BOURBON - A third-straight sectional crown may be a little more complicated to obtain than the Triton Trojans boys basketball team's previous two.
Despite entering the Class 1A, Sectional 50 at 19-2 and with a No. 3 ranking, the Trojans haven't been their normally dominate selves down the stretch, finishing the season with two losses in their last five games."Each game is a challenge during a sectional," Triton coach Jason Groves said. "There's no one you can look past. Everything starts over anew, and we have the target on our backs."
Triton opens the sectional, which will be played at Triton High School, Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. against an 8-11 Michigan City Marquette Catholic team.
"They're a solid ball club," Groves said about Marquette. "They have some kids that can score."
A win against Marquette would pit Triton against the Argos Dragons in the Friday semifinals, a team Triton defeated 50-30 on Feb. 2 at home.
With only three teams featuring a winning record in the sectional, Groves' biggest concern may be the 15-6 South Central Satellites, who feature 6-foot-8 senior Jake Kitchell.
Averaging 23.3 points, a state-best 16.8 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game, Kitchell presents the biggest obstacle to a Triton three-peat.
"Kitchell is a good, talented player," Groves said of Kitchell who had 28 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in the Satellite's regular season finale Friday. "This sectional will be a good mental toughness test for us. We need to be fundamentally sound."
Luckily for Triton, they have some talented players too, led by junior Griffyn Carpenter and his 18.7 points per game.
Triton's biggest reason for its sudden look of vincibility stems from Carpenter's absence from the lineup, as he missed three games after suffering his second concussion this year.
As he tries to get back into playing form with each game, Carpenter is the piece of the puzzle the Trojans will need to make a deep postseason run.
"He's been showing progress," Groves said about Carpenter. "The doctors and trainer have been cautious with him. Concussions are a big one. His health is much more of a concern than winning games. With the concussion, he missed about three weeks of practice, so he's been working on getting back in shape."
On top of leading the team in scoring, Carpenter also adds a leadership role to the team, as Triton's lone holdover from the 2008 state championship team.
"We need him out there," Groves said. "With him out there, he can get on the other guys and mentor them."
Another leader on the Triton squad is senior Ben Montalbano, who's averaged 7.6 assists per game.
"When we come out positive, we do great," Groves said. "It's when we're not focused and worried about officials or other things that we're not effective. Ben realizes that, and wants to win and get to a championship level."
Freshman Clay Yeo has also been a big part of the team's success this year, starting every game and averaging 9.3 points and 3.4 rebounds.
"He can be a good, good player at this level," Groves said about the 6-foot-4 frosh. "With each game, he gets better."
Role players Taran Holderman (8.0 ppg), Austin Davis (5.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Jordan Everett (6.6 ppg) will also have to perform well for the Trojans to get through the sectional, but being able to play at home is a much-needed positive.
"Outside of (Montalbano, Carpenter and Davis), the other guys have not been in this environment," Groves said. "Being able to play at home is such a plus, and I don't want that to change. It's nice to be able to come out in front of your home fans."
