AKRON – As the saying goes, offense wins games, defense wins championships. The fourth-ranked Tippecanoe Valley Lady Vikings are certainly evidence of the latter. Hosting Fairfield Saturday night in the championship game of Class 3A Sectional 21, Valley was stingy once again, particularly during spurts in the second and third quarters, in a 54-31 win over the Lady Falcons. En route to their second-straight sectional title and the program’s seventh overall, the Lady Vikings went on a 12-0 run in the second quarter and then a 13-0 run in the third. “Our defense is what carries our team,” said Valley junior Anne Secrest, who finished the game with 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks. “When our offense isn’t working, then we have to rely on our defense. You know the old saying, offense wins games, defense wins championships ... that held true tonight.” Valley opened the 41st annual IHSAA state tournament with a 62-34 win over Wawasee on Tuesday, followed by a 51-28 thrashing of West Noble in Friday’s semifinal. The Lady Vikings are giving up an average of just 33 points per game, and with their latest win, their 19th in a row, improved to 24-1. “I feel like we’re always in the right place at the right time,” Valley junior Meredith Brouyette, who was 6 of 7 from the field en route to 15 points Saturday, said of the Lady Vikings’ defense. “We have such great help-side defense. We’re just so good with each other. We know where to be, and when to help. Team chemistry and communication really helps us.” Valley will play Fort Wayne Concordia at approximately noon in Saturday’s Columbia City Regional. Concordia (14-11) beat Fort Wayne Dwenger 52-49 in overtime to claim the Garrett Sectional title. In the first game at Columbia City, No. 2 Heritage Christian (22-4) will play No. 5 Norwell (23-2) at 10 a.m. The regional final is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday. “We wanted to get off to a better start tonight, but again, I think our defense really carried the day for us,” said Valley coach Chris Kindig. “Defense kept us in the ballgame. Fairfield had three or four good outside shooters ... they showed what they can do against NorthWood Friday night. You just couldn’t lay off of them, because they were gonna shoot it. “Again, defense was big for us, and it gave us a little bit of a cushion there. We were up by nine at halftime, and I think it was just a matter of time ... and once we got going offensively and got that confidence, we pulled away from them.” Valley led 10-8 after one quarter of play, and then used its 12-0 run in the second quarter to take a 23-14 lead into the intermission. Leading 30-22 midway through the third quarter, the Lady Vikings scored 13 unanswered points, and Fairfield never recovered. Secrest finished the game 10 of 13 from the field, doing most of her damage in the paint. Brouyette made her first six shots, including a trio of three-pointers, before missing her final attempt. Sophomore Addy Miller chipped in with 10 points in the win, a performance that included three treys. Valley’s inside/outside combo was just too much for the Lady Falcons to handle. “You try and take one thing away, and they throw something else at you,” Fairfield coach Brodie Garber, whose team finished the season with a 13-10 record, said of Valley’s depth. “We really wanted to focus on Brouyette and Secrest, and really force those other kids to make some shots, and then by golly they made a couple more, which opens things up for somebody else. That’s the makings of a good team right there, when multiple people can score.” Senior Andrea Hagar led Fairfield with 10 points and six rebounds, while junior Alexis Thaxton scored nine points and senior Alexis Zook chipped in with seven points and six boards.
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 54, FAIRFIELD 31 FF 8 6 11 6 – 31 TV 10 13 20 11 – 54 Fairfield – Shelby Graber 0-1 0-0 0, Erica Zook 1-4 0-0 3, MacKenzie Bobeck 0-0 0-0 0, Julia Brown 0-1 0-0 0, Felicity Bontrager 0-0 0-0 0, Andrea Hagar 4-7 2-3 10, Alexis Zook 2-10 2-2 7, Jalisa Schwartz 0-1 0-0 0, Katie Kieper 0-2 0-0 0, Alyssa Zook 1-9 0-0 2, Alexis Thaxton 2-8 3-4 9. Totals 10 7-9 31. Valley – Olivia Trippiedi 0-0 0-0 0, Karis Tucker 1-6 0-0 2, Meredith Brouyette 6-7 0-0 15, Addy Miller 3-10 1-2 10, Sophie Bussard 1-2 0-0 2, Sarah Tucker 0-0 0-0 0, Brynda Krueger 0-2 0-0 0, Asia O’Connor 0-0 0-0 0, Morgan Brazo 0-0 0-0 0, Hannah Dunn 1-2 1-2 3, Anne Secrest 10-13 2-3 22. Totals 22-42 4-7 54. Three-pointers – Fairfield 2 (E. Zook, Ale. Zook), Valley 6 (Broyette 3, Miller); Rebounds – Fairfield 22 (Hagar 6, Ale. Zook 6), Valley 20 (Secrest 10); Turnovers – Farfield 11, Valley 9; Fouls – Fairfield 10, Valley 9; Records: Fairfield 13-10, Valley 24-1
