Triton Central entered Friday's game against Speedway on a six game winning streak while sitting at 19-3 on the season. It has been a difficult season for Speedway. The Sparkplugs had lost four of its last six games heading into the Indiana Crossroads Conference game.
Triton Central shot the ball well from deep early in the game. It helped the Tigers build an early lead on the hosting Sparkplugs. Dalton Bennett had eight points in the opening quarter on his way to a career night. He finished with 21 points.
It was a pattern in the game that Triton Central would build a double digit lead then Speedway would climb back into it, but Triton would answer before the Sparkplugs could overtake the lead. The first quarter comeback was led by senior wing Anthony Jones. Jones finished with a team-high 21 points on Senior Night, but it took 20 shots in order to achieve that total.
Triton Central extended the lead in the second quarter behind the play of Atticus Felling and Bennett. Felling had a stellar game for the Tigers. Felling finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. “He has been playing his best basketball the last five or six games,” Triton Central head coach Cody Chandler said of Felling.
2018 guard Chris Valentine gave Speedway a boost with his play in the second quarter. The freshman played well throughout and earned a lot of minutes in the second half. Valentine played the passing lanes in the second period. His defense led to scoring opportunities for the Sparkplugs.
The Tigers increased their lead to 15 points in the third quarter. Speedway had run of its own to finish the quarter. The Sparkplugs were only down three points heading to the final period thanks to the play of Jones and Shannon Hall. Hall was able to get production in the middle of the Triton Central zone during the third period.
Triton Central picked up its defense in the final quarter. After Speedway scored 24 points in the third, the Tigers held the Sparkplugs to just seven points in the fourth. Triton Central won going away 71-60.
The win gave Triton Central a 20-win season while Speedway fell to 9-12.
Triton Central | 19 | 21 | 16 | 15 | 71 |
Speedway | 13 | 16 | 24 | 7 | 60 |