 6 KOUTS GIRLS BASKETBALL STATS (Leaders only)

Name FG FG% 3-PT 3-PT% FT FT% PTS PPG A APG S SPG R RPG

Martin 217-419 51.8 37-80 46.3 89-112 79 560 23.3 58 2.4 69 2.9 140 5.8

Amor 86-245 35.1 50-162 30.9 25-39 64 247 10.3 135 5.6 46 1.9 73 3.1

Pendowski 87-234 37.2 8-24 33.3 38-58 66 220 9.2 64 2.7 46 1.9 136 5.7

J. Howard 45-116 38.8 10-38 26.3 21-33 63 121 6.3 46 2.0 26 1.1 97 4.2

Brown 71-153 46.4 0-0 0 7-10 70 148 6.2 25 1.0 15 0.6 94 3.9

Howard 21-55 38.2 3-10 30 9-12 75 54 3.4 30 1.9 6 0.4 36 2.3

Kouts 570-1344 42.4 108-316 34.2 211-313 67 1459 60.8 415 17.3 243 10.1 720 30

Opponents 409-1139 35.9 49-187 26.2 207-334 62 1074 44.8 230 9.6 144 6.1 692 28.8 [[In-content Ad]]

Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092

e-Edition


e-edition

Sign up


for our email newsletters

Weekly Top Stories

Sign up to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every Sunday

Daily Updates & Breaking News Alerts

Sign up to get our daily updates and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox daily

Latest Stories


Infrastructure Plans Grow With Economic Development In Kosciusko County
Tax increment financing is making it possible for many infrastructure projects to be completed in Kosciusko County.

Slate Auto Seeking Tax Abatements For $363M Investment In County
The total investment that Slate Auto is looking to put into the former LSC Communications (Donnelley) building on Old 30 West is near $363 million. With that investment, the electric-powered pickup truck manufacturer is looking to the county for tax abatements.

Burket Council To Research Possible Exceptions To Livestreaming Bill
BURKET - Burket Town Council will look into if there’s any possible exceptions to small towns in regards to a law requiring livestreaming of meetings starting this summer.

KYLA Graduates Hear About Leadership From Warsaw Coach
NORTH WEBSTER — What does being a coach have to do with Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy (KYLA) and leadership?

Whitko Uses Fast Start To Power Past Wayne 17-0
Putting together a great season so far, the Whitko softball team set its sights on a nonconference game against Fort Wayne Wayne on Thursday. The offense got going early and often for the Lady ‘Cats in this one, as the team was able to cruise to a 17-0 win at home.