Tippecanoe Valley senior Karis Tucker will play basketball at John Wood Community College. Tucker is shown with her parents Chan and Nicole. In back are TVHS principal Michael Bendiscen, superintendent Brett Boggs, John Wood coach Norman Rodriguez, Valley assistant coach Alissa Trippiedi and Valley assistant athletic director Scott Smith (Photo provided)

AKRON – Perseverance has paid off for Karis Tucker.

The Tippecanoe Valley senior has signed to continue her basketball career at John Wood Community College.

Tucker, a 5-3 point guard for the Vikings, overcame a knee injury prior to her senior season. She returned from offseason surgery after missing eight games to help lead Valley to another outstanding season in 2015-16.

Tucker played in 19 games her senior season for coach Chris Kindig’s squad. She averaged 3.7 points and 1.3 assists per game as the Vikings finished 25-2 overall and won their second straight Three Rivers Conference championship, going 9-0 in league play. Valley also won its second straight Class 3-A sectional title before losing to eventual state champion Heritage Christian 72-47 in the regional final.

Tucker turned in a huge performance in Valley’s biggest conference win of the season. She came off the bench to score 19 points as the Vikings beat Class 2-A No. 1 and rival Rochester 61-51 at Rochester in late January.

Tucker had a strong junior season as the Vikings finished as Class 3-A state runner-up in 2015. She averaged 4.6 points and 1.9 assists per game as the team’s starting point guard as Valley posted a 25-3 mark, losing to Notre Dame recruit Jackie Young and Princeton 72-44 in the state championship contest. The Vikings won the program’s first regional and semistate titles in 2015.

John Wood, coached by Norman Rodriguez, is a junior college that competes in the Mid-West Athletic Conference. The Blazers, who are located in Quincy, Illinois, posted a 13-17 mark during the 2015-16 campaign.