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Squire 'D' Steps Up In Win Over Southwood

NORTH MANCHESTER - Manchester's girls basketball players weren't astronauts walking on the moon Tuesday night in a 83-59 win over Three Rivers Conference rival Southwood, but rather a team taking small steps and then a giant leap. After both teams went 0-2 in their respective first games, Manchester coach Keri Nichols said this was without a doubt her team's biggest leap. "Definately," she said."We talked about it in the locker room.We were making baby steps and this was by far our biggest step.Now we can move on to the next step." The biggest step for the Squires in their 24-point, first win of the season was their defense. Manchester's pressure defense -ÊNichols calls it the "T-trap" -Êforced the Knights to turn the ball over 29 times.The Squires were victim to just 15 turnovers.
DALE HUBLER, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Muncie Powers Facing Each Other

If Muncie, Ind., is not recognized as the high school volleyball capital of the state, the good people of Delaware County would probably like to know why. Here, the Muncie club team has won the national title for Junior Olympic volleyball the last seven years. Here, high schools in Muncie (Muncie Burris, Muncie Central, Delta) took three of the top 10 places in the final AP volleyball poll. Here, freshmen start on teams that play in the semistate. Muncie Central (37-2), ranked No.2 in the final poll, meets No.7 Delta (33-4) in the first round of Saturday's Delta Semistate.Both teams start two freshmen. Muncie Central beat Delta 15-12, 15-6 in the regular season. Fort Wayne Northrop, which boasts a 37-2 record and No.4 ranking, meets 24-14 Warsaw in the other first-round semistate match. Three top 10 teams in this semistate. "I think this is the toughest semistate of the four," Muncie Central coach Dave Shondell said.
Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Slow Start Sinks Vikings Ship Against Warsaw

MENTONE - Once again, the start turned out to be the bitter end for Tippecanoe Valley's girls basketball team. Slow starts by Tippecanoe Valley against rival Warsaw are nothing new.They've happened before.It happened again Friday as Warsaw jumped ahead 21-2 and won 50-27. "We lost the game in the first three minutes," Valley coach Mike Walters said."You look back, one of the most critical things for the outcome of the game was the tip, something we had worked on all week.We had the ball in our hands.We let them take it away from us. "That was a key for us.We needed to get the ball and score on our first possession.We didn't.They got the ball and scored.It was all downhill from that point on in the first half." Hastening Valley's descent were Warsaw forwards Tiffany Ross and Sam Wideman.The 6-foot-1 Wideman finished the game with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while the 5-10 Ross chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds.
Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Vikings Defeat Columbia City 60-53 For First Win

COLUMBIA CITY -ÊIn the first boys basketball game of the season, Tippecanoe Valley fell to Warsaw in double overtime.Warsaw then defeated Columbia City by one point with no time left on the clock last week. Friday night, the Vikings turned the tables and earned their first victory of the season over Columbia City, 60-53. The story of the night was the Eaton brothers, Trey and Brandon.Brandon, a senior starter played nearly the entire game.Trey, the freshman bench player, stepped into the game when Justin Ross got into early foul trouble. The Eatons combined for 31 of Valley's 60 points and 13 of the Vikings' 30 rebounds.Both Brandon and Trey had a steal as well. Columbia City struck first when Mike Schumaker connected on 1 of 2 free throws with 7:05 left in the first quarter to put Columbia City up 1-0.That was the only lead the Eagles held for the remainder of the game.
Jen Gibson, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Panthers Pound Raiders For Title

MIDDLEBURY - This week, Northridge did not catch NorthWood off guard. One week after Northridge's 2-8 football team shocked Tippecanoe Valley 17-0, the Raiders clashed with 9-2 NorthWood.To win, the Raiders needed to play their best game of the year.They also needed the NorthWood Panthers to play their worst game of the year. Neither happened, and NorthWood captured the sectional championship by breezing past Northridge 28-0 on Friday. Afterward, NorthWood coach Rich Dodson fretted over whether his team celebrated its accomplishments enough.Indeed, the Panthers held a modest celebration that quickly ended.The football players sang the school song then charged off into the locker room.
Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016

Groves Ready For First Full-Year Stint At Triton

BOURBON - Tumultuous may be the best way to describe Triton's boys basketball season in 2004-2005. Late in the season former head coach Mike McBride resigned under a haze of controversy.Players and parents accused McBride of misconduct, while McBride contended the issue came down to playing time, or lack thereof, for certain players. Thrown into the middle was assistant Jason Groves, who was named interim head coach. Groves, sans the interim from his title, and the Trojans ended the season with a record of 4-17 after a first-round sectional loss to rival Argos, 54-50. Triton now pins its hope for a return to past glory on a new coach and some fresh-faced players. "I'm excited," said Groves."This is something I've always wanted to do.And this is a good group of kids to work with." Six letter winners return to the Trojans with Troy McIntyre, Jake Everett and A.J.Harrison all sophomores.
DANIEL RIORDAN, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Patrick Is Back, And So Are His Old Ways

By Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Sports Editor As North Carolina State basketball coach, the late Jim Valvano once asked Hall of Fame referee Hank Nichols if he could "tee him up" -Êgive him a technical foul - for what he was thinking. The referee told Valvano no. "Good," Valvano replied, "In that case, I think you suck." Some coaches have that knack for working referees.In this case, Valvano had the knack.The Valvano story is told in John Feinstein's book, "A March To Madness."Nichols said it was such a good line, he did not call the technical foul on Valvano. Bill Patrick has the knack. Patrick is the guy who never had a losing season in 29 years as a varsity basketball coach in the Whitko School Corporation.His career record is 478-181 (.725).In his 29 years, he has had zero losing seasons.His worst record is 11-10.
Inside Pitch column- | July 28, 2016

Vikings' Season May Have Many Peaks, Valleys

AKRON - Tippecanoe Valley head girls basketball coach Gary Teel knows he has talent. What this year's Vikings squad lacks, however, is a wealth of experience. Gone are the likes of Kara Kramer, Holli Jackson and Heather Rathbun from the roster. That trio led by Kramer brought the Vikings to within a made basket of a sectional championship. After a poor start against Norwell, Valley stormed back in last year's sectional final at Peru, only to fall 71-70. Teel hopes this season won't have such an ebb and flow as the Norwell game did. But with just one full-time starter returning in Chelsy Rhoades, the Vikings may go through some growing pains. Rhoades does enter her junior year on the heels of an impressive sophomore campaign that saw her average 10.6 points per game to go with 3.6 rebounds per game and 47 steals for the season.All three categories put her second on the team behind Kramer.
DANIEL RIORDAN, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Warriors Speak Own Language

SYRACUSE - Wawasee Warrior head football coach Joe Rietveld and offensive line coach Mike Campbell have been known to give marital advice to the Warrior offensive line. "The No.1 thing we stress with our offensive line is communication.We like to joke around with the guys and tell them they'll never have a successful marriage if they don't communicate," said Rietveld. This group of linemen, tackles Nathan Lundy and Lee Gardner, guards Ryan Thornburgh and Creighton Kaiser and center Justin Crosby, has taken that advice to heart. The group uses a series of nonsensical phrases to call out defensive shifts and blocking schemes that confuse opposing defenses and sometimes teammates. "They're a different breed," said running back Jordan Swain of his line's foreign language. Most offensive lines, especially the good ones, are known for being quirky.It springs from a bond that must form among the group that causes them to be as unbreakable as links in a chain.
DANIEL RIORDAN, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Lady Lancers Win Homecoming Game

WINONA LAKE - The Grace College Lady Lancers defined the meaning of a homecoming game with a 72-48 win over Concordia (Ann Arbor, MI) in basketball action Saturday afternoon. Alumni and fans alike returned to Lancer Gym to watch a sharp-shooting Grace team nearly run the Cardinals off the court in the first 20 minutes. It was the tale of two halves for the Lancers and the main character in the first was Amber Riffell. The 6-foot forward/center led a hot-shooting Grace team with a team-high 19 points; all scored in the first half. Concordia came out of the blocks sluggish and paid dearly as Theresa Clark's three-point play with 17:15 left in the opening half put Grace up 8-0. The Cardinals finally lit up the scoreboard at the 15:19 mark, but their role as foil was already written. On the end of the court, the Lancers didn't miss their first shot until the 12:37 mark.
DANIEL RIORDAN, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

IU Pulls One Out Of Its Hat

BLOOMINGTON - Fifth-best backcourt in the nation? Street & Smith College Basketball Magazine and ESPN's Dick Vitale have said the Indiana Hoosiers have this. They may, but the fifth-best backcourt in the nation did not show up for the first half Saturday against intrastate rival Indiana State. Fortunately for the capacity Assembly Hall crowd, the Indiana Hoosiers were able to pull off a miraculous second-half comeback to win 76-70. Not a single guard scored for the Hoosiers in the first half. Not preseason All-American A.J.Guyton. Not highly touted freshman Dana Fife. Not three-year player Mike Lewis, and not a single guard off the bench. Fifth-best backcourt in the nation? The Sycamore backcourt turned in a strong showing. The tone of the game was set from the first play when Fife turned the ball over, and Indiana State came back and capitalized.
ORA FREEMAN, Times-Union Correspondent- | July 28, 2016

Whitko Falls To Norwell In Sectional Final Game

SOUTH WHITLEY - The leading rusher, scorer and a two-way starter, Whitko football coach Bryan Sprunger knows what senior Brandon Waterson means to the team. Friday night's 27-8 loss to visiting Norwell in the championship game of Class 3A Sectional 20 at Ryan Huff Memorial Stadium was a reminder. Waterson, who entered the game with 1,270 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 115 yards per game and 7.6 yards per carry, injured his knee on an 8-yard gain in the second quarter and never returned. He finished the game with five carries for 36 yards. Without him, Sprunger said, the Wildcats lost their explosiveness. Without a doubt, Whitko was a different team without their senior leader.
DALE HUBLER, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

No. 10 Warsaw Downs Northrop, Prepares For Huntington North Tonight

Five down, four to go. The Warsaw girls basketball team improved to 5-0 after defeating Fort Wayne Northrop 66-54 Wednesday night. After beginning the toughest part of the season against Tippecanoe Valley in the season opener, the Tigers have defeated team like Homestead, Marion, Crown Point, and Northrop to move to 5-0. But the tough part of Warsaw's schedule is not over yet.Tonight the Tigers face Huntington North.December 8, they face Plymouth; Dec.11 they play Columbia City; and Dec.15 they tip-off against Wawasee. And then they start the Northern Lakes Conference Tournament (followed by the Lady Tiger Tournament), so things will not be easy for the Tigers in the next few weeks. However, Wednesday night the Tigers made things look easy against Northrop. Warsaw jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in the first two minutes of play as Hilary O'Connell, Michelle DeGeeter and Janna Knisely netted baskets.
JEN GIBSON, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Ground Game Lifts Wildcats To Next Level

SOUTH WHITLEY - A mainstay on Whitko's sidelines for nearly a quarter-century, Wildcat football coach Bryan Sprunger describes himself as a litte old school. On a cold November Wednesday afternoon, two days before a sectional championship game at Ryan Huff Memorial Stadium with visiting Norwell, Sprunger's team only practices for an hour-and-a-half because he believes if you can't do something by this time of the season you won't. His command to his team is simple, "do the simple things, and do them well." And so for 22 years now Sprunger's teams have done the simple things - run the ball, block and tackle - and it's produced 129 wins for the South Adams High School and Indiana State University grad. The Wildcats (7-4) host Norwell (5-6) Friday at 7 p.m.in the championship game of Class 3A Sectional 20.The winner advances to next week's regional title game to play the winner of 3A Sectional 19, which pits NorthWood (8-3) against South Bend St.Joe (8-3).
DALE HUBLER, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

TV Tennis Team Plans On Long Day

AKRON - After his team was done stretching before practice Thursday, Tippecanoe Valley boys tennis coach Rod Hamman was giving a pre-Warsaw Sectional pep talk of sorts.He was speaking of money and confidence. First, he told his players to bring money for lunch, as if he was saying, "Hey, we're gonna be there for the championship round anyway."Then he told his players that if they played the way they're capable of, and if they played with confidence, they'd be right in the thick of things. He gave the impression he was planning on making a day of the Warsaw Sectional.He told his players he really believed they could be right there with the host team. The Vikings will play Whitko at 10 a.m.Saturday in the first round of the sectional.At the same time, Warsaw will entertain Wawasee.The winners will meet for the championship at 2 p.m.
DALE HUBLER, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

Tiger Boys Lose Season Opener In OT

COLUMBIA CITY - Undoubtedly, Warsaw's boys basketball game at Columbia City Saturday night was what coaches refer to as a teaching tool. After falling 47-42 in overtime to the Eagles, veteran Warsaw coach Al Rhodes stood in a locker room and said he was disappointed but not discouraged. The game was the first of the season for Warsaw, and the Tigers played like it much of the game. "Overall I thought we played very poorly as an offensive unit, one offense," Rhodes said."I thought our defense was solid, but we gave up a few threes to No.15 (Ryan Boylan) that hurt us." Six-foot-1 junior Ryan Boylan, the No.15 Rhodes was speaking of, finished the game 3 of 5 from the arc.He finished with 11 points, including the last five of the third quarter to give Columbia City a 33-23 lead going into the fourth.
DALE HUBLER, Times-Union Sports Writer- | July 28, 2016

On The Court

Tippecanoe Valley at Warsaw Tip-off: 6:15 p.m.in Warsaw Coaches: Bill Patrick (Valley), Al Rhodes (Warsaw) Last year's records: Valley 6-15, 3-4 TRC; Warsaw 14-8, 4-2 NLC Last year: Warsaw 62, Valley 51 Matchup: This game marks Bill Patrick's return to coaching after a three-year hiatus from the high school courts ...Warsaw has key returners in shooting guard Chris Wiggins, center Zach Nelson, forward Steve Siebenmorgen and point guard Rob Kesler ...Wiggins led the returners with 11 points, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 3.6 rebounds per game last season ...Valley will look to Noah Silveus, Jarvis Shepherd, Eric Prater and Brandon Eaton for leaders this season ...Eaton averaged 10.2 points, 4.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Times-Union Staff Report- | July 28, 2016

Valley Opens Season With Overtime Loss To St. Joe

AKRON -ÊFor the past several years, the Tippecanoe Valley basketball team has started the season playing the Warsaw Tigers in a game that went into at least one overtime. This year the opponent was different, the South Bend St.Joseph Indians, but the game still went into overtime. However, the outcome was not quite what Vikings fans would like to see.The Valley squad fell to St.Joe 60-58 in overtime. Valley was down through the entire second half, but the Vikings fought back in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 54-all and send the game into overtime. In the extra period, the Indians gained the upper hand with 3:38 remaining in the four minute overtime period when Daris Whitfield hit a basket to make the score 56-54. However, Alex Frantz hit both shots of a double-bonus free throw opportunity to tie the score at 56.
JEN GIBSON, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Whitko Falls To No. 4 Columbia City

SOUTH WHITLEY -ÊPlaying against the 4A No.4 Columbia City Eagles Wednesday, the Whitko Wildcats knew they would face a stiff challenge. But the Wildcats did not let the prospect of a challenge deter their effort on the court. Columbia City picked up a 50-36 win over Whitko Wednesday, but coach Don Zawlocki saw positives in the first game of the season. "These guys played hard," said Zawlocki, "and they never quit.This team is going to do some things.I am very proud of the effort the guys put into this game." Derrick Day hit a three-pointer at the 7:05 mark to open the first-quarter scoring and put the Wildcats up 3-0. The Whitko squad held the lead until the 5:11 mark when Ryan Briggs hit a basket to put the Eagles up 4-3.From that point, Columbia City never lost the advantage. The Wildcats scored just once more in the first frame when Jeremy Coble netted a basket at the 1:40 mark.By the end of the quarter, Columbia City held a 14-5 lead.
JEN GIBSON, Times-Union Sports Editor- | July 28, 2016

Tigers Go Inside In Win Over Tippecanoe Valley

Combined, high school basketball coaches Al Rhodes and Bill Patrick have 810 wins. Combined, Patrick and Rhodes have been varsity boys basketball head coaches for 48 years. The two basketball lifers squared off Wednesday.Rhodes, in his 19th year as Warsaw's head coach, led the Tigers (1-0) to a 75-57 win over Tippecanoe Valley (0-1) and Patrick, who is in his first year as the Vikings' head coach. The game was the first for Patrick, who had coached Whitko for 29 years, since March 3, 1995.On the list of places he would choose to play at after a three-season layoff, the Tiger Den fell somewhere between Cameron Indoor Stadium and Argos. "Obviously, we would have liked to start off with somebody else to get us a little experience," Patrick said."This is a tough way to start, playing Warsaw at Warsaw.
Jeff Holsinger, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016
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