Defending state champs Norwell beat Valley in opener

Costello leads Lady Vikes with 6

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

OSSIAN — Vanessa Rosswurm scored 22 points, and Macie Saalfrank hit four 3-pointers and added 18 for the Norwell girls basketball team in a 67-14 win over visiting Tippecanoe Valley Tuesday.

Sophomore Malaynie Costello scored six points for Valley in the loss.

Valley committed 25 turnovers, including 19 in the first half. Norwell led 43-8 at halftime, triggering the IHSAA Mercy Rule, and Lady Knights coach Eric Thornton maneuvered out of an oppressive 1-3-1 halfcourt trap and into a man-to-man for the second half.

Norwell also hit nine 3-pointers while Valley made none.

Norwell is the defending Class 3A state champion. Per the IHSAA Success Factor, they are moving to Class 4A this year. They are one of seven sectional champions from last year that are on this year’s Valley schedule.

Norwell started on an 11-0 run and never trailed. Two Costello free throws and a Costello layup off a nice diagonal pass from Gaby Gonzalez made it 11-4, but Norwell went on another 13-0 run, which Saalfrank capped with a cutting layup to make it 24-4.

Norwell would go on another 22-0 run that started in the second quarter and lasted through the third as the lead reached 57-8.

Valley had a 10:16 scoring drought at one point.

Rosswurm, a 5-10 point guard and an Indiana Wesleyan recruit, was at the head of the 1-3-1. The defense would seemingly cut the court in half, and if a Valley ballhandler gave up her dribble just in front of halfcourt, it would invite an aggressive double team.

Valley’s three starting guards – seniors Gaby Gonzalez and Hailey Stookey and junior Hadley Wise – are all returnees from last year.

“We knew exactly what we were coming into, and they just execute it really well,” Valley coach Rebekah Parker said. “We had a really hard time finding openings, and when we did, we just didn’t handle the pressure at all. I thought we would handle it a little bit better. We just had people hide. We’ve got to get better. … You’ve got to be aggressive, but you’ve got to be smart, and you’ve got to find openings, and we just played into their hands. What they wanted us to do is what we did. We’ve just got to get smarter and be better at knowing to not do what they want you to and to do the opposite. We’ve got to get back in the gym and just get back to work. That’s the only thing we can do.”

Norwell was coming off their first volleyball sectional title since 2006, and Rosswurm and Saalfrank are also volleyball players. They played in a volleyball regional just 10 days ago, and coach Eric Thornton said they were just getting their “basketball legs.”

Still, Thornton wanted his team “playing to the standard” and “not playing to the scoreboard.” While the state title was the first in school history, the Lady Knights have won 20 or more games 12 times in the last 17 seasons.

“I thought the intensity was very good throughout the game but especially early, you know, where things are going to get a little bit clunky at times, and maybe there were a couple ill-advised passes,” Thornton said. “But I thought we turned it right around. We were able to get back into our defense and take some things away. I thought there were so many deflections out there. We forced a lot of things that they didn’t want to do, and even the shots they got, I thought, were unorthodox.”

Costello would appear to be ready to expand her role as a sophomore. She and senior Dalynne Bussard were the starting frontcourt.

“She had good minutes for us,” Parker said. “Last year, towards the end of the year, she had to step up in her role, so she’s had a little more experience than some others, so I look for her to be a big part of what we do across the board.”

Valley will return to the court Thursday to face Northwestern in their home opener at Rita Price Simpson Court.

“I’m glad it’s the first game where we have a lot of time to practice and to get better,” Parker said. “If it were up to me, I would like seven days of practice, but I think for this group, I think having this one day tomorrow to get after it really hard and prepare and get ready for that game and hopefully redeem ourselves a little bit.”

Norwell 67, Valley 14

VALLEY (14) (0-1)

Gaby Gonzalez 1 2-4 4, Hadley Wise 1 0-0 2, Hailey Stookey 0 0-2 0, Malaynie Costello 2 2-2 6, Dalynne Bussard 0 0-0 0, Izzy Woodruff 1 0-0 2, Savana Miller 0 0-0 0, Betty Shepherd 0 0-0 0

TEAM: 5 4-8 14

NORWELL (67) (1-0)

Addison Norris 0 0-0 0, Macie Saalfrank 7 0-0 18, Vanessa Rosswurm 7 6-6 22, Jada Dale 0 2-2 2, Alivia Green 3 0-0 6, Ashley Waldman 2 0-0 6, Mia Kurtz 1 0-0 2, Larkin Smith 2 1-1 6, Haley Williamson 1 0-0 2, Isabella Swineford 1 0-0 2, Daisy Swineford 0 1-2 1

TEAM: 23 10-11 67

Three-point field goals:

Valley 0,

Norwell 9 (Saalfrank 4, Rosswurm 2, Waldman 2, Smith)

Total fouls: Valley 10, Norwell 15

Turnovers: Valley 25, Norwell 12

Score by quarters

Valley 4 4 0 6 – 14

Norwell20231410–67