Triton Finishes in Sweet 16
By Ron Haramia
Pilot Sports
BOURBON � The Triton boys basketball team did what all of the college teams in the NCAA tournament are hoping to do this week - play its best basketball at the end of the season.
Though still stinging from their loss to Boone Grove in last Saturday�s Class 2A Triton Regional semifinal, the Trojans can now look back on what a successful season they just completed.
After starting 0-2, then being besieged by injuries throughout the year, Triton went 7-2 the last month and were one of the area�s hottest teams during playoff time.
�When you get to regional play, all of the teams are very competitive,� said Trojan head coach Mike McBride. �We wanted to be in a position to win and we were in that position. I am proud of the way we competed.
�We played a good schedule. Except for the NorthWood and Knox games, we were right in all of our games. The kids got a lot better from beginning to end. We knew coming into the season that we were fairly young and would have some growing pains, but we overcame injury and adversity. It made us tougher mentally and matured us. We played our best basketball in February and March.�
Although there is no such thing as a quality loss, looking back you can see what McBride is talking about.
While finishing 14-10, the Trojans losses came against Argos (Class A No. 1 team the last half of the season), Caston (defeated Argos in the sectional), New Prairie (regional semifinalist), Tippecanoe Valley (Class 3A No. 3 for most of the year) and Knox (Class 3A regional finalist).
Senior guard Adam Wanemacher ran the show. The team�s leader in assists, the lefty also provided double-digit scoring (11 ppg.) and strong ballhandling skills, not to mention stamina any marathoner would be proud of.
Juniors Todd Blackford (20 ppg, 6.7 rpg.) and Josh Moore (10.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg.) dominated at times. They provide a solid foundation for next season.
Blackford carried the offensive load almost single-handedly in the regional, scoring 27 of the team�s 59 points in the loss to Boone Grove. The combination of his outside shooting and acrobatic moves around the basket made him a defensive nightmare for opponents. Besides being the team�s leading rebounder, he also led the team in steals.
Moore was one of those on the injured list, suffering a severely sprained ankle in the first game of the season against Plymouth. When finally healthy he gave the Trojans an offensive weapon in the low post, yet someone quick enough to put at the top of their full-court press.
Braxton Barton (9.5 ppg.) became a potent scoring threat, hitting almost 50 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Kyle Bell, who had to sit out the regionals due to a dislocated kneecap, provided a little bit of everything with his athleticism.
Seniors Bryan Watkins, Brent Savill, Bryan Moriarty and Dan Kuhn filled roles that every team needs, but not every player dreams of. Without them however, Triton would have been regional spectators instead of participants.
Junior guard Cory McClarnon also played important minutes in a backup role.
�We will have to find someone to replace Adam�s leadership; find someone for that point guard spot,� said McBride. �We have a nice group coming back, but we will have to develop role players. We will need guys to step up. We had a lot of guys play key minutes for us. They will have to put in the time in the offseason, but I am very excited about our program. We will have to deal with rising expectations as well.�
Not only because of the run it enjoyed and the players returning next year, but Triton drops down to 1A next season, putting the early bulls-eye on its backs.
The high expectations may be warranted, but there are a lot of good Class A teams in northern Indiana and Argos will be in the same sectional as the Trojans.
�We had a taste of success, a taste of the regional atmosphere. We can benefit from that,� McBride said. �Continuing that will be a challenge, but it is exciting.�
As was the Trojans� season.
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