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COLUMBIA CITY - On paper, the Tippecanoe Valley-Central Noble looked somewhat even.
On the court, it was an entirely different story.
The Vikings of Valley, who have had their share of "valleys" this season, entered the game with a 10-10 season record, including 2-5 to end the season.
Central Noble, on the other hand, had the best record entering the sectional (12-7) and had won seven in a row.
Throw out the numbers and regular season stats. It wasn't even close.
Valley downright dominated from the tip, rolling to an easy 56-35 win and berth in the sectional championship. The Vikings (11-10) face Columbia City (11-10), a 61-46 winner over Manchester, tonight in the title tilt.
A combination of a smothering defense, patient offense, and outstanding play all over the court by senior Jeff Brown put Valley on top early, and a flustered Central Noble team just couldn't respond.
The Cougars shot just 3 of 19 (16 percent) in the first half, 12 of 52 (23 percent) for the game, and 1 of 16 (6 percent) from beyond the three-point line. Noble's two key players, Ryan Bricker and Slaven Franic, were held to 5-of-25 shooting, including 1 for 10 from three-point land.
"I thought (coming into the game) that we had to concentrate on Bricker and Franic," Valley coach Gregg Sciarra said, "and we did a nice job on those two guys. We stopped their two big guns from getting good looks at the basket."
Meanwhile, Brown was playing possibly his best game of the season for Tippecanoe Valley, outscoring Central Noble by himself 12-9 in the first half and grabbing eight boards. The senior, in his third game back after a four-game suspension, finished with 19 points, 16 rebounds, four steals, two assists, and two blocked shots.
Sciarra was happy with Brown's play.
"Brown does a lot for the team, being a leader and all, and he had a real solid game," Sciarra said. "We expect a solid game out of him - he's one of our best - so he had better be doing something like that."
Tippecanoe Valley, thanks to five points each from Brown and senior Bryan Lenfestey, jumped out to a 13-5 lead after one period over the Central Noble. The Cougars' shooting woes were already evident; Noble was just 2 of 12 from the field, while Valley was a solid 5 of 9.
The lead grew to 18-7 and forced a Central Noble timeout with 6:47 left in the half, but it was to no avail. The Vikings closed out the half with an 11-2 spurt, capped by a trifecta by Brown as the half expired. Tippecanoe Valley lead 29-9 at the break.
Central Noble broke into double digits with 6:32 left in the third stanza, but the Vikings still maintained a 34-11 advantage. That bucket started the Cougars only run of the night, midway through the period, with Noble cutting the deficit to 34-18 with five minutes to play in the quarter. Noble outscored Valley 9-0 in 1:30 in that stretch; it took the Cougars over 17 minutes to score their first nine markers. Valley got buckets from Nick Stutzman and Brown to enter the fourth frame up 38-22.
The lead grew to as much as 54-29 with two minutes to play, and the Vikes coasted to win No. 11 in the closing minutes with the 56-35 decision.
In addition to Brown's 19, Lenfestey added 13 points and three assists. Freshman Brandon Eaton came off the bench and scored a season-high seven points, while Eric Love and Stutzman each added six.
Tippecanoe Valley battles Columbia City tonight for the sectional title. Columbia City downed TV 54-52 in the regular season at Valley, but Lenfestey didn't play for the Vikes and Dave Richmond didn't play for Columbia City.
The Eagles have won the past four meetings, including the past two sectional contests. The Vikes haven't won a sectional championship since 1988 (at Triton), and Columbia City hasn't won the title game since 1978.
