SOUTH WHITLEY – After finding one of its leading scorers in early foul trouble, Whitko’s varsity girls basketball team battled to keep Saturday’s game with Tippecanoe Valley close, but eventually fell 42-38 to the Lady Vikings in Three Rivers Conference action. Lady Wildcat sophomore Aly Reiff picked up a pair of fouls in the first 54 seconds of the contest, before Whitko had even gained its first possession of the night, and played less than three minutes in the first half. So Whitko countered with defensive intensity, making it hard for the Lady Vikings to shoot the ball. Tippecanoe Valley played strong defense as well, making each basket a special gift just before the holidays. Valley sophomore Anne Secrest scored 11 of her 15 points in the first half, many of them coming off offensive rebounds. She scored all six of the Lady Vikings’ second-quarter points. Reiff came back in the second half to get a game high 16 points, hitting four contested field goals in the point and going 8 of 8 from the free throw line. Whitko got its first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter, as Avaree Freel hit a jumper to give the Lady Wildcats a 27-26 advantage. The lead changed hands twice before Hannah Dunn, giving Secrest a bit of a break, hit a layup to give Valley a 31-30 lead. On the next trip down the floor, Dunn hit two free throws to extend the Lady Viking lead. Brynda Krueger hit a pair of free throws and added a stick-back basket down the stretch for the Lady Vikings, helping Valley to a seven-point lead with two minutes to go. Reiff would have a pair of traditional three-point plays in the fourth quarter, the second cutting the Valley lead to four with about 90 seconds remaining. On Whitko’s next possession, Reiff hit a pair of free throws, then the Lady Wildcats forced a turnover in the backcourt. Hanna Yohe hit a layup from the left side to cut the lead to two with 27 seconds remaining. After a foul to stop the clock, Secrest hit a pair of free throws to ice the game. “It wasn’t pretty, was it?,” said Valley head coach Chris Kindig. “I thought with a seven-point lead with about two minutes to go we just needed to take care of the basketball and hit our free throws, and we were going to be fine. We were kind of uncharacteristic tonight at times in turning the ball over and not handling the pressure really well. But down the stretch we made the plays we needed to make. “This is a big conference game for us on the road, and we have a couple of challenges coming up here, but we’ll take the win.” Kindig recognized the help his team got off the bench from Dunn and Krueger. “Really, both of them struggled a little bit in the first half, but came out in the second half and really gave us a lift,” he said. “I think Hannah scored about six straight points for us there, huge points for us to give us that seven point lead. “That’s the way this team is. we have seven or eight girls that can contribute and do the things night-in, night out that make us a winning basketball team.” Whitko head coach Brandon Bradley said he while he isn’t a believer in moral victories, he was pleased with his team’s effort and unity. “Tonight was, by far, the best effort we’ve given all year. It reminded me of the second half of last season,” he said. “We played that way in some really big games last year. They came out to win. In previous games, I think we came out to compete, but tonight they came together and they came out to win. “We talked after the game; that was the best sectional-type effort we’ve given this year. They’re hurting, and it’s the first time after a game they’ve hurt all year. When you sacrifice for your team, for your sisters in the locker room, that’s when you remember it, and (work to) don’t feel like this again.” Secrest completed a double-double with 11 rebounds for Valley. Brianna Cumberland contributed eight points for Whitko, and Hanna Yohe added six. Valley improved to 9-1 on the season, 3-0 in the Three Rivers Conference, and will travel to North Judson tonight for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff. Whitko fell to 5-5 overall, 2-1 in the TRC, and will take on Peru in the Miami County Tournament at 2 p.m. on Dec. 29.
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 42, WHITKO 38 TV 11 6 9 16 – 42 Whi 7 5 12 14 – 38 Valley – Anne Secrest 5-11 5-5 15, Hannah Dunn 3-6 1-2 7, Karis Tucker 2-7 2-4 6, Taylor Trippiedi 2-6 0-2 5, Brynda Krueger 1-6 2-5 4, Meredith Brouyette 1-2 1-2 3, Kaylee Teel 1-2 0-1 2, Morgan Brazo 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-40 11-21 42. Whitko – Aly Reiff 4-13 8-8 16, Brianna Cumberland 2-5 3-4 8, Hanna Yohe 3-9 1-2 7, Avaree Freel 2-2 0-0 4, Maddie Gawthrop 1-2 0-0 2, Reghan Craig 0-1 1-2 1, Emily Day 0-0 0-0 0, Haley Yohe 0-1 0-0 0. Totals12-33 13-16 38. Three-pointers – Valley 1 (Trippiedi), Whitko 1 (Cumberland); Rebounds – Valley 32 (Secrest 11), Whitko 14 (Gawthrop 5); Turnovers – Valley 18, Whitko 12; Fouls – Valley 21, Whitko 16; Fouled out – Dunn; Records – Valley 9-1 (3-0 TRC), Whitko 5-5 (2-1 TRC) JV – Valley 44, Whitko 34 Valley – Morgan Brazo 11, Taneisha Brown 9, Addy Miller 9, Olivia Trippiedi 9, Asia O’Connor 4, Hannah Gibbons 2 Whitko – Haley Yohe 7, Riley Insley 7, Brooke Christoffel 6, Anna Ousley 5, Avaree Freel 4, Hanna Yohe 3, Emily Day 2
