Zebras Upend No. 3 Triton Trojans
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
Beginning the season at 15-0, the Class 1A No. 3 Trojans have lost two out of three, including Tuesday's night 56-38 dismantling at Rochester.[[In-content Ad]]The 18-point loss actually looks better than it was, as Triton (17-2) trailed the host Zebras (12-5) by a 45-19 count midway through the fourth quarter when the bench was cleared.
Following the loss, Triton head coach Jason Groves opted to have an extended talk with his team rather than being interviewed by the media.
"They're in there right now having a good talk," Triton assistant coach Dave Carpenter said. "That's why I'm out here and coach is in there. It seems like the last two years, we've always had a problem at about the 16th game of the year. We come to Rochester, and I don't know what it is that we can't compete against them."
Triton hasn't defeated Rochester since 2004, and in the last three seasons, Triton's compiled a 66-7 record. Of those losses, six have come between games 16 and 19 on the schedule, while the other was in the state finals.
Among those losses, none has been as bad as their latest, which saw them in a 25-11 hole at the half.
"In the first half, we really didn't compete like we should have," Carpenter said. "Defensively, we didn't compete."
On defense, Triton's lack of size against the Zebras was evident as the home team owned the paint, hitting 66 percent of their field goal attempts.
Conversely, Triton spent most of its time beyond the three-point line, hitting just 4 of 24 attempts and connecting on just 29 percent of all their shots.
"Nobody hit anything," Carpenter said. "That was frustrating, but we just have to circle the wagons and go on. I don't know what else we have to do, but we have to do something different."
While Triton was struggling to score, Rochester junior Evan Hoff led his team with 19 points and 6-foot-7 senior center Nathan Sewell scored 14 on 7-of-7 shooting.
Among those points for Sewell were two dunks, one of which was a two-handed drop-set slam that knocked a Triton defender to the ground.
"He's been coming on and he's not the same kid he was back in November," Rochester Rob Malchow said. "He's learned how he can fit into the offense."
Triton's leading scorer, junior Griffyn Carpenter, saw his most extended time since missing a few games after suffering his second concussion of the school year.
On the night, Carpenter scored a team-high 11 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
"We have to get him in the fold," Carpenter said. "We have to get him back in shape, get his legs back. He's not quite there yet, so his shots are coming up short after he's played for a little while."
In the first half, Carpenter appeared to be picking up right where he left off, scoring nine of his team's 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting. However, from there, Malchow moved senior Colt Meadows to Carpenter, all but shutting him down.
"When you're a shooter, and you have a real quick guy guarding you, and he's in on you, sometimes that can take you out of your rhythm," Malchow said. "I thought Colt did a good job of that."
The game was expected to be tight, but for the Zebras to hold the Trojans to 11 first-half points, and 38 points overall, was more than a shock.
"We know they like to penetrate in order to get a bucket or kick it," Malchow said of defending Triton, who averages 60 points a game. "We just knew we couldn't allow penetration. We worked hard in the last couple of practices, knowing they couldn't get into the gaps. Still, they're such good shooters that we knew we'd have to rebound well."
And rebound well they did to the tune of a 32-14 advantage on the boards.
Triton will get chance to bounce back Friday at Tippecanoe Valley, a place they haven't won at since 1998.
"How do our guys react to this?," Carpenter asked. "We've been down before and came back to win. That game will be huge for our psyche."
The junior varsity game Friday tips off at 6:15 p.m.
ROCHESTER 56, TRITON 38
T 4 7 8 19 - 38
R 12 13 14 17 - 56
Rochester - Cameron Screeton 0-0 2-2 2, Marc Bowers 1-2 0-0 2, Evan Hoff 5-10 7-7 19, Colt Meadows 2-3 1-2 6, Nathan Sewell 7-7 0-0 14, Nate Basham 0-0 2-2 2, Jon O'Dell 0-0 0-0 0, Michael Holm 0-0 1-2 1, Cahner Thompson 0-0 0-0 0, Collin Harris 4-7 2-2 10, Zac Schoen 0-0 0-0 0, Andrew Riddle 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-29 15-17 56.
Triton - Ben Montalbano 0-2 2-2 2, Austin Davis 1-1 0-0 2, Taran Holderman 1-9 0-0 2, Clay Yeo 1-3 0-0 2, Jordan Everett 2-5 0-0 6, Griffyn Carpenter 5-15 0-0 11, Curtis Nordmann 0-2 2-2 2, Camron Garey 3-3 2-2 8, Quentyn Carpenter 1-5 0-0 3, Kreig Voreis 0-2 0-0 0, Blake Lemler 0-1 0-0 0, Dane Kennedy 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-48 6-6 38.
Three-point goals - Rochester 3-7 (Hoff 2, Meadows), Triton 4-24 (Everett 2, G. Carpenter, Q. Carpenter); Team Fouls - Rochester 10, Triton 16; Turnovers - Rochester 21, Triton 11; Rebounds - Rochester 32 (Harris 9), Triton 14 (Davis 3); Assists - Rochester 11 (Hoff 5), Triton 11 (Montalbano 5); Steals - Rochester 4, Triton 10 (Davis 2, Holderman 2); Blocks - Rochester 2, Triton 1; Records: Rochester 12-5, Triton 17-2
JV - Triton 48, Rochester 38
Triton JV Scoring - Q. Carpenter 16, Zak Shively 10, Marc Lindsey 8, Seth Glingle 8, Jackson Downing 4, Jordan Koontz 2
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Beginning the season at 15-0, the Class 1A No. 3 Trojans have lost two out of three, including Tuesday's night 56-38 dismantling at Rochester.[[In-content Ad]]The 18-point loss actually looks better than it was, as Triton (17-2) trailed the host Zebras (12-5) by a 45-19 count midway through the fourth quarter when the bench was cleared.
Following the loss, Triton head coach Jason Groves opted to have an extended talk with his team rather than being interviewed by the media.
"They're in there right now having a good talk," Triton assistant coach Dave Carpenter said. "That's why I'm out here and coach is in there. It seems like the last two years, we've always had a problem at about the 16th game of the year. We come to Rochester, and I don't know what it is that we can't compete against them."
Triton hasn't defeated Rochester since 2004, and in the last three seasons, Triton's compiled a 66-7 record. Of those losses, six have come between games 16 and 19 on the schedule, while the other was in the state finals.
Among those losses, none has been as bad as their latest, which saw them in a 25-11 hole at the half.
"In the first half, we really didn't compete like we should have," Carpenter said. "Defensively, we didn't compete."
On defense, Triton's lack of size against the Zebras was evident as the home team owned the paint, hitting 66 percent of their field goal attempts.
Conversely, Triton spent most of its time beyond the three-point line, hitting just 4 of 24 attempts and connecting on just 29 percent of all their shots.
"Nobody hit anything," Carpenter said. "That was frustrating, but we just have to circle the wagons and go on. I don't know what else we have to do, but we have to do something different."
While Triton was struggling to score, Rochester junior Evan Hoff led his team with 19 points and 6-foot-7 senior center Nathan Sewell scored 14 on 7-of-7 shooting.
Among those points for Sewell were two dunks, one of which was a two-handed drop-set slam that knocked a Triton defender to the ground.
"He's been coming on and he's not the same kid he was back in November," Rochester Rob Malchow said. "He's learned how he can fit into the offense."
Triton's leading scorer, junior Griffyn Carpenter, saw his most extended time since missing a few games after suffering his second concussion of the school year.
On the night, Carpenter scored a team-high 11 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
"We have to get him in the fold," Carpenter said. "We have to get him back in shape, get his legs back. He's not quite there yet, so his shots are coming up short after he's played for a little while."
In the first half, Carpenter appeared to be picking up right where he left off, scoring nine of his team's 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting. However, from there, Malchow moved senior Colt Meadows to Carpenter, all but shutting him down.
"When you're a shooter, and you have a real quick guy guarding you, and he's in on you, sometimes that can take you out of your rhythm," Malchow said. "I thought Colt did a good job of that."
The game was expected to be tight, but for the Zebras to hold the Trojans to 11 first-half points, and 38 points overall, was more than a shock.
"We know they like to penetrate in order to get a bucket or kick it," Malchow said of defending Triton, who averages 60 points a game. "We just knew we couldn't allow penetration. We worked hard in the last couple of practices, knowing they couldn't get into the gaps. Still, they're such good shooters that we knew we'd have to rebound well."
And rebound well they did to the tune of a 32-14 advantage on the boards.
Triton will get chance to bounce back Friday at Tippecanoe Valley, a place they haven't won at since 1998.
"How do our guys react to this?," Carpenter asked. "We've been down before and came back to win. That game will be huge for our psyche."
The junior varsity game Friday tips off at 6:15 p.m.
ROCHESTER 56, TRITON 38
T 4 7 8 19 - 38
R 12 13 14 17 - 56
Rochester - Cameron Screeton 0-0 2-2 2, Marc Bowers 1-2 0-0 2, Evan Hoff 5-10 7-7 19, Colt Meadows 2-3 1-2 6, Nathan Sewell 7-7 0-0 14, Nate Basham 0-0 2-2 2, Jon O'Dell 0-0 0-0 0, Michael Holm 0-0 1-2 1, Cahner Thompson 0-0 0-0 0, Collin Harris 4-7 2-2 10, Zac Schoen 0-0 0-0 0, Andrew Riddle 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-29 15-17 56.
Triton - Ben Montalbano 0-2 2-2 2, Austin Davis 1-1 0-0 2, Taran Holderman 1-9 0-0 2, Clay Yeo 1-3 0-0 2, Jordan Everett 2-5 0-0 6, Griffyn Carpenter 5-15 0-0 11, Curtis Nordmann 0-2 2-2 2, Camron Garey 3-3 2-2 8, Quentyn Carpenter 1-5 0-0 3, Kreig Voreis 0-2 0-0 0, Blake Lemler 0-1 0-0 0, Dane Kennedy 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-48 6-6 38.
Three-point goals - Rochester 3-7 (Hoff 2, Meadows), Triton 4-24 (Everett 2, G. Carpenter, Q. Carpenter); Team Fouls - Rochester 10, Triton 16; Turnovers - Rochester 21, Triton 11; Rebounds - Rochester 32 (Harris 9), Triton 14 (Davis 3); Assists - Rochester 11 (Hoff 5), Triton 11 (Montalbano 5); Steals - Rochester 4, Triton 10 (Davis 2, Holderman 2); Blocks - Rochester 2, Triton 1; Records: Rochester 12-5, Triton 17-2
JV - Triton 48, Rochester 38
Triton JV Scoring - Q. Carpenter 16, Zak Shively 10, Marc Lindsey 8, Seth Glingle 8, Jackson Downing 4, Jordan Koontz 2
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