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Goodman, Rausch combine for 6 treys, 27 points for Lady Warriors
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
AKRON — Kaydence Mellott scored a game-high 21 points, and the Tippecanoe Valley
girls basketball team held visiting Winamac to five points in the fourth quarter en route to a 56-38 win at the TVHS gym on Dec. 15.
Corinna Stiles added nine points for Valley, who won their eighth straight game and improved to 11-2.
Emma Goodman scored 15 points, and Chloe Rausch added 12 for Winamac, who fell to 1-12.
Winamac hit seven 3-pointers in the first three quarters – they went five for six in the first half – but none in the fourth. Winamac also had seven turnovers in the fourth quarter as compared to five points.
Valley also made more free throws (10) than Winamac attempted (4).
Valley led 40-33 after three quarters and then started the fourth on a 9-0 run. Stiles buried a 3-pointer, Chesnee Miller scored after a steal and a coast to coast layup, Molly Moriarty scored in transition, and Mellott hit two free throws.
“I thought in the second half, we shot the ball a little bit better,” Valley coach Chris Kindig said. “Some of those other girls shot the ball better, and Kaydence still got hers. She got 21 or whatever it was. Sometimes you have to pick your poison. We tried to get the ball inside a little bit more tonight because … they don’t have a lot of size. So our posts did a decent job down there, but I think as we get down the line here, we’re going to have to put a little more of a focus on our post players so we can do more of an inside-out type of game.”
Macy Petersen added seven points and eight rebounds off Valley’s bench. A junior, Petersen provides frontcourt depth to a group that already includes six-footers in Stiles and Kelsey Cox.
“Being healthy, I think, helps a lot, but I know I put in a lot of work over the summer, so I’m kind of more confident with my shot and rebounding and everything,” Petersen said. “I just played a lot, so I got a bunch of contact down low and tried to score off that and try to move the ball around and get better and lower on defense and stuff like that.”
Rausch knocked down three 3-pointers in the first quarter, helping Winamac to a 15-12 lead.
Mellott hit a pair of treys in the second quarter, but Goodman and Piper Link also knocked down long-distance shots as Winamac stayed within 25-23.
“We’ve been progressing, and they’ve been coming,” Winamac first-year coach Tony Stesiak said of Goodman and Rausch. “They’ve just continued their good play. They’ve played really well. They were both key in our victory against West Central. Emma’s a dependable second leading scorer. Chloe’s about third. Those two are getting more consistent, and they’ve given us all the options to go to beside Kandace (Kroft). … And Attinger’s coming around. She had a tough night tonight, but she’s playing much better, and Link’s starting to knock down some outside shots. Our starting five has been more consistent, and Emma’s kind of leading that bench points production that every team needs. … We gave them a fight for three quarters. We’re just not quite ready to play four yet.”
Valley defeated Winamac for the ninth straight meeting. Winamac has not beaten Valley since Dec. 13, 2012.
Valley also won the JV game 34-22. Millie Scorsone led Valley with 11 points, and Gabby Gonzalez had eight.
Valley 56, Winamac 38
WINAMAC (38) (1-12)
Maggie Smith 0 0-0 0, Kandace Kroft 0 0-0 0, Chloe Rausch 4 0-0 12, Piper Link 2 2-2 7, Hailey Attinger 2 0-0 4, Lily Bennett 0 0-0 0, Mershai Loehmer 0 0-0 0, Lauren Bruce 0 0-0 0, Emma Goodman 6 1-2 15, Kaelyn O’Connor 0 0-0 0
TEAM: 14 3-4 38
VALLEY (56) (11-2)
Lily Ault 1 0-0 3, Kaydence Mellott 6 6-8 21, Molly Moriarty 2 0-0 5, Corinna Stiles 3 2-6 9, Kelsey Cox 3 0-0 6, Gabby Gonzalez 0 1-2 1, Macy Petersen 3 1-2 7, Chesnee Miller 2 0-0 4, Carlee Snyder 0 0-0 0
TEAM: 20 10-18 56
Three-point field goals:
Winamac 7 (Rausch 4, Goodman 2, Link),
Valley 6 (Mellott 3, Stiles, Moriarty, Ault)
Total fouls: Winamac 14, Valley 9
Turnovers: Winamac 27, Valley 9
Score by quarters
Winamac 15 8 10 5 – 38
Valley 12 13 15 16 – 56
JV: Valley 34, Winamac 22
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