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B. Shepherd, Kiser, R. Shepherd, Cumberland all score in double figures for victorious Vikes
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
CULVER — Braden Shepherd and Tayde Kiser each hit three 3-pointers and scored 13 points each to lead the Tippecanoe Valley boys basketball team to a 53-40 win over host Culver at John R. Nelson Gymnasium Tuesday.
Riley Shepherd, making just his second start ever, also hit three 3-pointers and scored all 11 of his points in the first half. Nolan Cumberland added 10 for Valley, who won their second straight game to improve to 4-3.
Valley played without 6-7 senior center Dawson Perkins, who was suspended. Perkins will miss two more games as part of his suspension, according to Valley coach Chad Patrick.
Valley’s three losses are to Argos, John Glenn and Peru, who are a combined 19-1.
Auston Zehner and Mason Herbert scored eight points each for Culver, who lost their third straight game to drop to 3-6. Emiliano Ortiz and Shane Shuman added six each, and Ethan Keller and Marquez Anderson had five each.
Culver senior forward Jalen King missed the game. King learned that a family member had become seriously ill prior to the game and left to be with that family member, according to coach Kyle Evans. Evans said that King is expected back for Culver’s next game at Caston on Jan. 7.
Valley is 6-0 against Culver since adding them to the schedule in the 2015-16 season. Last year’s meeting was canceled due to COVID.
Valley led wire to wire and led by as many as 18 points in the third quarter. Culver cut the deficit to nine twice in the fourth quarter, the first time at 45-36 on an Anderson 3-pointer and the last time at 49-40 on an Ortiz transition layup with 1:53 left.
Braden Shepherd and Landon Walters combined to go four for four from the foul line in the final 57.9 seconds to complete the scoring.
Valley hit seven 3-pointers and committed just two turnovers in the first half in building a 33-19 intermission lead.
Valley’s starting five was one that had not been used before: Braden Shepherd, Riley Shepherd, Kiser, Cumberland and Dom Welk.
They pressured Culver defensively from the outset.
“Our third quarters had been really good, but we’ve talked about getting off to a good start at the beginning of the game,” Patrick said. “And so we worked a lot last night (at practice) on picking them up fullcourt. I think we’re just better, not that we’re getting steals or turning people over when we’re in a fullcourt game, but I think we’re just better when we’re playing that uptempo game and making our defense lead to our offense.”
Valley jumped out to a 12-2 lead with that new unit and held Culver without a field goal for the first 4:06.
Riley Shepherd hit a 3, Cumberland split a pair of free throws, and Braden Shepherd found Riley Shepherd for a layup to make it 6-0.
Shuman hit two free throws, but Braden Shepherd hit treys on back-to-back possessions to extend the lead to 10.
“We kind of had an odd lineup with some guys out for various reasons,” Evans said. “It was an adjustment period. Valley, man, they’re good. … We probably haven’t seen a team that athletic yet. So it took our guys a couple minutes to get the pee out of their shoes, but once they did, they played really well.”
Culver would get back within 17-14 when Herbert went on a personal 8-0 run covering the first and second quarters, but Riley Shepherd, a 6-4 sophomore wing, stroked in two more 3-pointers to get the lead back to nine.
Anderson hit a pullup jumper, but Kiser answered with a 3 to get the lead 26-16.
Ethan Keller hit a 3-pointer, but Herbert picked up his third foul with 3:46 left in the half, and Valley countered with a 7-0 run to close out the half that Walters capped with a steal and layup.
The JV game was canceled due to COVID issues at Culver.
Valley 53, Culver 40
VALLEY (53) (4-3)
Braden Shepherd 4 2-2 13, Tayde Kiser 5 0-0 13, Riley Shepherd 4 0-0 11, Nolan Cumberland 4 2-5 10, Dominick Welk 1 0-0 2, Cooper Walls 0 0-0 0, Landon Walters 1 2-2 4, Dylan Neese 0 0-2 0
TEAM: 19 6-11 53
CULVER (40) (3-6)
Ethan Keller 2 0-0 5, Emiliano Ortiz 2 2-2 6, Mason Herbert 3 0-0 8, Shane Shuman 2 2-2 6, Marquez Anderson 2 0-0 5, Oliver Morgan 1 0-0 2, Auston Zehner 2 2-2 8
TEAM: 14 6-6 40
Three-point field goals:
Valley 9 (B. Shepherd 3, R. Shepherd 3, Kiser 3),
Culver 6 (Zehner 2, Herbert 2, Keller, Anderson)
Total fouls: Valley 10, Culver 16
Fouled out: Welk (TV), 1:57, fourth; Herbert (CUL), 1:24, fourth
Intentional foul: Shuman (CUL), :57.3, fourth
Turnovers: Valley 9, Culver 15
Score by quarters
Valley 17 16 10 10 – 53
Culver 12 7 9 12 – 40
