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MENTONE - The typical Tippecanoe Valley optimist looks at the Huntington Regional this way. Valley knocks off Northfield while rivals Warsaw and Plymouth duke it out with each other. The Vikings then meet a very tired and emotionally spent team in the finals.
Whether Warsaw or Plymouth, Valley has a shot at winning the regional basketball title.
But hold on just one minute. Northfield (16-6) defeated Valley on January 22, 60-58 as Norseman star DeWayne Krom hit a shot under the hoop as time expired. The Vikings led by 10 points heading into the fourth quarter. Northfield's two big men, Krom and Bernie Schuck, combined to score 32 points as they outsized Valley inside.
So why will Valley win this time?
"We're a different team," Valley head coach Gregg Sciarra said. "They're a little bit of a different team. Our shot selection was real poor in that game. Looking at their strengths now, we're better at breaking down some of those things."
Northfield will put some pressure on Valley as it did the first time. But with better decision making, Coach Sciarra feels his team will be prepared to defeat the Norsemen. Northfield will also try to go inside, and with good reason. Krom and Schuck stand at 6-foot-8 and 6-4, while Valley's tallest starter, Jeff Brown, is just 6-1. Even with the size advantage, the Norsemen were outrebounded by the Vikings in the first meeting, 36-31.
Darin Mirante, one of four senior starters for Northfield, shoots 44 percent from three-point range. He will handle the ball from the point guard position.
"We're going to have to stop Krom and make sure Darin Mirante doesn't get some nice open looks," coach Sciarra said. "One of the big keys is Schuck. He's a good player, and we have to stop him from getting nice easy baskets."
Tippecanoe Valley has never won a regional game, but if the other three teams believe the Vikings are just happy to be here, think again.
"Anything can happen," coach Sciarra said. "We're taking the approach that we want to get into the final game. We can't win it if we don't win that first one. We're concentrating our efforts on Northfield, and if we get by that one, we could give someone some trouble. If we stick around, who knows?"
After this season, Sciarra has become a believer in strange hops. He's been through eight games this season decided by five or fewer points. Valley sits an even 4-4 in those games, including the one point overtime win against Columbia City in the sectional championship.
Sciarra has seen his team lose on a tipped pass half-court from-the-waist no-look heave by Bremen's Matt LaFree that was so spectacular it ended up on ESPN this week. He has also seen Brown knock down a free throw with :00.8 on the clock in overtime to win the sectional less than a week ago. He knows that funny things can happen.
"We're in it for the long run," Sciarra said. "You really don't overlook anyone, but there will be that thing that the first game (Warsaw vs. Plymouth) is the championship. That's good for us if we make through Northfield."
Coach Sciarra doesn't care which team his troops face in the finals. He has faced them both. Warsaw (19-4) defeated Valley by one point in overtime. Plymouth (21-2) and Valley have already squared off twice. Plymouth won both games, once by 21 early in the season, and once by five points as the season wound down.
"If we can just hang around and be close enough to have a chance to win at the end," coach Sciarra said, "that's all we want to do. We're not going to do anything fancy. I'd like it to be the lowest scoring regional in the history of the stadium. We'll do whatever we think will give us a chance to win. If that means pressing or holding the ball and spinning it on our finger for 32 minutes, we'll do that."
Since Valley has played all three teams at least once already, coach Sciarra can rest a bit easier knowing there won't be many surprises.
Although the Vikings have the worst record in the regional at 12-10, they are playing with confidence and have peaked at the right time. This could be the first time Valley ever wins a regional game, and with a bit of luck, it could be the first time Valley ever wins a regional.
