BB Wabash Valley Classic: Northview nips Monrovia, 54-51

By Mike McGraw
Executive Director

TERRE HAUTE – Monrovia did an excellent job of making the most of every possession the entire game Dec. 26 against Northview in the opening round of the Wabash Valley Classic. In fact, the Bulldogs did a much better job in that department than did Northview.

Nonetheless, it is two possessions where the Bulldogs failed to make the most of their opportunities that will haunt Monrovia coach Chris Sampson. Unfortunately for his charges, they were the last two possessions of the game.

That, and a highly questionable blocking foul call, allowed Northview to escape Monrovia’s upset bid, 54-51.

This game was tight throughout. The first quarter led fans to believe it would be an offensive shootout. Northview (3-3) had success getting to the rim against the smaller Bulldogs, but Monrovia (3-3) responded with stellar sniping from behind the 3-point line.

The result was an 18-16 Monrovia cushion after one period.

The second quarter was a lesson in the fact that appearances can be deceiving. Offense suddenly became a precious and rare commodity for both teams. Monrovia adjusted its man-to-man defense to cut off most of Northview’s penetration, and the Knights extended their defense to take away Monrovia’s attempts from behind the arc.

The result? Only 12 points were scored in the entire second quarter. Northview tallied seven of those to tie the game at intermission, 23-23.

Northview did little to help its cause in the opening minutes of the third quarter. The Knights were sloppy with their ball handling and passing. Unfortunately for Monrovia, the Dogs could not take advantage because their shooting went awry.

In fact, it required a Dalin Gray 3-pointer with just less than four minutes to play in the quarter in order for the Bulldogs to tie the score at 28. Gray duplicated the feat moments later to tie it again at 31, the start of an eight-point run that gave Monrovia a 36-31 lead entering the final minute of the stanza.

The Knights, however, responded with a pair of late threes of their own to take a one-point lead into the final period. That margin quickly grew to five, but Monrovia just as quickly responded with a seven-point run to regain control of the scoreboard.

From that point forward, the contest turned into a possession-by -possession grind that saw Monrovia searching for somebody to make a play and Northview finding someone.

The Knights’ Austin Akers scored 14 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter, yet it still appeared to might not be enough. Monrovia clung to a one-point lead at 51-50 with just under a minute and a half to play, and the Bulldogs also had possession of the ball.

Sampson wisely chose to shorten the game by working the clock with his guard-heavy lineup, leading to the first of the two fateful trips for the Bulldogs.

Possession 1 was foiled by a traveling call that gave Northview a chance to take the lead. On the ensuing trip, Akers’ drive down the left side of the lane resulted in contact in a classic block-charge situation.

The call went in favor of the Knights, and Akers drilled both charity tosses for a 52-51 Northview lead.

After a timeout, Monrovia had a final chance at redemption. The designed play went awry, however, and an off-balance 10-footer was the best the Bulldogs could muster. It caromed off the iron, and Northview snatched the rebound.

Akers ended the scoring with two more free tosses.

The tough loss pits the Bulldogs versus Riverton Parke (2-5) in the consolation bracket of the tournament on Saturday. Northview, meanwhile, advances to face Sullivan (5-3).

The tournament schedule (all games ET):

Wabash Valley Classic
Fri Dec 26: Day 1
1A #8 Shakamak 52, Turkey Run 37
Terre Haute North 61, Linton-Stockton 34
Northview 54, Monrovia 51
Sullivan 69, Riverton Parke 50
4A #4 Terre Haute South 69, South Vermillion 31
3A #12 West Vigo 61, Bloomfield 52
Marshall (Ill.) 66, Owen Valley 52
1A #1 Rockville 66, Casey-Westfield (Ill.) 40

Sat Dec 27: Day 2
Turkey Run vs. Linton, 10 a.m.
Monrovia vs. Riverton Parke, 11:30 a.m.
1A #8 Shakamak vs. Terre Haute North, 1 p.m.
Northview vs. Sullivan, 2:30 p.m.
South Vermillion vs. Bloomfield, 4 p.m.
Owen Valley vs. Casey-Westfield (Ill.), 5:30 p.m.
4A #4 Terre Haute South vs. 3A #12 West Vigo, 7 p.m.
Marshall (Ill.) vs. 1A #1 Rockville, 8:30 p.m.

Mon Dec 29: Day 3
Loser Game 9 vs. Loser Game 10, 10 a.m.
Loser Game 13 vs. Loser Game 14, 11:30 a.m.
Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 1 p.m.
Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 14, 2:30 p.m.
Loser Game 11 vs. Loser Game 12, 4 p.m.
Loser Game 15 vs. Loser Game 16, 5:30 p.m.
Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12, 7 p.m.
Winner Game 15 vs. Winner Game 16, 8:30 p.m.

Tue Dec 30: Day 4
7th place, 3 p.m.
5th place, 4:30 p.m.
3rd place, 6:15 p.m.
Championship, 8 p.m.