Tippecanoe Valley point guard Alex Thacker (10) celebrates with his team during Valley’s win over NorthWood in the Wawasee Boys Basketball Sectional championship game. (Photo by Nick Goralczyk)

AKRON – Chainey Zolman had just beaten the buzzer with a three-point shot that gave the Vikings their first lead of last Saturday’s sectional championship. The clutch shot brought Tippecanoe Valley fans to their feet and gave the team all the momentum heading into the locker room. Without missing a beat, the Vikings came out in the second half and rode the momentum to a sectional title.

Long after the final buzzer had sounded in Valley’s 60-51 triumph over NorthWood, Viking faithful remained in the Wawasee High School gymnasium. The energy and school spirit still hung in the air as Hall of Fame coach Bill Patrick addressed the crowd, complimenting every player on his team and thanking the fans for their support. Yes, the night truly belonged to Valley. But the Vikings still have some unfinished business to get to.

This Saturday, Valley will travel to Hartford City to take on the Norwell Knights in the IHSAA Class 3-A regional at Blackford High School. And according to Patrick, the Vikings will need to rely on its defensive roots if they want to duplicate the success from last Saturday.

“Defense is key this weekend,” Patrick stated in a very ‘matter of fact’ tone.

“We have to rebound well. Rebounding will be key. Norwell is a very good team, they’ve got good size and are very athletic,” Patrick would later add.

When speaking of athletic ability for the Knights, one does not have to look much further than senior Josh VanMeter, a kid that Patrick definitely knows will be a key factor in Saturday’s game. Norwell also has the experience in the state tournament, finishing as the 3-A runner-up last year after losing to Guerin Catholic in the state finals in 2012.

“If we are going to win, we will have to contain VanMeter. He is a heck of an athlete. I think he averages around 18 or 19 points per game. Our defense has to be able to key on him,” said Patrick.

In last week’s sectional championship game the Viking players were practically radiating confidence all through the second half. Having that kind of energy and emotion this late in the season is certainly key for any team, but what will Valley need to do to have that energy this weekend? The answer was pretty easy for their coach to answer.

“I really think just getting to play in the regional is motivation enough for these boys,” Patrick stated.

One player that stood out on the court for Valley all throughout the sectional was Alex Thacker. The 5’11” sophomore may not have had the most noticeable games on the stat sheet, but he was an emotional spark plug for the Vikings during sectionals, especially in the championship game.

Thacker was a problem for the NorthWood offense all night long as he had three steals of his own and had a hand in on several others. When the sophomore wasn’t busy pick-pocketing Panther players, he was doing his best to pump up the crowd. Thacker was constantly throwing his hands in the air looking at the student section, not letting them get out of the game for even a second. The energy from Thacker was certainly noticed by Patrick.

“Thacker played well last week. Really well, he had a great game defensively. The team really fed off of his energy all night,” Patrick said of his young point guard.

Without question, the Vikings will need that energy all day if they want to win what Patrick described as the state’s “toughest regional.”

In the 10:00 a.m. game Hamilton Heights will take on Fort Wayne Concordia. When asked about the possible regional title game opponents, Patrick made it clear that Concordia was the team to beat.

“I have looked at them as perhaps the team to beat all season in 3-A and I think they are the team to beat in this regional.”

But before Valley can get a chance at the regional favorite, they will need to take down Norwell. The Vikings and Knights tip-off at approximately 12:00 p.m.