NEW MADISON – Tri-Village got off to a fast start and then held on for a 57-47 win against the visiting Newton Indians, who were looking to play the spoiler on the Patriots’ senior night.
The Patriots got off to a good start in Tuesday’s contest, going up 15-2 before the Indians closed the gap to 15-7 to end the first quarter.
The only players to score in the opening frame for the Patriots were seniors Danika Mann with 7 points, Allie Downing 5 points and Rachel Miller 3 points.
Newton, under the guidance and leadership of long-time coach Steve Fisher, was successful in slowing the tempo of the game and getting Tri-Village into a half-court game.
The Indians took advantage, outscoring the PATS 22-17 in the second quarter and taking the lead, 22-20.
Tri-Village persevered and regained the lead, getting a boost from freshman Lisa Siler, who got a stick-back and a triple, and the Patriots would take a 32-29 lead at the half.
In the third quarter the Patriots again struggled against the zone and scoring was limited again to the three seniors as TV increased its lead to 45-37.
Back came the Indians inching closer in the final stanza … but the Patriots had the answer. With good ball movement they found Emma Printz for two straight triples late, and the PATS held on for a 57-47 Cross County Conference win.
“Offensively we struggled tonight, and defensively we still aren’t very good,” Tri-Village girls basketball coach Brad Gray said.
“Our kids right now are getting complacent. When our kids aren’t losing game they have a mindset they are better than they really are. We’ve got some really tough teams coming up.”
“I’m not discrediting the teams we’ve played so far … but the teams were getting ready to play are better, and we better be ready. I don’t feel like we won the game. Other than getting off to a good start, Newton outplayed us the rest of the game so I hope they treat tonight’s game as a loss because I do,” Gray said.
“We need to come in tomorrow with a renewed focus ready to get to work as if we lost the game because that is the approach I’m taking,” Gray added.
“I don’t want tonight to tarnish the accomplishments of our seniors on senior night and what they have done for our program. We still got the win, and it’s always good to get a conference victory, and it was our seniors who led us tonight,” Gray said.
Gray was very appreciative and complimentary of his three senior players on senior night.
“What Allie has accomplished over the last four years, a 1,000-point scorer and getting her college paid to play at the next level, that speaks volumes of what she has done as a player,” he said.
“Danika Mann has had a good career and a career year this year taking her game to another level and has been a big part of our success,” Gray said.
“Rachel Miller as a point guard and I’ve always been a little biased towards point guards because they make the team go, and she has done a great job now the last three years for us as a starter, and she has won a lot of games for us,” Gray concluded.
Tri-Village now stands at 18-0 overall and 10-0 in the conference and will travel to Arcanum (9-1 CCC) in a battle for the CCC crown.
Score by quarters:
Newton … 07 … 22 … 08 … 10 – 47
Tri-Village 15 … 17 … 13 … 12 – 57
Team scoring:
Newton – McBride 8, Flanary 2, Carroll 17, Kessler 10, Stine 4, Wolf 6 – Totals – 7-10-6/13 – 47
Tri-Village – Miller 8, Printz 9, Downing 17, Siler 5, Mann 18 – Totals – 7-15-6/8 – 57
3-pointers:
NEW – 7 (Carroll 4, Kessler 2, McBride)
TV – 8 (Printz 3, Miller 2, Downing, Siler)
