A win over Culver Community on Wednesday night gave the Triton boys basketball team at least a share of the Hoosier North Athletic Conference title, but the work was not done there. Friday night’s regular season finale against Knox presented another opportunity for the Trojans: win that one, and don’t share the conference crown with anybody. In front of a capacity crowd at the Trojan Trench, Triton did just that, overcoming a slow start to win 44-36 and secure the HNAC.
From an offensive standpoint, Triton did not get off to the fastest of starts. The defense for both teams got off to a hot start however, controlling the tempo of the game with some aggressive play early on. The scoring would come eventually, for the Redskins before the Trojans. The visitors did a great job of spreading the ball around, as four different players scored the first four baskets to give Knox an early advantage.
Triton would manage just four points in the first seven and a half minutes of play, and while the defense they were facing was doing a great job of containing ball handlers, the Trojans struggled to take care of the ball, making it impossible for the home side to get anything going. The lackluster first quarter did end a whole lot better than it started though, with Dante Workman hitting a last-second jumper to pull his team to within seven going into the second.

    Sophomore Julian Swanson gets fouled while shooting by Rowen Jordan of Knox during the first quarter. Photo by Gary Nieter

The offense began to pick up in the quarter that followed, with the two teams spending a majority of the first five minutes of the second trading buckets. While the team was beginning to see the basket a lot better and the scoreboard was evidence of that, Triton was unable to get the stops it needed to begin chipping away at the lead.
That was until the final three minutes of the first half. The Trojans looked to have flipped a switch in this crucial moment, and it was apparent on the defensive end. The already ultra-intense defense that Triton had begun the game with turned it up yet another notch here, which led to a plethora of turnovers by the Redskins that the home side would use to it advantage. After keeping the deficit in the range of five to seven points, Triton was finally able to get it down to three. With just over a minute and a half left in the quarter, Gage Riffle hit a three pointer for his first points of the game to tie things up.
That’s where things would stay as the halftime buzzer sounded. Knox was unable to get a shot off in the final minute of play, turning it over multiple times to a Trojan side that was beginning to feel it. As the third quarter began, things were knotted up at 17 all.
A steal by Julian Swanson followed by a layup by Tanner Witt-Hoyo on the first possession of the third quarter gave Triton its first lead of the game. That would kickstart a great offensive beginning to the second half for the home team, as not long after, Riffle made his second three of the game to extend the lead even further. Knox did well to survive this onslaught, hanging around and coming up with big makes to stay within a possession or two. This was largely in part to the Redskins’ tenacity on the glass, as the visitors were dominating the offensive rebound game and using the extra shots to their advantage.
Scoring his first points of the game to begin the half seemed to be just what Witt-Hoyo needed, as the junior forward caught fire from there. He’d end up scoring nine points in the third to become the team leader, all while helping the Trojans extend their lead. With the defense still firing on all cylinders and the offense coming alive, the Triton lead sat at nine with just eight minutes to play.
It wouldn’t remain that large for long. A quick burst by Knox to start the fourth made it a four-point game with six minutes left. With Triton not having scored in three minutes, guard Landon Patrick came up with a huge play, stripping the ball for a steal and then taking it coast-to-coast for a layup. He’d be fouled on the shot and converted on the free throw to give his team a bit more breathing room.
The Trojan defense, which had been fantastic to this point, perhaps got a bit too aggressive here in the fourth, committing five fouls to put the Redskins in the bonus with four minutes left. Despite this, Knox was still struggling to get a shot up on most possessions, and trips to the charity stripe were about all that was working. After the Patrick make, the offense was able to get going for Triton once again, and the home side led by nine with three minutes to go.
As time continued to tick away, that’s where the lead remained. As possessions continued to stack up for Knox without a bucket to get closer, it became increasingly clear that this would be a conference-winning effort for the Trojans, as Triton was now up 10 with just over a minute to play. The team would hit its free throws down the stretch to finish off the victory.
Witt-Hoyo finished the game with eleven points. Patrick added eleven while Riffle and Workman each scored six.
Triton (16-6, 7-0 HNAC) will host IHSAA 1A Sectional 50 beginning on Tuesday. The Trojans will take on Culver Community in a first-round rematch in the first game on Wednesday night.