WALDRON – Ahead or behind, Class 2A, No. 21 Triton Central does not seem to be fazed. For a program giving major minutes to two freshmen, it is unusual to see such poise under pressure.

On Thursday in Waldron, those freshmen picked up their first major piece of hardware after helping Triton Central recover from a poor first-half performance to topple the Mohawks, 63-48, and take possession of the Victory Bell – Shelby County’s coveted traveling trophy.

The Tigers improved to 3-0 despite shooting just 24% from the field in the first half Thursday and committing 12 turnovers to trail 24-14.

“I told the kids after the game I didn’t go in there and sprinkle any magic fairy dust around the lockerroom. We just didn’t feel like we were executing our offense the way we wanted to execute,” said Triton Central head coach Kyle Ballard.

Over the first 16 minutes, seniors Luke Faust and Isaac Morgan were 0-for-3 from the field and had no points. The duo combined for 16 third-quarter points and sparked a 15-0 run to start the second half.

“That kind of stuff is contagious,” said Ballard. “I think early in the third quarter we went on a 15-0 run and that started with our defense creating some offense for us on the break and opened some things up.”

Waldron (2-2) stabilized after the TC run and had the game tied 33-all before Morgan drove and scored and completed a 3-point play at the free-throw line to give the Tigers a 36-33 lead after three quarters.

“We are a long way from where we want to be,” said Waldron head coach Beau Scott. “I told the guys it’s just about understanding the game. I tell them just make easy plays, make easy plays. To be a high school kid and have the discipline to do that, especially when things aren’t going your way, it’s difficult. I’m confident we are going to get to where we want to be.”

Waldron hit 7 of 10 shots in the opening quarter and four different players scored at least four points. But the scoring help for seniors Lucas Mitchell and Bryce Yarling waned as the game went on.

The duo scored 17 of Waldron’s 24 second-half points.

The Mohawks never got closer than three points early in the final quarter and the Tigers steadily pulled away with help from the freshmen, Eli Sego and Max Crouse, who combined for 13 points over the final eight minutes.

“That’s who they are. That’s how they played all through middle school,” said Ballard. “We wouldn’t have them out there if we didn’t have the confidence that they would perform in those situations.”

Faust led Triton Central with 19 points – all in the second half. Crouse added 14 points, three rebounds and three assists. Sego and Morgan each finished with 10 points and Silas Blair had seven points and eight rebounds.

Mitchell topped Waldron with 23 points and six rebounds. Yarling finished with 10.

In the junior varsity contest, Triton Central used an 18-point third quarter to take the lead over Waldron and finish with a 43-38 victory.

Sam Collier led the Tigers with 16 points. Jack Fischer topped Waldron with 12 points.

Triton Central will defend the Victory Bell Saturday at Southwestern (0-2). Waldron travels to Class A, No. 2 Edinburgh (2-0) Saturday.

Notes: Yarling’s 10 points puts his career total at 1,046 points. He is 65 points away from passing Darwin Shurig (1,110 points) for No. 4 all-time in Waldron program history. … With his fast start to the season, Lucas Mitchell has his sights set on reaching 1,000 career points. After Thursday’s performance, Mitchell now sits at 708 career points. He is averaging 29 ppg through four games this season. … Triton Central had 29 rebounds against Waldron with seven different players getting at least three rebounds. … The draw for the 2023 Shelby County Basketball Tournament will be Wednesday morning.

Triton Central 63, Waldron 48

TC – Faust 6-9 4-4 19, Sego 4-5 2-2 10, Morgan 3-10 4-5 10, Baugh 1-2 0-0 2, Stuckey 0-1 1-3 1, Blair 2-8 3-4 7, Crouse 4-5 4-5 14, Goul 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 20-41 18-23 63.

WA – Mitchell 8-17 5-7 23, Yarling 4-12 2-3 10, Shaw 2-7 0-0 4, Douglas 2-4 0-0 4, Settles 1-3 3-4 5, Lindsey 1-4 0-0 2, Bennett 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 18-47 10-14 48.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

TC (3-0)    5    9  22  27  --  63

WA (2-2) 16   8    9  15  --  48

Three-point field goals: TC 5-15 (Faust 3-6, Sego 0-1, Morgan 0-2, Blair 0-3, Crouse 2-3), WA 2-11 (Mitchell 2-5, Yarling 0-3, Shaw 0-2, Lindsey 0-1). Rebounds: TC 29 (Faust 3, Sego 3, Morgan 3, Baugh 3, Blair 8, Crouse 3, Stuckey 4, Goul 2), WA 19 (Mitchell 6, Yarling 3, Shaw 2, Settles 2, Jones 5, Bennett 1). Assists: TC 10 (Faust 2, Sego 1, Morgan 1, Blair 3, Crouse 3), WA 3 (Mitchell 2, Shaw 1). Steals: TC 3 (Faust 1, Sego 1, Baugh 1), WA 8 (Mitchell 1, Yarling 4, Shaw 2, Settles 1). Blocks: TC 2 (Faust 1, Sego 1), WA 1 (Mitchell 1). Total fouls: TC 17, WA 19. Fouled out: Shaw (WA). Turnovers: TC 15, WA 11.

JV

Triton Central 43, Waldron 38

TC – Collier 16, G. Morgan 8, Clements 7, McElfresh 7, McClure 5.

WA – Fischer 12, Larrison 11, M. Jones 6, N. Mitchell 4, Baldwin 3, Thomas 2.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

TC      4    8  18  13  --  43

WA  11    4  11  12  --  38

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