Valley Girls' Season Ends At Sectional
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
Coupled with two free throws to close the first half, Columbia City used a 15-3 run to turn a 22-18 deficit into a 33-25 lead with 2:56 remaining in the third quarter, leading to a 52-44 victory over the Tippecanoe Valley Lady Vikings.[[In-content Ad]]"We revved up our aggressive play," Columbia City coach Wayne Kreiger said. "That's what we wanted to do. In the first half, there were a bunch of kids who hadn't played in a sectional. They were still looking a little starry-eyed."
Those starry-eyed players looked much more grounded to open the second half, forcing Valley into four-straight turnovers, which resulted in a 24-24 game becoming a 31-24 contest.
"Their defensive intensity got us back on our heels, then we're playing not to lose, instead of playing to win," Valley coach Gary Teel said. "That resulted in tentative passes. When you have tentative passes, that's a recipe for a steal and basket."
After building an eight-point lead, Columbia City allowed Valley to creep back in the game, using a 7-0 run late in the third, cutting the Eagles lead to 33-32 following a bucket by sophomore Becky Minnick with 21 seconds remaining.
Trailing just 35-33 with 6:46 remaining in the game, Columbia City turned its offense back on, scoring on five-straight possessions over the next two minutes, including another 7-0 spurt, putting the Eagles back in control.
"We held them in check, and then it was bang-bang-bang, and they hit three shots in a row," Teel said about Columbia City's 7-0 run, which occurred in a span of a minute.
The Eagles were led by Kayla Dunn's 22 points, while Sierria Burlage scored 13 and Alex Bunyan chipped in 10.
Making Columbia City's victory a bit of a head-scratcher was Valley's 42-24 advantage on the boards.
"Rebounding was the No. 1 priority tonight," Kreiger said. "We knew they were strong interior players."
Those interior players were led by seniors Melody Hoffer and Whitney Sparkman.
On the night, Hoffer finished with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Sparkman had eight points and 10 rebounds to go with her three blocked shots.
Despite being dominated on the glass, Columbia City still found a way to get into Friday's 6 p.m. semifinal against Lakeland.
For Valley, the loss ends a Three Rivers Conference championship season with an 11-10 record.
The loss also ends the prep careers of Hoffer, Sparkman and senior Stacie Hoffman.
"Those three seniors have played since they were freshmen," Teel said. "They were a part of two sectional championship teams and two conference championships. So, they've given a lot to the program. All three are going to end in the top 40 in Tippecanoe Valley scoring, in its 37-year history."
COLUMBIA CITY 52, TIPPECANOE VALLEY 44
V 12 10 10 12 - 44
C 11 9 15 17 - 52
Valley - Boggs 1 0-0 3, Myers 2 0-0 4, Hoffman 1 0-0 2, Hoffer 7 5-6 19, Sparkman 4 0-0 8, Thacker 0 3-4 3, Minnick 1 0-0 2, Keirn 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 9-11 44.
CC - Bunyan 3 2-4 11, Dunn 6 10-12 22, Moss 1 0-0 2, Burlage 4 5-6 13, Woll 1 0-0 2, Hinen 0 1-2 1, Oplinger 0 1-1 1. Totals 15 19-25 52.
Three-point goals - Valley 1 (Boggs), CC 3 (Bunyan 3); Team Fouls (fouled out) - Valley 21 (Boggs), CC 12; Turnovers - Valley 15, CC 8; Rebounds - Valley 42 (Sparkman 10, Hoffer 9), CC 24 (Burlage 6); Assists - Valley 5 (Thacker 2), CC 6 (Dunn 3); Steals - Valley 6 (Hoffman 2), CC 8 (Dunn 3); Blocks - Valley 3 (Sparkman 3), CC 0; Records: Valley 11-10, Columbia City 11-10
Coupled with two free throws to close the first half, Columbia City used a 15-3 run to turn a 22-18 deficit into a 33-25 lead with 2:56 remaining in the third quarter, leading to a 52-44 victory over the Tippecanoe Valley Lady Vikings.[[In-content Ad]]"We revved up our aggressive play," Columbia City coach Wayne Kreiger said. "That's what we wanted to do. In the first half, there were a bunch of kids who hadn't played in a sectional. They were still looking a little starry-eyed."
Those starry-eyed players looked much more grounded to open the second half, forcing Valley into four-straight turnovers, which resulted in a 24-24 game becoming a 31-24 contest.
"Their defensive intensity got us back on our heels, then we're playing not to lose, instead of playing to win," Valley coach Gary Teel said. "That resulted in tentative passes. When you have tentative passes, that's a recipe for a steal and basket."
After building an eight-point lead, Columbia City allowed Valley to creep back in the game, using a 7-0 run late in the third, cutting the Eagles lead to 33-32 following a bucket by sophomore Becky Minnick with 21 seconds remaining.
Trailing just 35-33 with 6:46 remaining in the game, Columbia City turned its offense back on, scoring on five-straight possessions over the next two minutes, including another 7-0 spurt, putting the Eagles back in control.
"We held them in check, and then it was bang-bang-bang, and they hit three shots in a row," Teel said about Columbia City's 7-0 run, which occurred in a span of a minute.
The Eagles were led by Kayla Dunn's 22 points, while Sierria Burlage scored 13 and Alex Bunyan chipped in 10.
Making Columbia City's victory a bit of a head-scratcher was Valley's 42-24 advantage on the boards.
"Rebounding was the No. 1 priority tonight," Kreiger said. "We knew they were strong interior players."
Those interior players were led by seniors Melody Hoffer and Whitney Sparkman.
On the night, Hoffer finished with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Sparkman had eight points and 10 rebounds to go with her three blocked shots.
Despite being dominated on the glass, Columbia City still found a way to get into Friday's 6 p.m. semifinal against Lakeland.
For Valley, the loss ends a Three Rivers Conference championship season with an 11-10 record.
The loss also ends the prep careers of Hoffer, Sparkman and senior Stacie Hoffman.
"Those three seniors have played since they were freshmen," Teel said. "They were a part of two sectional championship teams and two conference championships. So, they've given a lot to the program. All three are going to end in the top 40 in Tippecanoe Valley scoring, in its 37-year history."
COLUMBIA CITY 52, TIPPECANOE VALLEY 44
V 12 10 10 12 - 44
C 11 9 15 17 - 52
Valley - Boggs 1 0-0 3, Myers 2 0-0 4, Hoffman 1 0-0 2, Hoffer 7 5-6 19, Sparkman 4 0-0 8, Thacker 0 3-4 3, Minnick 1 0-0 2, Keirn 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 9-11 44.
CC - Bunyan 3 2-4 11, Dunn 6 10-12 22, Moss 1 0-0 2, Burlage 4 5-6 13, Woll 1 0-0 2, Hinen 0 1-2 1, Oplinger 0 1-1 1. Totals 15 19-25 52.
Three-point goals - Valley 1 (Boggs), CC 3 (Bunyan 3); Team Fouls (fouled out) - Valley 21 (Boggs), CC 12; Turnovers - Valley 15, CC 8; Rebounds - Valley 42 (Sparkman 10, Hoffer 9), CC 24 (Burlage 6); Assists - Valley 5 (Thacker 2), CC 6 (Dunn 3); Steals - Valley 6 (Hoffman 2), CC 8 (Dunn 3); Blocks - Valley 3 (Sparkman 3), CC 0; Records: Valley 11-10, Columbia City 11-10
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