COLUMBIA CITY—In the first of three games on the road, the Tippecanoe Valley boys basketball team started off the New Year with a test against Columbia City.
For the Vikings’ last ever meeting with the Eagles at Donald S. Weeks Gymnasium, it was one to be forgotten about.
Senior guard Mitchell Wilson paced the Eagles’ offense with 24 points, as Columbia City rolled over the Vikings 78-36 Friday night.
“They are a senior-led team. They are good, they are huge,” said Tippecanoe Valley boys head basketball coach Chad Patrick. “We needed to hit some shots early, and we had some good shots in the first quarter. I did not think that we played all that bad, but you look up and you are down 19-5.”
Wilson, a Huntington University basketball commit, scored all 24 of his points in the first three quarters. Senior guard Bryce Taylor and sophomore guard Mason Baker finished with 12 points apiece, and each of them making four three-point baskets for the Eagles (3-6 overall).
In the loss for Tippecanoe Valley (2-7 overall), senior guard Tanner Trippiedi had a team-high 12 points. Freshman Nolan Cumber-land finished with seven points, and sophomore Rex Kirchenstein chipped in with five. Paul Leasure, Dawson Perkins and Braden Shepherd each finished with four points, respectively.
Patrick still praises his players despite being comprised of mostly underclassmen and being undersized in some of their games.
“These kids play hard and there is a lot of potential here—not for two years or three years, but this year,” said Patrick. “We are getting there, we are improving immensely, but we just play a really tough schedule.”
Although they are not exactly at the halfway point of schedule, Patrick pointed out to his players that their gauntlet of their first nine games are now out of the way.
“We have a lot of games in the second half of the year that I think we can win,” said Patrick. “I told them we are 0-0. We are starting over, now. We have to keep getting a lot better, but now it’s time to play. We will take everything we have learned and play and go win some games.”
Valley’s road trip continues, as they will face Culver on Tuesday night, with the tip-off set for approximately 7:30 p.m.
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 78,
COLUMBIA CITY 36
TV 5 6 9 16 – 36
CC 19 18 22 19 – 78
Valley – Tanner Trippiedi 12, Nolan Cumberland 7, Rex Kirchenstein 5, Paul Leasure 4, Dawson Perkins 4, Braden Shepherd 4
Columbia City – Mitchell Wilson 24, Mason Baker 12, Bryce Taylor 12, Michael Sievers 11, Gregory Bolt 7, Andrew Hedrick 5, Hale Jordan 3, Jaxon Crawford 2, Max Bedwell 2
