Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
AKRON -ÊWhat a difference 36 hours makes. Fresh off a lackadasical 48-47 win over Three Rivers Conference foe North Miami Thursday night, the Tippecanoe Valley boys basketball team put on a clinic Saturday afternoon in a 68-32 romp over Argos.
Shane Denny, David Lash and Bryce Kelley scored in double digits for the Vikings. Denny led Valley in scoring with 16 points on a perfect 6 of 6 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free throw line depsite his battle with a lingering ankle injury.
Argos hung tough for the first eight minutes but couldn't overcome the dominance of Denny and Co.
Ryan O'Dell did his best to keep the Dragons within shouting distance early. O'Dell hit two consecutive three-pointers in the first three minutes of the game to give Argos a 6-5 lead. It was the Dragons' only lead of the game.
Denny scored four straight points to spark a 12-0 run that effectively ended any chance of Argos hanging around.
O'Dell scored all eight of the Dragons' first quarter points.
The Vikings pushed their lead to 20 points in the second quarter behind balanced scoring. Valley point guard Michael Domenico started the quarter with a three-pointer. Domenico scored six points on the night, off two three-pointers, and is one of this season's pleasant suprises for Valley.
"Michael has improved his play. He's playing a little better every game and getting more confident," said Viking head coach Bill Patrick of Domenico.
Another pleasant suprise came in the form of junior Bryce Kelley. Kelley, who is also the signal caller for coach Scott Bibler and the Viking football team, was laser-sharp with 10 points off the bench.
Kevin Kindig was on the receiving end of a Kelley pass late in the fourth quarter and promptly ignited the crowd with a dunk attempt that rattled and finally dropped.
The Vikings reached deep into their bench, with 12 players getting on the court. But it's the first eight that make up Patrick's main rotation that have the coach feeling good about his team's chances as tournament time rolls around.
"We really feel confident with those eight kids. Actually, we feel like we could start any of those eight so we don't hesitate to bring those kids off the bench," Patrick said.
While the Vikings put up 68 points, it was the defensive game that impressed Patrick.
"Our defense was really pretty solid all night. Especially in the first half. I don't think Argos is used to playing someone who's so aggressive on defense. We played 16 minutes of pretty good defense," said Patrick.
The Vikings allowed just 32 points on 11 of 36 shooting for Argos. The Vikings forced the Dragons into 17 turnovers, with 11 coming in the first half. Valley also controlled the boards, holding a dominant 33-14 rebounding edge.
Shane Drudge led the Vikings with seven rebounds while Lash added six and John Gibson added five.
Valley has now won 13 straight games since a 52-49 loss to Plymouth early in the season. The win also moves Patrick to 598 career wins as a head coach. Patrick is expected to go for his 600th win Friday night at Triton.
The Vikings, 15-1 overall, first must defeat Bremen at Tippecanoe Valley High School Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 7:45 p.m.
T. VALLEY 68, ARGOS 32
Argos 8 4 7 13 - 32
T. Valley 17 19 16 16 - 68
Argos FG FT R S Pts.
*O'Dell 7-15 3-6 0 1 20
*Evans 3-8 0-0 3 1 7
*Stults 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
*Alcorn 0-2 0-0 2 0 0
*Hulse 1-8 0-0 3 0 2
Kuchel 0-2 3-4 4 0 3
Robertson 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Eiler 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Braasch 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
Haste 0-1 0-0 1 0 0
Totals 11-36 6-10 14 4 32
T. Valley FG FT R S Pts.
*Denny 6-6 4-4 3 0 16
*Gibson 3-6 0-0 5 4 8
*Domenico 2-3 0-0 1 1 6
*Lash 4-9 4-4 6 1 12
*Drudge 3-6 0-0 7 0 6
Kindig 2-4 0-0 2 0 4
Kelley 3-7 2-2 3 0 10
Reed 1-3 0-2 2 0 2
Parker 0-1 0-0 1 0 0
Nelson 1-2 0-0 1 0 2
Neeley 0-0 2-2 1 0 2
Hoffer 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
Totals 25-47 8-8 33 6 68
Three-point goals - Argos 4-12 (O'Dell 3-6, Evans 1-4, Hulse 0-2), T. Valley 6-9 (Gibson 2-3, Domenico 2-3, Kelley 2-2, Drudge 0-1). Turnovers - Argos 17, T. Valley 7. Team Fouls - Argos 15, T. Valley 12. Fouled out - None.
JV -ÊT. Valley 27, Manchester 23
Valley scoring - Tad Neeley 13, Adam Nelson 5, Jerrod Parker 4, Brady Kinsel 2.
