BOURBON - Of all the Class 1A regionals in the state Saturday, the one in Bourbon may be the best.
Featuring No. 2 Triton, No. 3 Fort Wayne Canterbury, No. 8 Morgan Township and Pioneer, the winner of Saturday's Triton Regional will likely be considered a favorite to win the state title two weeks later in Indianapolis.
"There's some quality teams there, and it's going to be a matter of who shows up and plays the best two games," Triton coach Jason Groves said about the regional.
Play begins at 10:30 a.m. when Morgan Township (19-4) takes on Canterbury (19-4), followed by the game between Pioneer (15-9) and Triton (20-3). The winners of the early games will then meet in the 7:30 p.m. championship game. With a win in the championship, the victors move on to semistate.
Canterbury, who spent time as the top-ranked team in 1A this season, enters the regional having won the Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian Sectional, knocking off Howe 65-57 in the title game.
At the Bowman Academy Sectional, the Morgan Township Cherokees downed the hosting No. 6 Bowman Academy Eagles 53-49. Bowman had entered the championship tilt against Morgan Township after defeating the top-ranked Kouts Mustangs 97-54 in the semifinal.
By knocking out the Eagles, Morgan Township ended the run of the defending 1A state champions, as well as a team that played a national schedule this year, finishing at 12-11.
"It's a good thing (they're out), because of their athleticism," Groves said about Bowman being dismissed from the tournament. "However, the ones that have made it are good teams."
Triton enters the regional the most decorated of the squads, especially in recent years.
Over the last four seasons, the Triton Trojans have compiled a 91-11 record, which has included four sectional and two regional crowns, as well as a state championship.
This season, the Trojans are paced by the school's all-time leading scorer in senior Griffyn Carpenter, who's averaging 18.5 points a game.
Entering the regional, Carpenter has compiled 1,242 career points, but sophomore Clay Yeo may be creeping up, having scored 602 in one-plus year.
In Triton's 66-37 win over Westville in their own sectional Saturday, the 6-foot-5 Yeo showed his potential, scoring 28 points and posting seven rebounds.
"He's been coming out focused and ready, and is getting involved in the all-around game," Groves said about Yeo. "He's been playing great. He's attacking the offensive boards, getting rebounds and creating for others. He's doing the little things that are picking us up."
Prior to their blowout win in the championship game, Triton first had to dispatch South Central in the semifinals, which turned out to be a little harder than anticipated.
Earning a first-round bye, the hosting Trojans trailed South Central by 11 points after the first quarter, but eventually gained their footing in a 46-39 win.
"It felt like we were a little tight and maybe we were pressing," Groves said. "You could tell we were a bit nervous and I was worried about that with it being our first game. However, we responded and played three pretty good quarters."
Against Pioneer, who defeated Caston 42-35 at the Tri-County Sectional, the Trojans are sure to not come out flat again.
"They're well coached," Groves said about the Pat Skaggs-led Pioneer Panthers. "They're fundamental on offense and defense. They're also physically strong and like to get after you. They also have quick guards who can put the ball on the floor, but can shoot too."
Of the team's he's played this year, Groves compares Pioneer to the Northern State Conference's LaVille Lancers.
"They're well-rounded and aren't going to beat themselves," Groves said.
During the season, Triton and Pioneer had three common opponents - North Miami, Argos and Oregon-Davis.
Pioneer went 2-1 against the three, defeating Argos (48-29) and Oregon-Davis (85-66), while falling to North Miami (50-39). Triton went 3-0 against the same three, winning by a combined score of 216-88, besting Oregon-Davis 84-20, North Miami 77-48 and Argos 55-20.
The win over Argos came on Feb. 22 and was just one of Triton's 15-straight victories, which began with a 69-39 home win over Elkhart Christian on Jan. 4.
"The kids on the floor have been healthy and together for the first time, it seems like, all season," Groves said about his team, which hasn't lost this calendar year. "They see each other playing well and feed off it."
Some those players feeding off the performances of Carpenter and Yeo, have been senior Jordan Everett and sophomore Quentyn Carpenter, who are averaging 8.4 and 5.2 points a game, respectively.
Yeo is leading the team with 4.9 rebounds a game, followed closely by senior Austin Davis' 4.8, Everett's 4.3 and senior Blake Lemler's 4.2.
With such balance, Groves is optimistic his squad can match what the other three teams will bring to Saturday's regional, producing quite a show.
"It's going to be a good regional for the fans," he said. "It's going to be a good regional to come and see because there's going to be two good morning games then another good one at night too. It's going to be a good regional."
