Lady Vikings Fall In Regional SemifinalCOLUMBIA CITY – Sometimes, said Tippecanoe Valley girls basketball coach Chris Kindig, you're just not good enough. For the Class 3A No. 8 Lady Vikings, Saturday was one of those days. In a rematch of last season's regional semifinal, Valley cut a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to two but fell 65-58 to sixth-ranked Fort Wayne Concordia at Columbia City High School. The Lady Vikings, who beat Concordia 56-53 a year ago, ended the season with a 22-5 record. Valley trailed 45-35 a minute into the final frame but used a 10-2 run – a spurt that was capped off by a Meredith Brouyette three-pointer – to pull within 47-45 with 5:03 remaining. Concordia, whose season ended with a 21-5 record and a 53-33 loss to No. 4 Heritage Christian in Saturday night's regional final, was 17 of 24 at the free throw line in the fourth quarter and sealed the win over Valley at the stripe. “I called a timeout, and I looked at them and there was no quit at all,” Kindig said of the 10-point deficit and the fourth-quarter rally. "In some years you look at them and you know you're in trouble because the body language wasn't good or whatever, but I didn't see any of that. "They were ready go to, and that's a tribute them because Concordia is a tough team to come back on. They handle the ball very well, and obviously (Sylare) Starks and (Carissa) Garcia are great, quick guards. We were outmatched in terms of quickness and those types of things. "(Shania) Kelly did her damage, too, especially in the first half. They're a very good team." Kelly scored 11 points in the first half and finished with a game-high 24. Hannah Nack scored 13 points in the win, while Starks and Elizabeth Hetler chipped in with 12 and 10, respectively. Concordia led 8-6 after one quarter of play, 23-21 at halftime and 42-33 at the end of the third quarter. There were five ties and four lead changes in the game. Valley drew even twice in the second half but never led after holding a 17-16 advantage. “We made free throws at the end,” said Concordia coach David Miller. “They were making threes to slowly catch up. We got that 10-point lead and you’re thinking ‘OK, it’s starting to get comfortable.’ “No way was it comfortable. They came down and hit a couple threes, and we fouled them once or twice. They made it a game.” Senior Hannah Dunn, who scored 10 of Valley’s first 12 points, scored 16 points in the loss, while sophomore Sophie Bussard tallied 13 points and seniors Anne Secrest and Brouyette finished with eight points each. Junior Addy Miller chipped in with seven points. Saturday’s seven-point loss was the final game in a Valley uniform for seniors Secrest, Brouyette, Dunn and Taneisha Brown. During their four-year prep career’s Valley’s varsity team was 85-17, including a 30-2 mark in the Three Rivers Conference. The Lady Vikings have won 28 straight league games and three consecutive sectional championships. “They just changed the culture,” Kindig said of what the senior class has done for the program. “I don’t think you could ever minimize that. I think everything changed. I think in five or 10 years you’re gonna really appreciate this group a little more because of the dedication, commitment, the type of girls they are. Those don’t come around very often, maybe 20 or 30 years, maybe. “These girls,?I’m really proud of them. They put a lot of time and effort into it, and that’s why they’ve been successful. Sometimes, on a certain day, you’re just not good enough.”
FW CONCORDIA 65, TIPPECANOE VALLEY 58 Con 8 15 19 23 – 65 TV 6 15 12 25 – 58 Concordia – Paige Patterson 0 0-0 0, Hope Kanning 0 0-0 0, Carissa Garcia 2 0-2 6, Hannah Nack 6 1-2 13, Sylare Starks 3 5-6 12, Nautica Rogers 0 0-0 0, Shania Kelly 7 10-11 24, Elizabeth Hetler 2 6-8 10. Totals 20 22-29 65. Valley – Olivia Trippiedi 0 0-0 0, Meredith Brouyette 2 2-2 8, Taneisha Brown 0 0-0 0, Addy Miller 2 2-2 7, Sophie Bussard 5 3-6 13, Emily Peterson 1 1-2 4, Asia O’Connor 0 2-2 2, Hannah Dunn 6 4-5 16, Anne Secrest 3 2-2 8. Three-pointers – Concordia 3 (Garcia 2, Starks), Valley 4 (Brouyette 2, Miller, Peterson); Rebounds – Concordia 16 (Kelly 6), Valley 20 (Secrest 7); Turnovers – Concordia 9, Valley 13; Fouls – Concordia 17, Valley 21; Fouled out – Miller; Records: Concordia 21-5, Valley 22-5 Other semifinal: Heritage Christian 63, Norwell 46 Final: Heritage Christian 53, Concordia 33
