Brynda Krueger goes up for two in Valley’s sectional opener against Wawasee. (Photos by Nick Goralczyk)

AKRON — Act II of Tippecanoe Valley vs. Wawasee was much different than the first, but the result was still the same. The Lady Vikings downed the Lady Warriors 62-34 to open the 2016 IHSAA Sectional 21 Tournament.

Just a week ago No. 4Valley throttled Wawasee 72-38 in a game that fully displayed the power and quickness that the Lady Vikings possess. Tuesday night’s game was different in that there was very little fire power from either team.

Valley held Wawasee scoreless in the first quarter and led 8-0 going into the second. Yes, that first quarter was as boring as it sounds. Wawasee forced five turnovers in the opening frame and had several good looks but the ball just bounced around the rim and never fell in. Valley scored the game’s first basket at the 4:35 mark after a sloppy back and forth start between the two teams.

Wawasee did not get its first bucket until 5:07 left in the second quarter from Hannah Haines, the Lady Warriors trailed 13-2 at that point. Haines finished her night with nine points. By the half Wawasee had fallen into a 24-6 hole and, with no offensive production to speak of, it was clear that the season was nearing its end.

“When you can’t score, it just gets tougher and tougher,” said Wawasee head coach Kem Zolman. “That’s been the story of our year. We looked at them (Valley) like they were gods.

“Bottom line is that we were making it tough, but give them credit for their defensive play. Their length, their physicality, they were playing tough.”

Valley struggled early on with Wawasee’s intensity on defense but stout defense from the Lady Vikings held the Warriors from every finding comfort on the court. Valley forced 12 turnovers in the game and held Wawasee to just 19-percent shooting from the floor.

“Sometimes you have to win playing good defense, sometimes you win with offense,” Valley head coach Chris Kindig stated. “Tonight the defense kept us in the game until our offense got going and we still ended up scoring over 60 even though it was an ugly first half.”

Valley was led statistically by Anne Secrest who recorded a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. The junior also had three blocks. Meredith Brouyette added 13 points of her own while Hannah Dunn had nine points and seven boards.

The size advantage for Valley was simply too much for Wawasee to counter. Kindig noted that Aubrey Schmeltz was a player he was worried about given her performance against his team last week. The Wawasee junior was held to just two points in the sectional game but did lead the team with 10 rebounds.

“I was so proud of our kids for sticking to the game plan,” Zolman stated. “I thought we did an excellent job, personally. Going from what you saw last week to tonight’s performance, there was a tremendous difference. But, when you can’t score, it’s tough.”

In addition to Haines, Wawasee was led offensively by seniors Kylee Rostochak (10 points) and Erin Wiktorowski (six points). Both girls walked off the hardwood for the final time Tuesday night.

“Erin brings us perseverance,” Zolman remarked. “She has a never quit attitude because, she could’ve quit. She has back problems. I told the girls to understand what Erin brings to the table with that perseverance.”

Wiktorowski missed her sophomore and junior campaigns with back injuries.

Rostochak exited the game after taking a hard fall late in the fourth quarter, which was fitting.

“I thought it was interesting that how we ended up taking Kylee out was with her being on the floor,” said Zolman of his team captain. “That’s just her. She’s on the floor more times than not it seems. She’s just constantly scrapping.”

Rostochak leaves the program ranked fourth in career scoring and also leaves some pretty big shoes to be filled.

“I told the kids that Kylee may not always have a lot of words to say to you but her actions speak volumes,” Zolman said, then pointed at his heart, “find out what she’s playing with.”

Wawasee ends its season at 8-15.

Valley (22-1) will advance to play West Noble Friday evening at 6 p.m. The Chargers gave Valley a run for its money in a holiday tournament earlier this season but the Lady Vikes know what to expect from their foe this time.

“They shot the ball very well against us last time,” Kindig said of West Noble. “They’ve got some good players and we know they’ll play hard. We’ve just got to stick to our game plan and stay out of foul trouble.

“West Noble gets an extra few days off, which is always nice but part of me is glad we got to play on Tuesday because now the jitters should be gone. We shouldn’t have those sectional nerves now and we’ll be ready to go Friday night.”

NorthWood will play Fairfield in the nightcap after the Panthers advanced over Lakeland in Tuesday’s second game 65-30.