AKRON – The Wabash Apaches gave the host Tippecanoe Valley Vikings chase Friday night, frustrated them and even dealt them a double-digit deficit. Valley head coach Bill Patrick and the Vikings, however, were not to be denied on Friday night. Alex Thacker led the way with 19 points, as Valley (10-7 overall, 4-1 TRC) overcame a 12-point deficit and came out victorious 63-54 over Wabash Friday night in Akron. Wabash (4-12 overall, 3-3 TRC) made its presence known early. The Apaches’ Taylor Vigar scored six of the team’s first eight points. Valley struggled to get shots to fall at first, and the Apaches made the Vikings pay. Halfway through the second quarter, the home team was down by 11 points. Settling down, however, Valley was able to narrow the gap to six points by halftime. “At halftime, we realized that Wabash plays hard. They play really hard on defense. We got out-rebounded by two,” said Patrick. “[Taylor] Vigar is really a good guard who can really handle the ball well and get wide open.” In the third quarter, Wabash held its largest lead at 12, and it seemed like Valley was in for a long night, but the Vikings didn’t quit. Over the course of the game, Valley got more contributions from its players, including junior Neil Clampitt and sophomore Alec Craig. Clampitt finished with 13 points and Craig and Chandler O’Connor with seven each. “[Alec] Craig is playing much better, he did a great job Tuesday night, and Gavin Bussard is playing better,” said Patrick. “I thought [Alex] Thacker came in and played one of his better defensive games, and Trevor Neeley played really well for us in the time that he came in.” Perhaps the biggest momentum shift for Valley was when Thacker went to the charity stripe for a three-point play with just over three minutes remaining in the game after he was fouled and made a basket to put their lead at three. Once the Vikings held that lead, there was no looking back, as Thacker continued to make trips to the free throw line to solidify Valley’s lead and eventual victory. Valley’s defense in the second should perhaps be given credit for the comeback win. “They had an oppportunity to win, and they probably outplayed us,” said Patrick. “In the last 13 or 14 minutes, we held them to 12 or 14 points. So we did a really good job defensively.” Tippecanoe Valley is in action againt Thursday at North Miami, which fell 62-58 Friday to conference foe Whitko, and then hosts Northfield at 2 p.m. on Feb. 14.
