BOURBON - After defeating Westville Thursday following a two-day delay in Class 1A Sectional 50, the Triton Train rolled in to the championship game following a 59-42 win over South Central in Friday's semifinal.
The third-ranked Trojans (20-2) punched their ticket to the championship game, which will be played Monday because of two postponements this week due to the weather, and are looking for their first sectional championship since 2003.Triton will play Michigan City Marquette (11-10) in the final. The Blazers beat Oregon-Davis 57-41 to advance to Monday's title tilt.
Excitement ran throughout the gym as both teams' fans were very vocal and into the game. When there were some questionable calls on both sides, the noise was deafening, as loud boos and yelling at the referees rang through out.
In the first half, it appeared as though it was going to be the battle of the blocked shots. Both teams finished with six blocks on the night. South Central 6-foot-8 sophomore Jake Kitchell led all players with six blocked shots, five of which were in the first half.
Senior Jake Everett had four for Triton and also led all scorers with 20 points and one steal.
"Jake Everett has been getting into foul trouble and fighting some sickness," Triton coach Jason Groves said. "Tonight he had a great game. He is one of our leaders and this is what we expect of him. He did a nice job."
Triton came out in a full-court press to start the game, trying to take the ball away from Kitchell. With Troy McIntyre and Everett taking rotation in guarding the big man, McIntyre picked up two quick fouls.
"We wanted to put on the pressure and take them out of their game, and it kind of backfired on us. We immediately began to get into foul trouble." Groves said.
After an 8-8 tie in the first, Triton managed to pull away, somewhat.
The Trojans outscored South Central in the second quarter to go into halftime with a six point lead at 26-20.
Everett came out in the third quarter and immediately hit a three-point basket from the top of the perimeter. He followed that up with two free throws, instantly building and 11-point lead at 31-20.
"We did a much better job in the second half with the defensive pressure. The guys adjusted and we relaxed on the perimeter a little bit and it allowed us to do what we needed to do. Everett and McIntyre did a nice job of defending Kitchell," Groves said.
Triton's defensive effort in the third quarter held South Central to five points. The Trojans held South Central to 16-of-36 shooting from the field.
McIntyre finished with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field. He made his first five shots and didn't miss until the fourth quarter. He also finished with six rebounds and one steal.
Triton freshman Griffyn Carpenter came off the bench in relief of McIntyre when he got into foul trouble. Carpenter finished with eight points and some key assists. He also made a no-look pass to Bart Christian for an easy layup.
"Griffyn did a nice job for us tonight. He has been playing with some great confidence for a freshman," Groves said.
Carpenter started the season on the J.V., working his way on to the varsity team midway through the season.
South Central tried to make a game of it in the fourth quarter, hitting three-straight three-pointers to cut the Trojan lead to 14 points at 53-39. A.J. Harrison then hit six straight free throws. He finished with six points on the night.
Colton Keel added 10 points and led both teams with seven rebounds and two steals. Keel also two blocked shots.
Kitchell led South Central with 15 points and six rebounds. He finished with 2-of-4 shooting form the three-point arc.
Neal Busse added eight points, Dan Breyfogle and Ethan Kitchell each added seven points for South Central.
Triton - McIntyre 5-7 0-0 10, Carpenter 3-7 1-1 8, Harrison 0-8 6-6 6, Christian 2-3 1-1 5, Everett 6-14 6-9 20, Keel 4-9 2-2 10, Davis 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-49 15-19 59.
3-point goals - South Central 6 (Busse 2, J Kitchell 2, Fagan 1, E. Kitchel1), Triton 4 (Everett2, Christian 1, Carpenter 1). Rebounds - South Central 19 (J. Kitchell 6, Konieczny 6), Triton 24 (Keel 7, McIntyre 6, Christian 6). Turnovers - SC 10, Triton 4. Team Fouls - South Central 18, Triton 12. Records - South Central 13-10, Triton 20-2.
