Triton Downs Punchless Vikings 48-38
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
BOURBON - As Tippecanoe Valley girls basketball coach Gary Teel was explaining why his team lost Monday's game to Triton 48-38, Tabitha Pratt hopped up the stairs.
She was at the game, yes, but she wasn't where he needed her: on the court. His player who averaged 26.5 points per game hopped on one leg up the stairs only because she broke the other in the fifth game of the season.
For coaches, there always seems to be that one team on the schedule that is a nemesis no matter what the records, and for Triton's Mark Heeter, that team is Valley.
Triton entered the game 4-2 overall and 4-0 at home, but the Trojans led by one, 19-18, at halftime against a team with no healthy player averaging 10 points per game.
"It's been four or five years since we've beaten Valley," Heeter said. "Triton-Valley, with the exception of last year which was a blowout for them, always seems to be a close game.
"It shouldn't have been. We got the lead and should have extended it. We didn't. We made some silly mistakes and gave it to them."
The Trojans made up for 27 turnovers by dominating Valley in rebounding. Led by junior center Betsy Salyer's 23 rebounds, Triton outrebounded Valley 54-19, including 16-2 in the fourth quarter. Freshman Ashli Senff led Triton with 14 points, and Amber Feldman added 10 points and eight rebounds. Salyer chipped in eight points.
Junior guard Jamie Doud led Valley with 11 points, and junior center Lynette Wilcox added eight points and seven rebounds.
After three quarters, Triton led 29-25, but the Trojans opened the fourth quarter with a 13-0 run to go head 42-25. Valley's first basket in the last quarter came with 2:52 left. The Vikings made a spirited late run, getting within single digits, but they could not overcome their early quarter follies.
"We didn't do a good job taking care of the basketball," Teel said. "We lose focus sometimes. We were playing not to lose instead of playing to win."
Triton blew the game open early in the fourth by dominating on the boards and causing turnovers with full-court pressure.
"Our pressure finally started getting to them," Heeter said. "We forced some turnovers and made layups.
"We rebounded, got the ball out and got it down the floor. When we do that, we're tough. When we play slow, we turn the ball over. We're better off with a speedier game."
Should Triton win Wednesday's game at Bremen, the Trojans will go into their Christmas break with a 6-2 record.
"Six and two is the worst I thought we would be, and I hoped we would be 7-1," Heeter said.
After beginning the season 3-1, Valley has dropped to 4-5.
How big of a loss has Pratt been?
With Pratt, a sophomore, the Vikings were 3-1.
Without her, they are 1-4.
With Pratt, Valley scored 57.5 points per game; without her, the Vikings are scoring 37.8 points per game.
Pratt averaged 26.5 points in four games; Valley's top scorer now is senior center Jennifer Studebaker at 9.0 points per game.
"If Tabitha would have played, it would have been a whole different game," Heeter said. "We were concerned with Doud's three-point shooting and Studebaker inside, but other than those two, we thought we could handle everybody else."
Originally Teel said Pratt may miss six weeks. Now he says it could be longer.
"Right now it's pretty uncertain as to whether she will be back or not," he said. "She will have an MRI Wednesday."
Along with Pratt, the offense has vanished, save Studebaker's 25-point performance in a recent win against Caston.
"They looked to Tabitha," Teel said. "Right now we're suffering when we get behind. Our girls are saying, 'Where's Tabby?' But she's not here. It's almost like a new team."
TRITON 48
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 38
T. Valley (4-5) 8 10 7 13 - 38
Triton (5-2) 9 10 10 19 - 48
Triton FG FT Pts.
Senff 4 6-8 14
Feldman 4 2-3 10
Salyer 4 0-0 8
Speicher 3 1-4 7
Nifong 3 0-0 7
Ganshorn 0 1-2 1
Salisbury 0 1-2 1
Kreiter 0 0-0 0
Miller 0 0-0 0
Totals 18 11-19 48
T. Valley FG FT Pts.
Doud 4 2-2 11
Wilcox 3 2-2 8
Parker 3 0-0 7
Kindig 2 1-3 5
Studebaker 1 1-5 3
Pontious 1 0-0 2
Fox 1 0-0 2
McCalla 0 0-0 0
Totals 15 6-12 38
Three-point goals - T. Valley 2 (Parker, Doud), Triton 1 (Nifong). Rebounds - Triton 54 (Salyer 23), T. Valley 19 (Studebaker 9). Assists -ÊTriton 12 (Senff 4), T. Valley 12 (leader N/A). Steals -ÊTriton 13 (Senff 5), Tippecanoe Valley 18 (leader N/A). Total fouls - Triton 14, Tippecanoe Valley 19. Fouled out - Pontious. Turnovers - Triton 27, T. Valley 23.
JV - TIPPECANOE VALLEY 32, TRITON 29 [[In-content Ad]]
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BOURBON - As Tippecanoe Valley girls basketball coach Gary Teel was explaining why his team lost Monday's game to Triton 48-38, Tabitha Pratt hopped up the stairs.
She was at the game, yes, but she wasn't where he needed her: on the court. His player who averaged 26.5 points per game hopped on one leg up the stairs only because she broke the other in the fifth game of the season.
For coaches, there always seems to be that one team on the schedule that is a nemesis no matter what the records, and for Triton's Mark Heeter, that team is Valley.
Triton entered the game 4-2 overall and 4-0 at home, but the Trojans led by one, 19-18, at halftime against a team with no healthy player averaging 10 points per game.
"It's been four or five years since we've beaten Valley," Heeter said. "Triton-Valley, with the exception of last year which was a blowout for them, always seems to be a close game.
"It shouldn't have been. We got the lead and should have extended it. We didn't. We made some silly mistakes and gave it to them."
The Trojans made up for 27 turnovers by dominating Valley in rebounding. Led by junior center Betsy Salyer's 23 rebounds, Triton outrebounded Valley 54-19, including 16-2 in the fourth quarter. Freshman Ashli Senff led Triton with 14 points, and Amber Feldman added 10 points and eight rebounds. Salyer chipped in eight points.
Junior guard Jamie Doud led Valley with 11 points, and junior center Lynette Wilcox added eight points and seven rebounds.
After three quarters, Triton led 29-25, but the Trojans opened the fourth quarter with a 13-0 run to go head 42-25. Valley's first basket in the last quarter came with 2:52 left. The Vikings made a spirited late run, getting within single digits, but they could not overcome their early quarter follies.
"We didn't do a good job taking care of the basketball," Teel said. "We lose focus sometimes. We were playing not to lose instead of playing to win."
Triton blew the game open early in the fourth by dominating on the boards and causing turnovers with full-court pressure.
"Our pressure finally started getting to them," Heeter said. "We forced some turnovers and made layups.
"We rebounded, got the ball out and got it down the floor. When we do that, we're tough. When we play slow, we turn the ball over. We're better off with a speedier game."
Should Triton win Wednesday's game at Bremen, the Trojans will go into their Christmas break with a 6-2 record.
"Six and two is the worst I thought we would be, and I hoped we would be 7-1," Heeter said.
After beginning the season 3-1, Valley has dropped to 4-5.
How big of a loss has Pratt been?
With Pratt, a sophomore, the Vikings were 3-1.
Without her, they are 1-4.
With Pratt, Valley scored 57.5 points per game; without her, the Vikings are scoring 37.8 points per game.
Pratt averaged 26.5 points in four games; Valley's top scorer now is senior center Jennifer Studebaker at 9.0 points per game.
"If Tabitha would have played, it would have been a whole different game," Heeter said. "We were concerned with Doud's three-point shooting and Studebaker inside, but other than those two, we thought we could handle everybody else."
Originally Teel said Pratt may miss six weeks. Now he says it could be longer.
"Right now it's pretty uncertain as to whether she will be back or not," he said. "She will have an MRI Wednesday."
Along with Pratt, the offense has vanished, save Studebaker's 25-point performance in a recent win against Caston.
"They looked to Tabitha," Teel said. "Right now we're suffering when we get behind. Our girls are saying, 'Where's Tabby?' But she's not here. It's almost like a new team."
TRITON 48
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 38
T. Valley (4-5) 8 10 7 13 - 38
Triton (5-2) 9 10 10 19 - 48
Triton FG FT Pts.
Senff 4 6-8 14
Feldman 4 2-3 10
Salyer 4 0-0 8
Speicher 3 1-4 7
Nifong 3 0-0 7
Ganshorn 0 1-2 1
Salisbury 0 1-2 1
Kreiter 0 0-0 0
Miller 0 0-0 0
Totals 18 11-19 48
T. Valley FG FT Pts.
Doud 4 2-2 11
Wilcox 3 2-2 8
Parker 3 0-0 7
Kindig 2 1-3 5
Studebaker 1 1-5 3
Pontious 1 0-0 2
Fox 1 0-0 2
McCalla 0 0-0 0
Totals 15 6-12 38
Three-point goals - T. Valley 2 (Parker, Doud), Triton 1 (Nifong). Rebounds - Triton 54 (Salyer 23), T. Valley 19 (Studebaker 9). Assists -ÊTriton 12 (Senff 4), T. Valley 12 (leader N/A). Steals -ÊTriton 13 (Senff 5), Tippecanoe Valley 18 (leader N/A). Total fouls - Triton 14, Tippecanoe Valley 19. Fouled out - Pontious. Turnovers - Triton 27, T. Valley 23.
JV - TIPPECANOE VALLEY 32, TRITON 29 [[In-content Ad]]