Plymouth Too Much For Valley

PLYMOUTH - Seven games into the season, one claim the Tippecanoe Valley basketball team could make was that it was in every game. The Vikings were 5-2, and the two losses were by a combined three points.

In the eighth game, Valley ran into Plymouth.

It wasn't even close.

Plymouth won its Holiday Tournament by beating Valley 81-60 in Saturday's championship game. It was the fourth year in a row the Pilgrims (8-1) won the title, and the second straight year they did it by downing Valley in the championship game.

There was no secret why Plymouth won. The Pilgrims were the better team. They were more physical. They wore the Vikings down.

Brian Wray scored 15 points for Plymouth in the first quarter, his most important being a buzzer-beating three-pointer. That gave Plymouth the 19-18 lead and sent the Pilgrims rolling into the second quarter.

Valley coach Gregg Sciarra was content to make Wray beat Valley - his shots were perimeter shots. The Pilgrims weren't scoring easy under the basket.

"I wasn't unhappy Wray had 78 points the first quarter," Sciarra said. "I was unhappy with him getting a three-point shot at the buzzer. That was a momentum turner.

"We didn't care if he scored 78 if we had 79."

The Pilgrims rode the momentum, outscoring the Vikings 20-9 in the second frame. Kent Stackhouse came off the bench to score eight, as Plymouth capped it with an 11-2 run in the last two and a half minutes before halftime.

The Vikings turned the ball over three times in the last 67 seconds of the quarter. Plymouth scored a basket after each turnover and took a 39-27 halftime lead.

"Our overpenetration, too much dribbling and not taking care of the basketball the last three possessions of the second quarter basically did us in," Sciarra said.

"It seemed like it all happened the last two or three minutes of the first half," Plymouth coach Jack Edison said.

"That was the difference in the game."

The second half? The same thing all over for Valley.

The Vikings had the ball to start the half. Turnover. Wray stole the ball and threw it downcourt to Matt Cramer, who made a layup and drew the foul. He made the free throw. Plymouth led 42-27.

The Pilgrims led by 14 or more the rest of the way.

Wray, who was the tournament MVP, scored 22 for Plymouth on 9-of-12 shooting from the field. Stackhouse added 15 on 5-of-5 shooting. Plymouth All-State candidate Nick Wise finished with 11.

Jeff Brown scored 17 to lead Valley. Nick Stutzman added 14, and Darren Parker, who played with a tender ankle, scored 13.

The Valley defense never slowed the Pilgrims, who made 29 of 48 shots (60 percent). They made 8-of-14 three pointers (57 percent). And when they weren't hitting the trey, they were making easy shots under the basket.

"They're a real good team," Sciarra said. "A lot of people don't realize that Stackhouse can do a lot. They have a lot of players who will get six, eight or 10 points on you. People worry about Wise, and Wray played real well. But they have all the parts.

"Their strong points - being real good on the boards, real good screening, having everyone and their mother shooting the three and making it - pretty well does it.

"Inside and outside, they're a sound basketball team. They deserved to win by 20."

Valley is 5-0 against teams who currently own losing records and 0-3 against teams who currently own winning records. Sciarra admitted his team has some work to do before it advances to the next level, and it starts with being tougher on the court.

"Until we get people who are physical - and the kids aren't physical by nature," he said. "Sometimes they're in choir practice, and I want them in the back alley.

"We're not there. We have to out-finesse people, just do a lot of things right moreso than be able to be real physical."