SOUTH WHITLEY - A 10-3 run in the second quarter helped the Tippecanoe Valley boys basketball team pick up a Three Rivers Conference win over Whitko Friday night in South Whitley.
Behind double-digit scoring from four players, the Vikings picked up a 68-52 win and improved to 5-2 overall 2-0 in the TRC.The Wildcats did not go down without a fight, though.
An old-fashioned shootout kicked the game off as Valley and Whitko traded baskets for the first four minutes until a three-pointer by Whitko's Nick Metzger put the Wildcats up 7-4.
Whitko went up by as much as four points, 10-6, at the 2:39 mark when another trey by Metzger swished through the net.
At the end of the first quarter, Metzger was 3 of 3 from behind the arc and the Wildcats clung to an 18-15 lead.
But not for long.
Valley's Steven Tillman and Shane Salyer led a 10-3 run to put the Vikings up 25-20 with 4:46 left in the first half.
Salyer was on fire in the second quarter, sinking 5 of 6 baskets from the field and 2 of 2 free throws, leading the Vikings to a 36-26 lead at the end of the first half.
The Vikings started the third quarter much like the second. Tillman, Kyle Ritchey and Ryan Scherzer netted the first nine points of the third quarter while the Viking defense held the Wildcats scoreless for the first 4-1/2 minutes of the second half. The Vikings led by as much as 20 points, 46-26, but the Wildcats fought back.
"I thought our defense played well," said Valley coach Bill Patrick. "This is the first game we have been able to play man-to-man the whole game, and we played well."
A pair of free throws by Brenden Hart at the 3:35 mark stopped the Valley run temporarily.
However, Valley kept its lead and went into the fourth frame with a 51-38 advantage.
The Vikings never looked back in the final quarter. Whitko cut the lead to 10 points with 5:29 left in the game as Cory Snep connected for a basket.
But the Vikings outscored the Wildcats 10-4 in the final minutes of the game to pick up the 68-52 victory.
"I think (Whitko is) going to win a lot of ball games," said Patrick. "Rob (Irwin) has the kids playing hard. They never gave up. The don't quit."
Salyer led the Vikings with 21 points, while Scherzer and Tillman added 14 points each. Ritchey tossed in 12 points for the Viking effort, Chad Hoffer chipped in four, and Josh Cooper added three.
"Salyer did a good job," said Patrick. "He played hard and he played well."
Hart led the Wildcats' scoring charge with 17 points, while Metzger added 14, including an impressive 4-for-6 performance from behind the three-point line. Todd Reed scored eight points, while Trent Rowland added six and Travis Lepper tossed in five points. Snep rounded out the Wildcat scoring with two points.
The Wildcats fell to 3-3 overall and 0-1 in the TRC.
Valley is off until it plays Winamac in the Winning Edge Tournament in Rochester Dec. 28. The Wildcats hits the court again Wednesday when they travel to Plymouth.
