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PLYMOUTH -ÊThe Tippecanoe Valley girls basketball team has been touted as the favorite to win the Plymouth Sectional. The Vikings proved why they have earned that distinction by defeating Culver Girls Academy 79-41 Tuesday night in the sectional opener.
But just because the Vikings are favorites does not mean they are flawless. Sectional nerves reared their ugly heads early in the game, and Valley committed four early turnovers.
"I'm happy to get past this first game," said Valley coach Gary Teel. "Even though this was a 79-41 game, there were spurts where we played well and others where we didn't play so well.
"I think a lot of it was just playing in the sectional, and the finality of it all. The kids realize that if we lose then we're done. I think some of it was sectional jitters, maybe."
Valley jumped out to a 6-0 lead before allowing CGA to go on an 8-2 run and tie the score at 8-all.
Then Valley's offense kicked in. In the final 3:59, the Vikings outscored the Eagles 15-4 to take a 23-12 lead into the second frame.
Valley continued its assault in the second quarter as Sherise Denny hit a three-pointer and Beth Leckrone hit two free throws to increase the Viking lead to 28-12.
The Vikings dominated the second quarter, outscoring the Eagles 19-8 to take a 42-20 advantage at the half.
Thanks to senior Holly Green, Valley's intensity did not fall in the third frame. Green caught fire, shooting 3 of 5 from the field and 3 of 4 from the free throw line while grabbing two steals and three rebounds.
"Holly Green did an excellent job tonight," said Teel. "I have said before that our team would not be as successful as it has been without the bench play from Green, Caty Patterson and Beth Leckrone. They have all been very important for us this season."
After the third frame, the Vikings held a solid 58-30 lead.
The fourth quarter, much like the first three, belonged to Valley. The Vikings stayed hot, hitting 10 of 14 shots from the field and 5 of 8 free throws. They also grabbed 13 rebounds to CGA's five.
In all, Valley outscored CGA 21-11 in the fourth frame to pick up the 79-41 win.
The Vikings saw four players finish the night with double-figure scoring. Rebekah Parker led Valley with 20 points, while Green chipped in 13. Kara Kramer and Kathy Prater added 12 points each in the sectional win.
CGA's Vanessa Jackson led all scorers with 26 points.
The Vikings' win sets up a rematch with Three Rivers Conference rival Whitko Friday night at 6 p.m.
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 79, CGA 41
CGA 23 19 16 21 - 79
T. Valley 12 8 10 11 - 41
CGA FG FT R S Pts.
Johns 0-4 3-4 3 4 3
Schumerth 2-6 0-0 2 0 4
Comiskey 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Threw 3-6 0-0 7 1 6
Jackson 11-23 4-10 13 1 26
Devin 0-2 0-0 3 0 0
Bechtold 0-0 2-2 0 0 2
Hyndman 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Kirschbaum 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Dinwiddie 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 16-41 9-16 29 7 41
T. Valley FG FT R S Pts.
Parker 6-13 8-14 16 4 20
Kramer 5-11 2-2 3 4 12
Prater 7-12 0-0 5 4 12
Denny 2-6 0-0 3 4 5
Shafer 3-9 0-1 3 1 7
Green 5-7 3-4 3 3 13
Patterson 3-4 2-2 3 2 6
Leckrone 1-4 2-2 2 1 4
Jackson 0-1 0-0 1 0 0
Anglin 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
McFadden 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Rathbun 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
Totals 32-67 17-25 41 23 79
Three-point goals -ÊCGA 0-4 (Schumerth 0-1, Jackson 0-1, Devin 0-2), Valley 2-7 (Denny 1-3, Shafer 1-4). Turnovers - CGA 39, Valley 15. Fouls - CGA 20, Valley 16. Fouled out - None
