Valley holds Wawasee to 2 FGs in 2nd half, advances to sectional final

Cooksey, Akase, Sheetz all score in double figures; next: vs. Columbia City, 7:30 p.m. tonight

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Ian Cooksey Stephen Akase

Boys basketball

Tippecanoe Valley 44, Wawasee 29 (Friday): Ian Cooksey hit three 3-pointers and scored a game-high 15 points, and the Valley defense held Wawasee to just two field goals and eight points in the second half in recording a Class 3A, Sectional 20 semifinal win Friday.

Stephen Akase added 13 points, and Blain Sheetz had 12, including seven in the fourth quarter, for Valley, who won their third straight game and improved to 20-5.

Nolan Holzwart and Weston Hoffert had 10 points each for Wawasee, who finished 6-17.

The game was tied at 21 at halftime, but Cooksey outscored the entire Wawasee team 5-4 in the third quarter. Akase also had a 3-point play in the quarter as Valley jumped out to a 33-25 lead.

Valley extended their lead behind Sheetz’s big fourth quarter.

Valley ended a four-game losing streak against Wawasee and beat them for the first time since the 2019 sectional final. Valley has not won a sectional since.

Valley will play Columbia City in the sectional final. Columbia City handled defending regional champion Fairfield 55-33 in the second semifinal.

Columbia City has not won a sectional since 2016.

The Valley-Columbia City winner will play the Sectional 19 champion between Culver Academy and South Bend St. Joe in a regional.

WAWASEE (29) (6-17)

Rollins 0 0-0 0, Shoemaker 0 0-0 0, Holzwart 3 4-4 10, Hoffert 3 2-2 10, Worrell 0 0-0 0, Dukes 2 0-0 5, B. Miller 0 0-0 0, Waugh 0 0-0 0, Reel 1 0-0 2, Andrew 1 0-0 2, D. Miller 0 0-0 0

TEAM: 10 6-6 29

VALLEY (44) (20-5)

Davis Cowan 0 2-2 2, Ian Cooksey 5 2-2 15, DeOndre Hamilton 1 0-2 2, Blain Sheetz 5 2-4 12, Stephen Akase 5 3-4 13, Owen Omondi 0 0-2 0, William Mellott 0 0-0 0, Jude Kammerer 0 0-0 0, Tristyn Ragon 0 0-0 0, Noah Rutherford 0 0-0 0, J.J. Kammerer 0 0-0 0, Colter Blackburn 0 0-0 0

TEAM: 16 9-16 44

Three-point field goals:

Wawasee 3 (Hoffert 2, Dukes),

Valley 3 (Cooksey 3)

Total fouls: Wawasee 17, Valley 13

Score by quarters

Wawasee 10 11 4 4 – 29

Valley 9 12 12 11 – 44