AKRON - If a game ever had upset written all over it, Wednesday's girls basketball game between Tippecanoe Valley and Triton may have been it.

Valley, a 3A school, had motivation to knock off Triton, the No. 1 school in Class A.

Triton entered the game perfect with a 7-0 record.

And it was Valley and Triton.

"Every year," Triton coach Mark Heeter said. "Every year, except for two years ago, this seems to be a close game."

This year was no exception as Valley forced Triton into overtime, only to lose 64-61. Triton moves to 8-0, while Valley falls to 2-4.

Even the overtime came down to the final buzzer as Valley's Tabitha Pratt heaved a half-court three-point shot that hit the back of the rim, allowing Triton to escape with the win.

Before this game, the closest any team had gotten to Triton was nine points - North Judson and Knox each lost by nine. Triton has beaten five teams by 21 points or more.

That 2-4 Valley took 8-0 Triton to the limit did not shock either coach.

"I think it's because of the proximity," Heeter said. "The schools are close, and the girls play together a lot in the summer. It's easy to get up for a game like this."

Said Valley coach Gary Teel: "We really played with enthusiasm and the desire to win. We expect our kids to play well. This is not something we're going to do just once in a while."

Senior center Betsy Salyer led Triton with 23 points and 14 rebounds, while Rachel Speicher added 15 points and 10 rebounds. Four Vikings hit double figures as Tabitha Pratt scored 14, Billie Jo Rosenstiel 13, Kathy Prater 11 and Lynette Wilcox 10.

The overtime session turned into a free-throw shootout. Triton hit 7 of 11, while Valley hit 2 of 6. After Prater hit a field goal to put the Vikings in front 61-57 with 2:15 left, Valley went scoreless the rest of the overtime.

With 1:30 left and Valley leading 61-58, Rosenstiel missed two free throws that could have put the Vikings up five. During Triton's next possession, Gina Westafer hit her first free throw and missed the second, but Amber Feldman followed with an offensive rebound and putback that tied the game at 61-61.

Triton took a 62-61 lead with 54 seconds left when Rachel Speicher hit 1 of 2 free throws. Valley had the ball trailing 62-61 but turned it over on a three-second violation with 33 seconds left. Feldman hit 1 of 2 free throws during Triton's next possession to extend the lead to 63-61.

Pratt, who made three three-pointers in the third quarter, missed a three-pointer with 11 seconds left. Triton and Valley players both grabbed the rebound, and the possession arrow awarded the Trojans the ball.

Holding the 63-61 lead, Triton knocked nine seconds off the clock before Valley finally fouled. Feldman went to the line and hit 1 of 2 free throws, and after Pratt's long-distance shot rimmed out, the Trojans remained undefeated.

Valley stayed with Triton throughout the game.

With Triton holding a 25-18 lead in the second quarter, Valley closed out the half on a 7-2 run to slice the halftime deficit to 27-25. Pratt made sure the Vikings stayed in the game as she hit three three-pointers and scored 11 in the third quarter, a quarter that ended with Valley ahead 43-42.

"Tabitha hit those threes that got us going," Teel said. "She made a big difference, and what she did tonight was good for her confidence."

Triton took a one three-point lead, 48-45, in the fourth, the biggest lead by either team in the quarter.

The teams posted similar field goal shooting and rebounding numbers. Triton hit 23 of 67 field goals, while Valley hit 24 of 64. Triton outrebounded Valley 43-41. But Triton had its most turnovers in a game this season with 23, while Valley had 18.

Overall free throw numbers were similar -ÊTriton hit 13 of 22 and Valley 11 of 22 - but Triton held the 7-2 advantage in free throws made in overtime.

Valley played Triton to an overtime game despite injuries to Pratt and freshman Rebekah Parker. Pratt broke her leg last year and still isn't 100 percent, and Parker, expected to start, has yet to play a game after having arthroscopic knee surgery.

Afterward, Heeter gave his team a 'C' for its performance.

"We played well in spots, but then we had breakdowns in our mental focus, things like not getting back on defense in time," he said. "We need games like this. Most of the games we've been up by 15 or 20 at the half and coasted the rest of the way. This was good to see the way we responded.

"I thought Betsy played real well, and we finally hit some free throws down the stretch. After Tabitha hit those three threes in a row, Rachel did a good job of containing her."

No. 1 TRITON 64, T. VALLEY 61

OT

Triton (8-0) 19 8 15 13 9 - 64

T. Valley (2-4) 13 12 18 12 6 - 61

Triton FG FT Pts.

Senff (G) 3 2-3 9

Salyer (C) 9 5-6 23

Speicher (F) 6 2-4 15

Ganshorn (F) 0 0-0 0

Feldman (G) 4 3-7 11

Kreiter 0 0-0 0

Salisbury 1 0-0 2

Westafer 1 1-2 4

Bell 0 0-0 0

Totals 24 13-22 64

Valley FG FT Pts.

Pratt (F) 4 3-4 14

Rosenstiel (G) 5 3-6 13

Prater (F) 5 1-4 11

Wilcox (C) 4 2-6 10

Clauson 4 0-0 8

Kindig 1 2-2 5

Doud 0 0-0 0

Parker 0 0-0 0

Totals 23 11-22 61

Three-point goals -ÊTriton 3 (Senff, Speicher, Westafer), Valley 4 (Pratt 3, Kindig). Rebounds - Triton 43 (Salyer 14, Speicher 10), Valley 41 (Pratt 13). Assists -ÊTriton 16 (Senff 7, Ganshorn 6), Valley 9 (Kindig 4). Steals -ÊTriton 12 (Senff 5, Salyer 4), Valley 15 (Prater 4, Rosenstiel 4). Turnovers - Triton 23, Valley 18. Total fouls -ÊTriton 18, Valley 21. Fouled out -ÊSenff, Wilcox.

JV: TIPPECANOE VALLEY 21, TRITON 17

Valley (3-1) scoring - Holly Green 9, Carli Anglin 4, Emily Weaver 4, Sara Zehr 2, Abby Shafer 1, Caty Patterson 1.

Triton (7-1) scoring -ÊCrystal LaMaster 7, Cassie McIntyre 4, Alissa Hayes 2, Terrin Meister 2, Ashley Zelt 2. [[In-content Ad]]