Tippecanoe Valley girls basketball preview: Lady Vikings call on versatility in seeking their 14th straight winning season

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

The Tippecanoe Valley girls basketball team improved from 13 wins two years ago to 17 wins last year.

They improved their offensive average from 40.8 points per game to 48 and cut their defensive average from 41.6 to 34.4.

Their only losses after Christmas were to Class 4A powers Warsaw and Elkhart and a loss on a last-second 3-pointer to Fairfield in the sectional final.

However, point guard Gaby Gonzalez is now at the University of St. Francis, and post player Dalynne Bussard is now playing softball at the University of Indianapolis. Sharpshooting guard Hailey Stookey and forward Betty Shepherd also graduated.

Much of the offseason was about finding replacements for those four.

“We hosted a league here where we played on Tuesday and Thursday nights,” Parker said of the summer. “And we played two games each night, and I thought that was a good transitioning time for us as far as who we graduated and just trying to establish some roles and some positions with that graduating class.”

Parker said that graduating Gonzalez, Bussard, Stookey and Shepherd means identifying different strengths as a group.

“I think we’re quicker than what we were last year,” Parker said. “I think we have a lot of youth that maybe is going to holding us back at some times but other times I think not shy about things. To see that confidence grow throughout the season is what I’m really looking forward to.”

Hadley Wise was a first-team All-RTC4 guard last year as a junior. She is one of many “interchangeable” players who can perform multiple roles.

“She’s one of those that can play multiple positions for us,” Parker said. “Number one, her competitiveness and will to win is the top thing for that kid. Besides that, she’s offensively improved her game, and she’s a pest defensively. She’s everywhere, and she plays hard 100 percent of the time.”

Izzy Woodruff is another versatile player who played primarily in the frontcourt last year.

“Izzy is going to have to play more minutes for us this year, and she knows that,” Parker said. “So getting her conditioning where it needs to be to play those minutes that I expect her to play is going to be the number one thing for her. As far as what her role is on the team, I kind of need her to do a little bit of everything but definitely be a junk kid where she’s going to get rebounds, she’s going to get steals, deflections, 50-50 balls and come up with buckets when we need it.”

Maycee Koch is a capable post scorer.

“Her role has improved, and her game has improved because of her consistent work ethic,” Parker said. “Her and her sister both show up all the time and have been that consistency that I’ve wanted to see in our program. And they’ve showed that, and as seniors, her and Lillie both have really showed that consistency, and I’m proud of them for that, and I think the reward is going to be great for those two because of the work that they’ve put in over the time.”

Lillie Koch can rotate between the backcourt and frontcourt. Of the four seniors, she’s had the least playing time.

“I think Lillie can play both guard and post for us,” Parker said. “And I think she will be a combo force for us as far as defense is concerned and being able to guard multiple positions and on the flipside, do things as a guard, as a post and just as a threat both ways.”

Savana Miller is a shooter who will have to do some ballhandling, according to Parker. She had an injury-plagued fall during golf season.

“She has proven herself as a capable 3-point threat last year, and … we just got her back in practice … with the more reps she gets, the stronger she’ll feel,” Parker said.

Kinley Crabb is another versatile player who battled injury last year but who has also starred in tennis and volleyball.

“Kinley is very long and lanky,” Parker said. “Again, she is more guard-like naturally, but with her length, we may use her as a forward as well. She’s got a big upside and looking forward to her growth throughout the season.”

Guard Chaney Miller and forward Audrey Birge are other juniors who could get extensive minutes. Miller joins Wise and Miller as 3-point threats.

The only sophomore in the program is Camiah Richmond, a move-in from Whitko, who will split time between JV and varsity.

There are also seven freshmen, though Parker is unsure if any of them will play varsity.

“They’ve done a good job,” Parker said. “They were thrown into the fire of having to practice a varsity practice, and going from eighth grade to that is a big step and a big jump. I’ve really appreciated a willingness just to embrace everything and work as hard as they can and try their best in every scenario. So I have high hopes for them because once they understand the expectation and how to accomplish some of the things we want to do in practice, I think their growth will be tremendous throughout the year.”

The versatility will extend to their defense. Valley played man-to-man, a 2-3 zone, a 1-3-1 zone as well as different trapping and pressure packages last year.

And she thinks they will have to turn their defense into offense.

“We’ll mix it up,” Parker said. “I think that’s important regardless of who you’re playing. I think if an offense gets confident and comfortable in what you’re doing, it’s time to make changes. It’s my job to get us making those changes quickly throughout the game, and it’s what we’re practicing on is being able to change things up and keep people on their toes.”

If all goes well, they can turn around the result of last year’s sectional final, when Fairfield ruined their sectional dreams.

“That’s the first thing that the girls talked about this season,” Parker said. “We’re still not happy with how that ended and motivated to get that accomplished this year. I was happy to hear that was something that was still bothering them, but it is me too.”

Lady Viking notes

• Valley has added Northfield and Winamac to their schedule as well as a holiday tournament at Plymouth Dec. 29-30. Caston, who was a late replacement opponent last year, will return to the schedule on a full-time basis. Valley athletic director Alexa Holland, a 2016 Rochester grad, played for Winamac coach Tony Stesiak in high school.

• Sophie Bussard, a 2019 Valley grad who played collegiately at Southeast Missouri State, has returned to the program as a volunteer assistant coach.

• Valley dropped Norwell, Northwestern, Fort Wayne Wayne and Elkhart.

• New coaches in the sectional include Columbia City’s Kyle Fillman and Fairfield’s Brodie Garber. Garber is starting a second stint. He also coached the Fairfield girls from 2012-23 before spending the last three years coaching the Fairfield boys.

Tippecanoe Valley girls basketball schedule

Nov. 6 – vs. South Bend Washington, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 10 – vs. Culver Academy, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 13 – at Jimtown, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 17 – vs. Triton, 7:45 p.m.

Nov. 20 – at Knox, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 24 – at Rochester, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 28 – at Northfield, 1:30 p.m.

Dec. 2 – vs. Plymouth, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 5 – at LaVille, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11 – vs. John Glenn, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 15 – vs. Winamac, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 22 – at Whitko, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 29-30 – at Plymouth Tournament

Jan. 2 – vs. NorthWood, 7:45 p.m.

Jan. 7 – at Maconaquah, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 9 – vs. Bremen, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 14 – vs. North Miami, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15 – at Caston, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 21 – at Warsaw, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 23 – vs. DeMotte Christian, 3:30 p.m.

Jan. 26 – at Wawasee, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 2-6 – Class 3A, Sectional 20 at Valley

Class 3A, Sectional 20

Columbia City, Fairfield, NorthWood, TIPPECANOE VALLEY, Wawasee, West Noble