SPEEDWAY – To win a third-straight sectional title, Triton Central cannot afford extended lapses in focus to get through the Eastern Hancock Sectional.
The Tigers had one of those lapses Friday in the second half of the second quarter at Speedway when a 30-22 lead disappeared in less than a three-minute stretch.
Triton Central recovered to take a 35-31 lead into halftime then scored 44 second-half points to put away the Sparkplugs, 79-67, and finish fifth in the Indiana Crossroads Conference standings.
Isaac Morgan scored a game-high 23 points and three more Tigers scored in double figures to close out the regular season with a 16-6 record (3-4 ICC).
Morgan aggressively attacked the rim in the opening quarter and scored seven points as the Tigers built an 18-15 lead.
Luke Faust took over in the second quarter and tallied 10 of his 18 points to get TC a 35-31 lead despite Speedway’s 10-2 run that netted a 31-30 advantage. Triton Central had a stretch where it turned the ball over four straight possessions.
“We were disappointed in the volume of the way we turned the ball over,” said Triton Central head coach Kyle Ballard. “Especially the way it happened. A lot of it was just not catching the ball, we had some travels and some silly passes. It’s all stuff we can control and they took advantage of that.”
Nate Matelic (19 ppg) scored 10 of his team-high 17 points in the first half for Speedway but did not have a second-half field goal until late in the fourth quarter.
Silas Blair and Eli Sego combined for 12 points in the third quarter as the Tigers extended the lead to 57-45.
Morgan made his final six shots and the Tigers shot 67% from the field over the final eight minutes and made 6 of 8 free throws to seal the win.
Faust had a game-high eight rebounds. Sego, a freshman, finished with 19 points and seven rebounds. Blair, a sophomore, had 14 points and five rebounds.
“(Blair) has really gotten a lot more comfortable within himself, playing to his strengths and picking his spots,” said Ballard. “As a young player, sometimes that is the hardest leap to make, to understand when to go and when not to go. We really like where he is at when he plays within himself.”
Kody Fenters scored 16 points for Speedway (3-18, 2-5 ICC).
The Sparkplugs won the junior varsity game 45-38. Damola Ajani led Speedway with 15 points. Camden Bennett had 13.
Garrett McElfresh topped Triton Central with 16 points. Sam Collier finished with 12.
Triton Central faces Indianapolis Riverside (9-10) in the first semifinal game Friday at Eastern Hancock.
Class 2A, No. 11 Eastern Hancock (18-6) opens the sectional tournament Tuesday against Irvington Prep (4-19). The winner advances to take on Indianapolis Scecina (15-6) in the second semifinal game Friday.
“This is the first time in the tournament for a bunch of these guys but we really like where our young guys have come from the beginning of the year to now. They have really matured quite a bit, physically and mentally,” said Ballard. “We are excited about the opportunity next weekend.”
Triton Central 79, Speedway 67
TC – Faust 6-13 4-4 18, Sego 6-12 7-7 19, Stuckey 0-0 0-0 0, Morgan 10-14 2-3 23, Blair 6-12 2-3 14, Crouse 2-8 0-0 5, Baugh 0-2 0-0 0, Kemper 0-0 0-0 0, Goul 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 30-61 15-17 79.
SP – N. Matelic 4-15 8-11 17, Short 2-4 4-6 8, Cal. Bennett 2-2 0-0 4, D. Matelic 4-9 0-0 9, Cr. Bennett 1-3 0-0 2, Fenters 6-14 2-2 16, Bambo 2-2 0-1 4, Robinson 3-6 1-4 7, Cam. Bennett 0-0 0-0 0, Cork 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 24-56 15-24 67.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
TC (16-6) 18 17 22 22 -- 79
SP (3-18) 15 16 14 22 -- 67
Three-point field goals: TC 4-20 (Faust 2-7, Sego 0-5, Morgan 1-1, Blair 0-3, Crouse 1-3, Baugh 0-1), SP 4-13 (N. Matelic 1-4, D. Matelic 1-2, Fenters 2-6, Robinson 0-1). Rebounds: TC 36 (Faust 8, Sego 7, Stuckey 6, Morgan 2, Blair 6, Crouse 2, Baugh 1, Kemper 4), SP 24 (N. Matelic 5, Short 5, D. Matelic 1, Cr. Bennett 4, Fenters 2, Bambo 1, Robinson 6). Assists: TC 7 (Sego 1, Morgan 2, Blair 2, Crouse 2), SP 9 (N. Matelic 2, Short 1, D. Matelic 2, Cr. Bennett 1, Fenters 1, Bambo 1, Robinson 1). Steals: TC 4 (Faust 1, Sego 1, Stuckey 1, Crouse 1), SP 2 (N. Matelic 1, Bambo 1). Blocks: TC 2 (Faust 1, Blair 1), SP 5 (N. Matelic 2, Short 1, Fenters 2). Total fouls: TC 24, SP 17. Fouled out: Baugh (TC). Turnovers: TC 15, SP 13.
JV
Speedway 45, Triton Central 38
TC – McElfresh 16, Collier 12, Morgan 6, Canter 2, McClure 2.
SP – Ajani 15, Cam. Bennett 13, Kiser 5, Cork 4, Lund 3, Coleman 3, Craig 2.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
TC 7 7 11 13 -- 38
SP 14 5 11 15 -- 45
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