SYRACUSE - Tippecanoe Valley's varsity boys basketball team was able to weather the Wawasee Warriors' storm for a long time, but not long enough.
Leading for most of the game, the Vikings finally succumbed to the state's fourth-leading team in scoring, falling 84-74 in Syracuse Friday night."We got tired for some reason," Valley coach Bill Patrick said. "I thought we played well for three quarters, but they just physically wore us down. We didn't substitute as much as they did, and I think that was the difference in the game."
Throughout the game, Wawasee used runs of 15-2, 8-0, 10-0 to keep getting within striking distance. However, the final 8-0 run in a 52-second span in the fourth quarter put the home team in front for good at 68-61.
"I thought we made a couple of runs during the course of the game, but then let them back in it," Wawasee coach Phil Mishler said. "Tippecanoe Valley, a fundamental team, is going to be able to do that."
No matter how many times the Vikings (8-12) were able to turn the Warriors (13-7) away, they could never find an answer for 6-foot-4 junior Riley Stichter.
On the night, Stichter connected on 16 of the 19 field goals he attempted, scoring 40 points to go with eight rebounds and two steals.
"We didn't find an answer for Stichter at all," Patrick said. "He was tough inside, but then he goes outside and hits four three-pointers. He's just a good player."
The 40-point night came three games after he dropped 43 on the Westview Warriors on Feb. 16, showcasing his ability to get the ball in the goal, as inconspicuous as it may be.
"It's such quiet points," Mishler said of Stichter, who is averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds this year. "You don't ever realize he's scoring that amount of points. He has the capability of finishing inside, and is so nice to have on a team. And, other than playing hard, he doesn't demand the ball or really push it. He just takes what he's given."
For Valley, the high-point total is something it just witnessed Saturday when Southwood's Parker Stouffer went for 39, but Stichter's points were much different.
"Stouffer just got his inside because he's 6-foot-8, 250 pounds," Patrick said. "(Stichter) can play. He can go outside, he can handle the ball, put it on the floor and shoot. He's just a nice player. He can play. He's going to make someone a good college basketball player."
Stichter will have another year of high school ball to play before any of that, but Valley senior Zach Owens had a good game in his last regular season contest, scoring 27 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Owens recorded those numbers despite missing the final 2:31 of the first half with an ankle injury. After returning for the second half, he picked up right where he left off.
"The ankle was bothering him a little bit, but he came out and played hard," Patrick said. "He really had a nice game."
Valley also got 19 points from senior Anthony Tolson and 10 from senior Taylor Burkhart.
In the win, Wawasee junior Logan Hatfield scored 13, followed by freshman Jake Thompson's 12 and senior Keegan Beer netted 10 in his final home game.
"The guys were real intense and pumped up for the senior night," Mishler said of the high-energy atmosphere, which featured WHME televising the game. "They wanted to do well for Keegan, but this kind of atmosphere gets them practice (for the postseason)."
Wawasee and Valley will both be at Columbia City next week for Class 3A Sectional 21, with Wawasee playing Whitko Tuesday and Valley squaring off against West Noble Wednesday.
Wawasee enters the postseason winning seven of its last eight, while Valley has lost six of seven.
