Landon Kaufman had a career night going 5-6 from three to help lift Triton over Tippecanoe Valley. (Photos by Nick Goralczyk)

BOURBON – It might not be Duke-North Carolina or Indiana-Purdue, but to hoops fans residing near the Marshall-Kosciusko county line, it’s just as important.

Tippecanoe Valley and Triton restored their backdoor rivalry Friday night in the Trojan Trench. Just as fans have grown to expect in recent years, the game did not disappoint. Triton used the hot hand of an unsuspecting senior to score a 49-37 victory over the visiting Vikings, leaving fans on both sides asking, “Who the heck is number five?”

Triton’s Landon Kaufman dons the number five on the front of his jersey.
Five, the only odd numbered jersey on Triton’s roster. That was fitting because “odd” might best describe the senior’s break-out performance.
Five, the number of threes Kaufman hit through 19 games this season.
Five, the number of threes Kaufman hit to help sink the Vikings ship.

“It was senior night, and there’s a senior night for a reason,” said Triton head coach Jason Groves. “That’s what this night is all about, to have guys like Landon Kaufman have a huge game. That was just nice to see. Landon is a great kid, he works his tail off and he deserved a night like tonight.”

Kaufman’s performance was clutch in every sense of the word. In the first half Kaufman hit two shots from deep which helped the Trojans stay close to a Valley team trying to create separation. Kaufman was perfect in the second half, hitting three rainmakers to help his team get the separation.

So, what in the world was going on with Landon Kaufman?

“I don’t know,” Kaufman said through a smile. “Right place, right time I guess. Some of those were set plays, I just happened to knock the shots down tonight. My teammates did a great job at finding me.”

Kaufman had a point. While he led the Trojans with 15 points, it took a team effort to win.

After shooting 33-percent in the first two quarters, Triton was 50-percent from the field in the second half. Improved defensive play by the Trojans had Valley shooting just 34-percent from the field after halftime. The Vikings shot 47-percent in the first half.

“I thought we played well in the first half,” recalled Viking head coach Bill Patrick. “We had a couple guys get into foul trouble early. Alex Thacker and Jarred Littlejohn both picked up two fouls. But, we still played well in the first half.

“We came out in the third quarter and weren’t ready to play. Triton just played harder than us in the second half. They’re a good team, give them credit.”

Thacker led the Vikings with 12 points and made himself a nuisance at times for Triton to deal with. But once the Trojans were able to lock Thacker down, the Vikings offense stalled.

“Tonight was a team effort,” Groves stated. “Our guys did a great job defensively in that second half. Thacker and (Neil) Clampitt were hurting us in that first half. We switched to a triangle-and-two and I think that confused them a little bit.

“Austin Sellers and Masen Yeo really stepped up for us in the second half with their defensive effort on Thacker and Clampitt. Credit our defense as a whole tonight, they were aggressive and that’s what I wanted to see.

Triton forced nine Valley turnovers, seven of which came in the second half. The Trojans also won the battle on the boards, 33-23. Sellers led Triton with eight boards. Senior Joey Corder also had a big night with 11 points, six boards and two steals.

Valley falls to 13-8 on the season while Triton moves to 13-7. Win number 13 was far from unlucky for Kaufman and the Trojans, but a win is the same no matter who it’s against, right?

“This feels great. Anytime we beat Valley, it’s great for us,” Kaufman stated. “We like to win, but beating them is ten times better than anybody else. I just love beating them.”

Triton won the junior varsity game 34-18. Bryce Webster led Valley with six points while Triton’s Nathan Flenar led all scorers with seven points.