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AKRON -ÊOh, what a little confidence can do.
After enduring a 12-game losing streak this season, the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings girls basketball team won its last game of the season over Wabash, 59-54. Although the Vikings finished the season with a 5-15 record, that win sent them into the postseason with a boost in confidence that helped them win the first game of the sectional over Mishawaka Marian, 55-48.
"In the last few weeks of practice the kids dedicated themselves to the rest of the season," said Valley coach Gary Teel. "They worked harder than ever before.
"I can't say enough about the win over Wabash. That win gave us confidence, and confidence breeds success. We won tonight because of the confidence the kids had."
That confidence helped lead Valley to a great start in the first quarter of Tuesday night's matchup.
After one minute of play no points had been scored, but four fouls had been called. Three of those fouls were against the Vikings.
Valley's Jennifer Studebaker had been called for two fouls of the three fouls and Teel sent Kathy Prater in to replace her.
That was one of the best things Teel could have done. Prater came in and scored six points, pulled down five rebounds and nabbed a steal in the first quarter.
The Vikings scored 17 points in the first frame while holding the Knights scoreless.
"The girls did a superior job in the first quarter," said Teel. "They focused on what they needed to do. The girls knew they had to be focused if they wanted to win, and I think Mishawaka Marian was a bit surprised."
However, nothing last forever, and Marian scored its first points of the game with 7:43 left in the second stanza. Emily Creechbaum scored the first four points of the quarter to make the score17-4. The Knights went on to outscore the VIkings 15-7 in the second frame to cut the 17-point lead to nine at the half, 24-15.
"We built a big lead the first quarter, but it was hard to keep the momentum," said Teel. "It was a dogfight the rest of the game to stay ahead of them."
Lynette WIlcox and Studebaker scored the first points of the third quarter to increase Valley's advantage to 13, but Marian was not ready to throw in the towel.
At the 5:50 mark in the third stanza, the Knights started to mount a comeback. Marian scored nine points in just 48 seconds to slice Valley's lead to just four points.
But that was the closest the Knights would come. Studebaker and Wilcox joined forces again to score four straight points and restore the eight-point Viking lead.
At the end of the third frame, Valley held a 36-29 advantage.
The Vikings held on to their lead throughout the last quarter, allowing Marian to get within five but no closer. In the end, Valley finished the game with a 55-48 win.
Prater led the Valley squad with 13 points and a whopping 19 rebounds. Studebaker added 12 points and five rebounds, while Wilcox chipped in 10 points and two rebounds.
"This game was a total team effort," said Teel. "Prater did a huge job for us on the boards, and Studebaker did a nice job as well."
The Vikings now move on to Friday night's semifinal round where they will face Plymouth.
"This sectional victory is big for us," said Teel. "Anytime you can pick up a win in the sectional it boosts your confidence. This will give us more confidence and get us fired up to play Plymouth Friday."
