Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
ARGOS - Bill Patrick is one win away from becoming the 20th high school basketball coach in Indiana history to win 500 games.
He won No. 499 on Saturday when Tippecanoe Valley routed an overmatched Argos team 57-35.
Five hundred wins will put him in elite company, but Patrick shrugs it off. He is prouder of something else in his basketball coaching career.
"I've said all along 500 wins means more to others than to me," he said. "Never having a losing season means more to me. I think that's more of an accomplishment than 500 wins.
"Three times I took over programs - at Sidney, at South Whitley and at Valley -Êwhere teams had losing seasons the year before."
In 30-plus years of coaching, Patrick's worst record is 11-10. The way the Vikings are playing this season, that trend should continue. Valley upped its record to 7-3, while Argos dropped to 3-5.
The Eaton brothers, Brandon and Trey, sparked Valley.
Brandon finished with 17 points, five rebounds and four steals, while Trey delivered 15 points and a season-high 17 rebounds. Valley outrebounded an Argos team with no player taller than 6-foot-1 43-20, including 19-6 on the offensive glass.
"We had to block out," Argos coach Doug Snyder said. "As big as they are, if they jump and we jump, they will get the ball every time.
Trey, a 6'3' freshman, impressed Snyder.
"He's good now, and I'm afraid how good he will be," he said. "He has great footwork and is strong. There's not too many freshman built like that boy. He's tough to defend."
Argos began the game with a deliberate offense as Valley settled for an 11-6 first-quarter lead.
"We played that way at the beginning, but we didn't want to do it the whole game," Snyder said. "We've had problems recently at the start of games where we take quick shots and other teams get the rebounds and easy baskets."
Said Patrick: "I thought Argos did a good job of slowing the game down. Obviously they didn't think they could run up and down the court with us."
With Argos trying to dictate tempo, Valley decided to force the issue. The Vikings reeled off an 11-0 run to start the second quarter to go up 22-6. All 11 followed offensive rebounds or steals, and all 11 were provided by the Eaton boys. Brandon scored six and Trey five.
Valley led 30-15 at halftime. Brandon and Trey provided 26 of the 30. Brandon had 13 points and three steals, and Trey had 13 points and seven rebounds.
Argos got no closer than 14 points the rest of the way.
"Trey dominated on the boards," Patrick said. "He just plays so hard. He works hard in practice, hustles every single night and is all over the floor. The other kids accepted him as a freshman because he goes so hard."
Seventeen rebounds is not his best.
"I've had more in middle school," Trey said. "Twenty-two is my high."
Trey's 15-point, 17-rebound performance followed a 22-point night against Southwood. Asked how he has asserted himself so quickly, Trey said: "It's been an adjustment, but it's nothing I haven't seen from AAU tournaments."
Valley senior forward Dax Snyder added eight points and eight rebounds, and senior guard Noah Silveus added seven points, four steals, three assists and three rebounds. Senior forward Josh Wagoner scored eight and grabbed four rebounds, all in the fourth quarter.
"Noah gave us two good nights playing with a broken right hand," Patrick said. "Thursday in practice he got an elbow on the top of his hand. The doctors have told us it's anything that won't get worse by playing."
Sophomore guard Bill Robertson, who hit just 3 of 15 field goals, let Argos with nine points.
Patrick's chance at No. 500 will come at Friday's home game against Northfield. Should he get that night, a ceremony will be held after the game.
"Five hundred wins means you have been coaching a while, that you have had good assistant coaches and have had players who play well," Patrick said.
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 57, ARGOS 35
T. Valley (7-3) 11 19 11 16 - 57
Argos (3-5) 6 9 8 12 - 35
T. Valley FG FT A S R Pts.
B. Eaton (F) 7-19 0-0 2 4 5 17
Snyder (F) 3-5 2-2 0 1 8 8
Silveus (G) 3-12 1-2 3 4 3 7
Domenico (G) 0-2 0-0 2 0 1 0
Kuhn (C) 0-2 0-0 0 0 1 0
T. Eaton 6-8 3-3 2 1 17 15
Wagoner 4-5 0-1 0 0 4 8
Martin 1-1 0-1 0 1 1 2
Ross 0-0 0-0 0 0 3 0
Shafer 0-1 0-0 1 0 0 0
Harmon 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0
Totals 24-56 6-9 10 11 43 57
Argos FG FT A S R Pts.
Robertson (G) 3-15 2-2 3 3 5 9
Patterson (G) 3-8 0-1 0 2 2 6
VanVactor (G) 2-7 2-2 1 0 3 6
Braasch (F) 1-3 2-3 1 0 1 4
Bailey (C) 0-2 1-2 0 0 3 1
Thomas 1-4 2-2 0 1 2 4
O'Dell 1-1 0-0 0 1 2 3
Shafer 1-2 0-0 0 2 1 2
Zentz 0-1 0-0 0 0 1 0
Totals 12-43 9-12 5 9 20 35
Three-point goals -ÊT. Valley 3-7 (B. Eaton 3-6, T. Eaton 0-1), Argos 2-10 (Robertson 1-4, O'Dell 1-1, Thomas 0-3, VanVactor 0-2). Turnovers - T. Valley 12, Argos 15. Total fouls - T. Valley 15, Argos 16. Fouled out -ÊBailey.
JV -ÊARGOS 79
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 70 (3 OT)
T. Valley (0-10) -ÊAndrew Kramer 8, Blaine Hartzler 6, Brandon McCombs 9, Ross Stutzman 4, Kyle Bruner 3, Matt Ryman 7, Aaron Zolman 6, Shawn Severns 10, Casey Wise 2, Brandon Harmon 15.
Argos (3-4) -ÊBrian Zentz 21, Dustin O'Dell 18, Matt Shirk 13, Paul Haste 10, Kurt Robinson 6, Matt Davis 5, Ryan Rogers 4, Jeremy McIntire 2.
