Top-Ranked Eagles Soar Past Valley VikingsMARION – Top-ranked Delta finished the first half on an impressive run, and it helped the Eagles put the finishing touches on the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings Saturday.
In a Class 3A high school boys basketball regional semifinal at Marion’s Bill Green Arena, Delta closed the second quarter with a 13-0 run and continued to pull away in the second half en route to a 54-28 win over Valley.
The Eagles, who entered the contest as the only unbeaten team in the state with their 26-0 record, led 15-14 before their second-quarter run pushed them to a 28-14 advantage by halftime.
There were five lead changes and three ties in the game, but Delta’s second-quarter surge did Valley in.
The Vikings, who ended the season at 15-10 and who played in the regional for the first time since 2013, scored just 18 points over the final 24 minutes of the game.
Valley trailed 13-10 after one quarter of play, 28-14 at halftime and 43-22 heading into the final frame.
One of Delta’s big advantages over Valley was its height.
While Valley had just one player in its starting lineup over 6-foot, the Eagles started 6-3 senior Josh Bryan, 6-3 senior Tyler Wilburn and 6-5 sophomore Brady Hunt.
As a result, Delta outrebounded Valley 35-20, including a 9-4 advantage on the offensive glass.
The Eagles outscored Valley 11-0 in second-chance points.
Bryan, a Ball State University recruit, made five three-pointers and led Delta with 21 points and five rebounds, while Greenberg chipped in with 10 points and three boards, and Hunt was 6 of 6 at the free throw in a performance that included eight points and 10 rebounds.
Delta was 18 of 42 from the field overall, 8 of 19 from three-point range, and 10 of 12 at the free throw line.
Valley finished the game 11 of 41 overall, 6 of 18 from the arc, and did not attempt a free throw.
Cameron Parker scored a team-high 12 points for Valley, while Parkur Dalrymple scored 11 points his final game in a Vikings jersey.
Tanner Trippiedi and Wes Melanson rounded out Valley’s offensive output with three and two points, respectively.
The Vikings’ sectional title and 15-win season came a year after they struggled through a five-win campaign.
Second-year head coach Chad Patrick’s squad will lose Parker, Dalrymple, Melanson, Jalen Shepherd and Dwight Conley to graduation.
Patrick has said a number of times the leadership of that group was key in the turnaround from last season’s five wins.
Marion beat Angola 59-38 in Saturday’s other semifinal, and then the host Giants beat Delta 45-39 in the championship game.
Marion, now 19-7, will play No. 3 Culver Academy in a one-game semistate Saturday at historic North Side Gym in Elkhart.
Culver Academy (23-3) won the South Bend Washington Regional by beating Hanover Central and Hammond.
