BOURBON - The game of high school basketball has changed in many ways, but a constant for the Triton community has been the scoring prowess of the Carpenter family.
Beginning with Sonny Carpenter stepping on the court as a freshman for the Tippecanoe Police Dogs in the 1950s and continuing with current Triton senior Griffyn Carpenter and sophomore Quentyn Carpenter, the name has been a major part of the Triton program."I guess it's just in the genes," Jack Carpenter, the father of Griffyn and Quentyn and the son of Sonny, said. "We've always been around basketball."
Growing up in Michigan, the Carpenter family moved to Indiana in time for Sonny to pick up the game as a fifth grader at Argos Elementary.
After moving into more of a country setting, the Carpenters ended up in the Tippecanoe district, which joined Etna Green and Bourbon to consolidate into Triton Community Schools in 1963.
As a 5-foot-11 player, the 1958 Tippecanoe High School graduate Sonny says the majority of his scoring came from inside the post, helping him finish his career with 994 points.
As a smaller post player, Sonny found a way to get his points, and according to the stories his son heard, it was by any means necessary.
"He was one of the dirtiest players out there," Jack joked. "You see a lot of Griffyn, in the way he plays, comes from his grandpa."
Following Sonny's playing days, his oldest son Dave, an assistant coach on the team, went on to score 411 career points for the Triton Trojans before 1981 graduate Jack came along to score 965 in three seasons, including a school record 538 in the 1980-81 season, matching 1965 graduate Joel Berger.
Despite the impressive point total, there's a chance it would be much higher if the three-point line had been used.
"That would have drastically changed (my point total)," Jack said.
The three-point line has been one change the elder Carpenters have seen, but it isn't the only one.
"The three-point line has made a lot of difference," Sonny said. "The kids are also bigger and stronger. We had strong kids, growing up on the farm, but now, they're more talented and physical."
Jack agrees with his father's views on today's game.
"The speed of the kids has evolved," Jack said.
And the competition the elders saw made it tough to get through a sectional, especially when considering they played in one-class basketball.
"Our schedule was a beast," Jack said about his three varsity teams, which went 16-49 and lost to Warsaw's "Iron Five" in the 1981 Triton Sectional championship. "We were still in the Three Rivers Conference, and we played Warsaw, Wawasee, Rochester and Tippecanoe Valley."
During Sonny's postseason runs, his Police Dogs had to get through a large number of teams.
"We had 14 or 15 teams in the sectional," he said. "Sometimes, you'd play two games in one day."
In contrast, Griffyn's teams have had a little more success, going 94-11 and winning four sectionals, three regionals, three semistates and playing for their second state championship Saturday against Indianapolis Metropolitan at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
"We never experienced anything like this," Jack said. "It's been great."
Individually, Griffyn's also had his share of success, owning the school record with 1,312 point going into his final game.
"I've just always been around the game," Griffyn said.
Jack was a former Triton Elementary coach, which introduced his sons to the sport at a young age.
"We used to warm up with them, and I just loved being there and playing ball," Griffyn said. "I loved played against bigger players, whether it was there, at the park or somewhere else."
Through his four years with the Triton Trojans, Griffyn has always shown an ability to put the ball in the basket, but Quentyn's game is a little different.
"I take pride in getting the ball to the scorer," Quentyn said. "I like the role of getting the ball to Griffyn or (sophomore) Clay Yeo."
While all four of their games have some differences, there is one similarity they all share.
"We are all competitive in what we do," Sonny said. "I've always told them, 'If you start it, don't stop and be the best.'"
And even though they're no longer on the court, Jack and Sonny still find themselves getting into the games watching Griffyn and Quentyn.
"I've got a mouth, but I've calmed down a little bit," Sonny said. "Now, I just sit back and enjoy."
Jack may be sitting back and enjoying the show too, but his friends know to give him his space during the games.
"I know them so well, I can anticipate things," Jack said about watching his sons. "When Griffyn releases a shot, I can tell if it's going in or out. When Quentyn's playing defense, I squirm. I go back and forth with him."
Sliding back-and-forth at Conseco Fieldhouse may be tough without the bleacher seating, but it's hard to believe the Carpenters would like to be anywhere else.
"It's a different world," Jack said. "Look at what Griffyn's done in four years. Three trips to the state finals and won the sectional every year. When I played, we didn't win a sectional, compete in a holiday tournament or the bi-county. It's incredible."
