Vikings To Face Familiar Tournament Opponent
February 27, 2017 at 5:06 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
The Hall of Famer, now in his 48th season, was joking of course.
Still, it does seem a little weird that the Vikings will face the Wawasee Warriors in Class 3A sectional action once again.
The teams have met in the regular season finale for a number of years, and now for the fifth consecutive year and the sixth time in seven years Valley will play back-to-back games against the Warriors.
The Vikings, who take a 10-13 record into postseason play, have won eight of the last nine meetings with Wawasee, including a 53-42 victory in Friday’s matchup in Akron.
The Warriors, who won four of their first five games this season but have won just once in their last 17 games, will be on their home floor this time, hosting Sectional 21 and playing Valley in Tuesday’s 6 p.m. opener.
NorthWood and Lakeland meet in Tuesday’s second game.
West Noble will play either Valley or Wawasee in Friday’s first semifinal game at 6 p.m., followed by Fairfield against NorthWood or Lakeland.
Friday’s winners will meet in Saturday evening’s championship game, with the winner advancing to the Marion Regional to face the Bellmont Sectional champion.
Sectional champions from Garrett and Marion also feed into the Marion Regional.
“They’re in the same situation as us,” Patrick said of the Warriors. “They have to play us Friday and then play us again Tuesday. As far as advantages or disadvantages, both teams are in the same situation. It’s tough to beat a team two games in a row. We’ll have to show up ready to play.”
Valley enters the sectional after winning four of its last six games, while Wawasee has lost 16 of its last 17.
Patrick, like a veteran coach who has been in this situation before, knows that anything can happen, and his team won’t overlook Wawasee.
“They play hard,” Patrick said of the Warriors. “They play a lot of different players. They’ve got maybe five or six players who have made two threes in a game. We can’t let them get easy shots.”
Trevon Coleman leads Wawasee with 13 points per game, while Tyler Smith averages just under six points per game and Jairus Boyer and Jacob Hand average five each and Bennett Hoffert four.
For the Vikings, Alec Craig averages 16 points per game, though he doubled that in Friday’s win over Wawasee.
Jarod Duzenbery and Keith Wright average 12 and 11 points per game, respectively.
Valley advanced to the sectional final a year ago and lost 60-50 to NorthWood. The Vikings are looking for their first sectional title since 2013.
Wawasee was the sectional runner-up in 2015, but hasn’t won a title since 2010.
NorthWood enters the postseason with a 20-2 record. The Panthers have won three consecutive sectional titles and four of the last five.
Fairfield is 11-12, while West Noble and Lakeland are both 8-14.
“NorthWood is the favorite,” said Patrick. “NorthWood is on top alone. The other five teams are pretty even. Someone is going to have to play really well and hope to catch NorthWood on a night they don’t play well.
“Any of the other five teams can get to Saturday’s game, but NorthWood has so much talent. Their guards are quick, they’re athletic, and they have size.”
The Hall of Famer, now in his 48th season, was joking of course.
Still, it does seem a little weird that the Vikings will face the Wawasee Warriors in Class 3A sectional action once again.
The teams have met in the regular season finale for a number of years, and now for the fifth consecutive year and the sixth time in seven years Valley will play back-to-back games against the Warriors.
The Vikings, who take a 10-13 record into postseason play, have won eight of the last nine meetings with Wawasee, including a 53-42 victory in Friday’s matchup in Akron.
The Warriors, who won four of their first five games this season but have won just once in their last 17 games, will be on their home floor this time, hosting Sectional 21 and playing Valley in Tuesday’s 6 p.m. opener.
NorthWood and Lakeland meet in Tuesday’s second game.
West Noble will play either Valley or Wawasee in Friday’s first semifinal game at 6 p.m., followed by Fairfield against NorthWood or Lakeland.
Friday’s winners will meet in Saturday evening’s championship game, with the winner advancing to the Marion Regional to face the Bellmont Sectional champion.
Sectional champions from Garrett and Marion also feed into the Marion Regional.
“They’re in the same situation as us,” Patrick said of the Warriors. “They have to play us Friday and then play us again Tuesday. As far as advantages or disadvantages, both teams are in the same situation. It’s tough to beat a team two games in a row. We’ll have to show up ready to play.”
Valley enters the sectional after winning four of its last six games, while Wawasee has lost 16 of its last 17.
Patrick, like a veteran coach who has been in this situation before, knows that anything can happen, and his team won’t overlook Wawasee.
“They play hard,” Patrick said of the Warriors. “They play a lot of different players. They’ve got maybe five or six players who have made two threes in a game. We can’t let them get easy shots.”
Trevon Coleman leads Wawasee with 13 points per game, while Tyler Smith averages just under six points per game and Jairus Boyer and Jacob Hand average five each and Bennett Hoffert four.
For the Vikings, Alec Craig averages 16 points per game, though he doubled that in Friday’s win over Wawasee.
Jarod Duzenbery and Keith Wright average 12 and 11 points per game, respectively.
Valley advanced to the sectional final a year ago and lost 60-50 to NorthWood. The Vikings are looking for their first sectional title since 2013.
Wawasee was the sectional runner-up in 2015, but hasn’t won a title since 2010.
NorthWood enters the postseason with a 20-2 record. The Panthers have won three consecutive sectional titles and four of the last five.
Fairfield is 11-12, while West Noble and Lakeland are both 8-14.
“NorthWood is the favorite,” said Patrick. “NorthWood is on top alone. The other five teams are pretty even. Someone is going to have to play really well and hope to catch NorthWood on a night they don’t play well.
“Any of the other five teams can get to Saturday’s game, but NorthWood has so much talent. Their guards are quick, they’re athletic, and they have size.”
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