Squires Beat TRC Rival Tippecanoe ValleyNORTH MANCHESTER – The implications were there Friday night for a classic Three Rivers Conference matchup between the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings and the host Manchester Squires, as both teams entered with just one loss in league play.
After a 7-point opening-quarter performance from sophomore guard Weston Hamby, and four overall made three-point baskets from Thane Creager, the Squires were able to put Valley away late for a 60-49 victory Friday night.
“It was a total team effort, I am really proud of our guys tonight,” said Manchester coach Mark Underwood.
“We’ve had a few guys who took care of the total points, but you look at guys like Logan Parrett (2 points, 7 rebounds) and Brayden Casper (6 points, 10 rebounds), and they both hit their free throws when it mattered.”
Manchester (9-6 overall, 4-1 TRC) shot 48 percent from the floor compared to Valley’s 45 percent. On the charity stripe, the Squires hit free throws when they mattered most, making 9 of 12, compared to Valley’s 6 of 7.
Hamby and Creager combined for 40 of the team’s 60 points, but it was the overall team’s effort on the glass that propelled the Squires to victory and kept them within reach of current TRC leader Wabash (11-1, 6-0). The Squires outrebounded the Vikings 30-17, and it proved to be one of the primary deciding factors.
“We got killed on the boards,” said Tippecanoe Valley Chad Patrick, whose team fell to 7-8 overall and 4-2 in the TRC.
“We gave them second opportunities, we did not get rebounds and our defense was horrific for most of the night. Manchester is a really good team, I just didn’t think we matched up with their intensity to play. I was just disappointed in our effort tonight, so we’ll fix that.”
Manchester led by as many as 12 points, yet Valley cut that deficit to two points. Two of Creager’s late three-point baskets provided enough of a cushion.
Hamby scored a game-high 21 points, while Creager finished with 19.
Cameron Parker paced Valley with 12 points, Tanner Trippiedi scored nine points, Wes Melanson chipped in with seven, and Jace Potter and Alex Craft finished with six each.
The Vikings return home tonight to face Clinton Christian.
“We’re practicing [today], we’re coming in at noon, and we’re going to work on defense, because our defense was weak tonight,” said Patrick.
Manchester heads to Fort Wayne to take on the Concordia Lutheran Cadets.
“I know that’s going to be a tough game for us,” said Underwood. “When you see all the teams they play on a regular basis, it would be hard to get a winning record with all the Fort Wayne teams and the 4A teams.”
Three-pointers – Valley 3 (Trippiedi, Melanson, Parker), Manchester 7 (Creager 4, Hamby, Stout, Carter); Rebounds – Valley 17 (Craft 4), Manchester 30 (Casper 10); Turnovers – Valley 5, Manchester 6; Fouls – Valley 13, Manchester 10; Fouled out – Dalrymple; Records: Valley 7-8 (4-2 TRC), Manchester 9-6 (4-1 TRC)
