NAPPANEE - Tippecanoe Valley tried to slow things down against the NorthWood Panthers, but the game plan only worked for so long.
In its first possession of the game, Valley (4-17) ate up two minutes with perimeter passes before turning the ball over, and didn't take their first shot until 4:51 remained in the first quarter."Tippy Valley did a good job of being patient, but as that went on, our guys stuck to the game plan, and did not panic," NorthWood coach Aaron Wolfe said.
Fighting through the slow-paced quarter, NorthWood senior Skyler Titus scored eight of his team's 10 points, ending the 52-40 Sectional 21 first-round win at NorthWood High School with a game-high 22 points.
"We just didn't do a good job of keeping track of where he was," Valley coach Bill Patrick said about Titus, who also had eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. "He's a good player."
In the first half, Titus was 6 of 12 from the floor, scoring 15 points, while Valley hit 5 of 14 shots for 13 points.
"We didn't really intend to slow it down as much as we did," Patrick said. "You have to be content to make four, five, six passes to get good shots. Early, we just didn't get any good shots at the basket."
Never trailing in the game, NorthWood (12-9) built its lead to 38-16 with 1:14 remaining in the third quarter, but was sure not to take the four-win Vikings lightly.
"I think our players would know the significance of playing in a sectional - on their home floor," Wolfe said. "Our guys came out with some solid intensity."
While the Panthers came out with intensity, the Vikings didn't seem too enthusiastic.
Even during warm-ups, the Vikings seemed subdue, playing in front of almost as many Valley student fans as there were players.
"We just didn't come out with a lot of enthusiasm," Patrick said. "It was almost like they didn't think they could win for some reason. We were just kind of flat in the first half."
Despite being down 38-19 entering the fourth quarter, Valley did net 21 points in the final eight minutes, led by junior Taylor Burkhart's six on his way to a team-high eight.
"We didn't quit in that last quarter, and I think that's a plus," Patrick said. "Especially when you have 16 losses and are still playing hard in the last quarter. I think that says something about the kids."
Along with Titus' production, NorthWood also got 17 points from senior Micah Horner.
NorthWood will face the Lakeland Lakers, a 68-61 winner over Wawasee, in Friday's second semifinal game Friday at 7:30 p.m.
On Jan. 20 in LaGrange, Lakeland got the best of NorthWood, 68-38.
