Triton Central, winner of the last seven Shelby County girls basketball tournaments, enters the 2022 edition in a unique role.
Following a 46-39 loss to Waldron on Dec. 3, the Mohawks took possession of the Victory Bell – the county’s traveling trophy – and ascended to the No. 1 ranking in Class A.
That left Triton Central, a perennial top 10 team in 2A, as the hunter for just the third time in head coach Bryan Graham’s 14th Shelby County Tournament.
Waldron is the host site this week and the Mohawks (14-1), currently ranked No. 2, open the semifinal round Thursday at 6 p.m. against Southwestern (7-6). Waldron won the regular-season meeting with the Spartans, 59-39, on Nov. 12.
Triton Central (14-2), ranked No. 6 this week, takes on Morristown (8-6) in the second semifinal. The Tigers doubled up the Yellow Jackets, 42-21 on Nov. 24.
The championship game is scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m.
Graham has won 11 county tournament titles during his tenure in Fairland. The only two losses came to Southwestern in 2014 and Waldron in 2010. In both seasons, Triton Central lost the regular season game to Southwestern and Waldron ahead of the county tournament.
“The underdog stuff in the county tourney, in my opinion, is kind of overrated,” said Graham. “It all depends on who puts their stuff together that night.”
A win by a Shelby County school over Triton Central is rare though. Graham is 61-5 against Morristown, Southwestern and Waldron in his career. Waldron’s win earlier this season snapped Triton Central’s 35-game win streak against county foes while the Mohawks ended a 17-game losing streak to TC.
Graham is still getting the Tigers settled into rotations following the season-ending injury to point guard Jenna Cox and lesser health issues with Hallie Schweitzer and Maddy Brown.
Triton Central has struggled offensively at times this season but is still averaging 54.4 points per game. Where the Tigers have excelled is defensively, allowing 34.1 ppg.
“This team has to rely more on its defense,” said Graham. “The last couple of years we’ve had so many scorers.”
Triton Central has three players averaging in double digits – Olivia Faust (13.1 ppg), Lizzie Graham (12.4 ppg) and Maddy Brown (10.4 ppg) – and a fourth in Brooklyn Bailey (8.1 ppg) that has been a spark off the bench.
Faust is averaging a team-high 7.2 rebounds with Bailey at 5.3 rpg.
In 12 games, Cox was averaging four assists per game. With the injury, Faust (4 apg), Brown (3.7 apg) and Schweitzer (2.5 apg) have taken on stronger roles.
Morristown arrives in Waldron following a pair of wins in the Cambridge City Classic. The challenge for the Yellow Jackets will be to put points on the scoreboard to keep pressuring Triton Central.
Raegan Kleine leads Morristown in nearly every statistical category this season, topping the team in points (11.5 ppg), assists (3.6 apg) and steals (2.1 spg). She is second in rebounds (5.4 rpg).
Gracie Laster follows at 8.7 ppg and 2.3 spg with freshmen Nevaeh Sanders (6.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg) and Danika Rutledge (5.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg) producing quality minutes at the varsity level.
Like Morristown, Southwestern enters the county tournament on a three-game win streak and fresh off a tournament championship in Edinburgh.
The Spartans are led offensively by Lily Kerber (10 ppg, 6 rpg) and Lilly Rooks (9.5 ppg, 2.6 spg). For the Spartans to stay up with Waldron, solid contributions will be needed from Alison Muck (6.3 ppg, 6 rpg), Cy Stockdale (5.6 ppg, team-high 15 3s) and McKinley Correll (4.9 ppg, 6 rpg).
Waldron enters the tournament as the favorite for the first time since 2010, the last time the Mohawks won the county title.
Waldron opened the season with 13 straight wins – a program record – before suffering its first loss of the season to Tri-West, 46-42, in the championship game of Waldron’s holiday tournament.
The Mohawks rebounded two days later to rout Oldenburg Academy, 56-15.
The senior-driven program is balanced. Bella Larrison leads the team in scoring (11.1 ppg) with Megan Bogemann (10.6 ppg) and Nichole Garner (10.1 ppg) close behind. Four more Mohawks average between 4-6 ppg.
Hadlie Ross leads the team in rebounds (5.7 ppg). Larrison follows at 4.9 rpg. Mackenzie Shaw gets 4.3 rpg.
Garner has a team high 3.7 apg. Larrison is at 2.9 apg.
Head coach Anthony Thomas has closed the gap on Triton Central in each of his first four seasons. In 2018, TC defeated Waldron in the county championship, 52-24.
In 2019, it was a 52-35 semifinal-round loss to the Tigers. Another semifinal loss followed in 2020, 79-35.
And last season, Triton Central collected its seventh straight title in a hard fought 45-43 victory over Waldron.
Now the Mohawks have the mental edge, the Victory Bell, and home court advantage.
“It is nice motivation to say we want the bell back,” said Graham. “I’m looking forward to a good tourney. We have been blessed and spoiled to be in that situation.”
