Valley draws Fairfield, will head to LaPorte for 3A semistate

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Girls basketball

The Tippecanoe Valley girls basketball team will play No. 7 Fairfield in a Class 3A semistate semifinal at LaPorte High School at 1 p.m. Eastern Saturday.

Valley defeated Mishawaka Marian 67-54 to win the regional title at Jimtown on Saturday. All regional champions found out their semistate site and their opponent in a televised reveal on Sunday.

Fairfield defeated Highland 40-32 to win their regional on Saturday. Fairfield allows 27.9 points per game, which ranks No. 1 in the state. Valley scored 54.1 points per game.

This will be the first game between Valley and Fairfield since Feb. 4, 2017, when Valley beat the Lady Falcons 60-48 in the sectional final at West Noble.

Both teams have one future college player. Valley’s Kaydence Mellott has signed with Indiana University Kokomo while Fairfield senior Brea Garber has signed with Indiana Wesleyan.

Morgan Gawthrop, Bailey Willard and Delana Geiger are other key seniors for Fairfield.

Valley’s five seniors – Kaydence Mellott, Lily Ault, Corinna Stiles, Molly Moriarty and Millie Scorsone – combined for 46 points in the regional win over Mishawaka Marian.

Top-ranked Twin Lakes will meet No. 11 Hamilton Heights in the other semistate semifinal, which will tip at 11 a.m. Eastern.

The semistate final is set for 8:30 p.m. Eastern Saturday.