Triton seniors Seth Glingle and Clay Yeo hope to celebrate together one more time on Saturday in Indianapolis. (Photo by Mike Deak)

BOURBON – A sign hanging in one of the hallways inside Triton High School says “Offense Sells Tickets, But Defense Wins Championships.”

The Triton boys basketball team hopes that phrase rings true for them just one more time this season.

The defensive-minded Trojans, whose grit and effort on the defensive end has become their calling card, hope the tried and true formula for success nets one more win come Saturday.

Triton, statistically one of the best defensive teams in the state, squares off with Borden for the Class 1-A state championship. The two teams, who were tied for the No. 10 spot in the final 1-A poll of the season, clash at 10:30 a.m. at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Trojans, 20-5 on the season, are making their fourth trip to the 1-A finale in the last six years. Borden, at 23-3, is making the school’s first-ever appearance at the State Finals in any team sport.

Triton, winners of 12 straight games, is allowing just 42.8 points-per-game on the season, which is the eighth best in the state. The Trojans have been even better in their 5-0 showing in the state tournament, giving up just over 38 ppg.

Jason Groves, the highly-successful coach of the Trojans, says look for more of the same on Saturday.

“It’s going to be another grind it out type of game with two teams playing good defense,” said Groves Tuesday of the matchup with the Braves. “We’re going to play defense and work to get good shots and they are going to do the same thing.

“Some people may call it winning ugly, but it’s fun for me. We take pride in the defense we play and it’s become the identity of this team as it has grown, matured and evolved this season.”

“The first thing I preached when I took over the program was defense. Anyone can play defense because it’s about heart. The great thing is that our kids have bought into it.”

Borden, which has won nine in a row, doesn’t mind digging in on the defensive end either. Coach Doc Nash’s team is allowing 45.4 points-per-game, which ranks them 19th best in the state.

“Borden is just a very good, sound fundamental team,” Groves said. “They contest shooters, they rebound and nothing will come easy against them. They also spread the floor and are patient on offense and all their players can put the ball on the floor.”

Triton does have several distinct advantages over the Braves.The Trojans have state finals experience on their side from the runner-up team in 2011, they have faced a tougher schedule and they will have the best player on the court come Saturday in Clay Yeo. The 6-6 wing player, who should be a lock for the Indiana All-Star team, is averaging 26.3 ppg. and now has 1,966 for his stellar career.

“We just have to do whatever it takes to win on Saturday,” said Yeo Tuesday. “It’s not going to be a pretty game. Both teams play good defense. It’s going to be low scoring. Anyone who wants to see a high-scoring game probably should not come to this game.

“We just have to be efficient on offense Saturday and take what they give us.”

Yeo, who will play at Valparaiso University, scored a game-high 19 points back in 2011 when the Trojans lost 59-55 to Indianapolis Metropolitan in the 1-A state title tilt.

The Trojans, who started their season at 2-3, are 10-4 versus non-1-A teams this season. Borden, meanwhile, is just 6-2 against bigger school foes. Triton has wins over four ranked teams, No. 8 Michigan City Marquette (47-46), No. 13 Fort Wayne Canterbury (44-41), No. 4 Pioneer (53-41) and No. 6 Lafayette Central Catholic (40-32), in its impressive run in the state tourney, while the Braves lone postseason win over a ranked foe was a 43-42 win over No. 3 Barr-Reeve in the regional final.

Yeo will be the go-to-guy on Saturday for the Trojans as has been the case all season. The versatile performer has scored 116 of his team’s 228 points in the state tourney series.

The Trojans, who beat Lafayette Central Catholic 40-32 to win the Lafayette Jefferson Semi-state, have plenty of talent. Tanner Shepherd, a 6-1 junior, averages 11.2 ppg., while junior forward Cody Shively is at  3.4 ppg. Seth Glingle, a 6-4 senior, is averaging 4.3 points and five rebounds per game, while sophomore guard Joey Corder is at 3.9 ppg. to complete the starting five.

Borden, which returned all five starters this year from last season’s 22-2 team, goes with a veteran lineup. The Braves start four seniors and are led by 6-1 guard Jalen McCoy. The senior, who had 17 points in a 47-44 win over University in the Seymour Semistate last Saturday, averages 12.2 ppg. Billy Kirchgessner, a 6-0 senior guard, averages 9.6, followed by 6-2 senior forward Michael Lynch (9.0), 6-1 junior forward Garrett Vick (8.5) and 6-2 senior forward Cody Bachman (7.2).

Groves, who played for Gordon Mosson at Glenn High School and then for Mike Lightfoot at Bethel College, credits his players for getting his tradition-rich program back to the state’s biggest stage.

“It amazes me the talent we’ve had come through here and I’ve just been blessed to coach the kids we’ve had, including this group,” said Groves. “The thing is that these kids deserve a lot of credit. They’ve just gotten better and better as the season went along.”