AKRON – With a trio of seniors scoring in double figures, and aided by a dominating performance in the third quarter, the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings were able to slay the Dragons Tuesday evening. In a 54-43 win over non-conference foe Argos, Alex Thacker led the hosts with 16 points, while Chandler O’Connor scored 13 points and Jarred Littlejohn added 10. The teams were knotted at 23-23 late in the second quarter before Valley scored the last two points of the half, outscored Argos 18-5 in the third quarter, and netted the first two points of the fourth quarter. All told, the Vikings went on a 22-5 run, turning that 23-23 deadlock into a 17-point cushion at 45-28 with seven minutes remaining in the game. Argos, a 65-50 win over Bremen in last week’s season opener, got no closer than nine points the rest of the way. “We had a lot better ball movement, and our defense was much better,” said Valley coach Bill Patrick when asked about his team’s third-quarter performance. “I thought we played well in the first four or five minutes of the of the first quarter, but then it looked like we took the next 12 minutes off,” added Patrick. “We got up 14-6, and then we just slowed down. If we play like we did early in the first quarter, and the way we did in the third quarter, we could be pretty good.” Following the 11-point outcome, both Valley and Argos are 1-1 on the season. For Patrick, it was his 731st career win, and the Indiana Basketball Hall of Famer is now 75 victories from tying Jack Butcher’s state record of 806. Patrick’s coaching opposition Tuesday evening was no slouch by any means. Argos, the tiny school still known for its state record of 76 consecutive regular season wins from 1978-81, is now under the direction of Gordon Mosson. Mosson, who most recently was an assistant to Jason Groves at Triton, coached the John Glenn Falcons for 25 seasons, guiding them to 365 wins before retiring in 2007. “Argos is a good team,” said Patrick. “Gordon Mosson is a good coach. This is a good win for us.” Junior Neil Clampitt chipped in with seven points for the Vikings, while junior Gavin Bussard and sophomore Alec Craig scored four points each. Sophomore Javan Miller led Argos with 17 points, while sophomore Drew Bollenbacher added 10 points. “Argos has some good players,” said Patrick. “No. 35 (Miller) is a nice player. They’re going to win some games.” The Vikings are in action again Friday when they host Knox, while Argos hosts Winamac Friday.
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 54, ARGOS 43 A 12 11 5 15 – 43 T 17 8 18 11 – 54 Argos – Vincent Stone 1-5 0-0 2, Chandler Campbell 0-1 1-2 1, Josiah Osborn 1-4 2-2 4, Austin Brinkman 0-0 0-0 0, Drew Bollenbacher 4-6 2-2 10, Javan Miller 6-16 3-4 17, Taylor Odell 0-0 0-0 0, Cameron Andrews 2-3 0-1 4, Jordan Norris 2-4 1-1 5. Totals 16-39 9-12 43. Valley – Alex Thacker 7-18 2-4 16, Jared Littlejohn 4-6 1-2 10, Chandler O’Connor 5-7 3-4 13, Alec Craig 1-1 2-2 4, Austin Purdue 0-0 0-0 0, Gavin Bussard 1-3 2-5 4, Neil Clampitt 2-10 1-2 7, Brandon Webster 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-46 11-19 54. Three-pointers – Argos 2 (Miller 2), Valley 3 (Clampitt 2, Littlejohn); Rebounds – Argos 25 (Osborn 6), Valley 26 (Clampitt 7); Turnovers – Argos 21, Valley 17; Fouls – Argos 13, Valley 16; Fouled out – none; Technical fouls – Campbell; Records: Argos 1-1, Valley 1-1 JV – Valley 40, Argos 23 Valley (1-1) – DeSean Heckman 10, Bryce Webster 7, Caleb Bandow 6, Ivan Santiago 6, Keith Wright 5, Jarod Duzenbury 4, Nick Caudill
