AKRON -The fear of Tippecanoe Valley coming out flat against 1-17 Fort Wayne Elmhurst was extinguished midway through the first quarter.
Karla Vogel's three-pointer started a 12-0 run for the Vikings in the second game of the Class 3A sectional semifinal at Tippecanoe Valley. When the smoke cleared, the Vikings walked away with a 80-46 win and a spot in tonight's sectional final against Norwell.
The Vikigns led 24-7 after the first quarter and the Generals never got closer than 10 points the rest of the game.
"It was nice to pick up this win," said Valley coach Gary Teel. "We were able to give a lot of kids some playing time. I'm just happy with our play tonight."
All 12 Vikings played and nine scored in the win.
Rachel Sitts led the way for Valley in scoring with 16 points, as she went 10 of 14 from the charity stripe.
Valley set up shop at the free throw line, as the Vikings hit 30 of 40 as a team.
Times-Union Area Player of the Year Hannah Krueger took a backseat to her teammates against Wayne.
Krueger attempted just eight shots on the evening and finished with an effective but quiet 15 points and seven rebounds for the Vikings.
Valley showed its depth, as players like Vogel and Whitney Sparkman came off the bench and produced.
Vogel finished the night with 11 points while Whitney Sparkman had 10.
Sparkman also controlled the boards with nine rebounds and even handled the ball a bit from the center position.
"We felt like the kids we brough in tonight did a nice job for us," said Teel. "Those kids needed that experience."
Freshmen Kate Myers and Hanah Boggs finished with eight and four points, respectively.
While Valley had the luxury of playing its freshmen in low-pressure situations, Wayne was forced to rely on youth.
The Generals' 10-player roster has just one senior in Taylor Roseman, who comes off the bench, and five freshmen.
Freshman Elise Hunter led Wayne in defeat with 16 points while sophomore Cieara Perry had 13 points.
In the evening's first game, Norwell defeated Fort Wayne Elmhurst 46-40 to advance to the final.
The Knights were led by the 20 points of junior Carlee Bauermeister.
Teel knows that Norwell does some things that will test the Vikings.
"Norwell is going to pose some problems for us defensively," said Teel. "What worries me most is being able to cover all those threes they take. All those kids are capable of lighting it up on any given night."
Though Norwell is going to be a challenge, Teel believes in his team.
"I think our kids are up to the challenge," said Teel. "It's not every year you can make the sectional finals. These kids are going to give their best effort possible."
In a game that is such a blowout so quickly, one worry is injury.
Teel said his team came out unscathed but said that Stacie Hoffman was a bit under the weather.
With the win, Valley improved to 13-8 on the season.
The Vikings are looking for their fifth sectional championshp in the past six seasons.
T. VALLEY 80, FW WAYNE 46
FW Wayne 7 21 7 11 Ð 46
T. Valley 24 21 20 15 Ð 80
FW Wayne FG FT R S Pts.
*Kyles 0-0 4-4 2 0 4
*Perry 3-13 5-6 3 1 13
*Hunter 5-14 6-8 1 2 16
*Weemes 3-13 0-0 3 1 8
*Lindsey 0-1 4-6 3 1 4
Roseman 0-2 0-0 1 0 0
Ross 0-2 0-0 2 2 0
Green 0-1 1-2 1 0 1
Waites 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 11-46 20-26 16 7 46
T. Valley FG FT R S Pts.
*Newman 0-1 0-0 2 3 0
*Rhoades 2-4 2-2 0 1 6
*Krueger 4-8 7-8 7 0 15
*Hoffman 3-8 2-2 4 0 8
*Sitts 3-6 10-14 6 0 16
Vogel 4-6 1-3 1 2 11
Sparkman 3-4 4-4 9 1 10
Hoffer 1-4 0-0 2 2 2
Boggs 1-1 2-5 0 0 4
Myers 3-3 2-2 0 0 8
Newsome 0-0 0-0 3 0 0
Miller 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
Totals 24-44 30-40 35 8 80
Three-point goals Ð FW Wayne 4-13 (Perry 2-6, Weemes 2-5, Hunter 0-2), T. Valley 2-6 (Vogel 2-2, Hoffer 0-1, Hoffman 0-1, Newman 0-1, Krueger 0-1). Turnovers Ð FW Wayne 22, T. Valley 20. Fouls - FW Wayne 26, T. Valley 16. Fouled out - None.
