This three from Gage Reinhard gave Wawasee a 32-31 lead in the third quarter, the final lead change of the semi-final contest with Tippecanoe Valley Friday night. (Photos by Nick Goralczyk)

LIGONIER – It was the biggest game of the season for basketball rivals Tippecanoe Valley and Wawasee as the two teams met in the West Noble Sectional semi-finals.

For an inconsistent Wawasee team it was the ultimate “put up or shut up” opportunity and the Warriors put up in a big way to shut up any doubters. Wawasee overcame a seven-point deficit at the half to claim a 50-39 victory and advance to the sectional title.

When the two teams met last Friday in the regular season finale, Wawasee played without senior Gage Reinhard. Reinhard returned to the starting lineup in Tuesday’s sectional opener against Whitko to score 19 points and proved to be a huge difference maker in the rematch with Valley, scoring a game-high 31 points.

Reinhard made his presence known right off the bat as he scored six of the team’s eight points in the first quarter. Valley was able to slow Reinhard and the Warriors down in the second quarter as the Vikings started the frame on a 10-0 run and led 21-14 at the half. Wawasee needed a boost for the second half and they got it from Reinhard.

“Gage made a huge difference with his points tonight, but what’s overlooked is his calming affect on this team,” said Wawasee head coach Steve Wiktorowski. “We went in at half time and we had been struggling, he talked a little bit in the locker room and was talking to the guys at every timeout. His leadership is just so important to this team.”

“I just told the guys at half to not let them (Valley) take this season from us,” Reinhard recalled. “I said that whoever played the hardest in the second half and came out with the first punch was going to pull away and win.”

The Warriors came out swinging in the third quarter and Valley simply couldn’t stop the blows.

“They came out in the second half and were just more aggressive than we were,” stated Valley head coach Bill Patrick. “We simply weren’t aggressive like we were in the first half. Wawasee was a little bigger and little stronger and we didn’t rebound. We just absolutely did not rebound, we got drilled in that second half on the boards.”

Alex Thacker finished with nine points for the Vikings.

Wawasee capitalized on offensive boards, outscoring Valley 20-6 in second chance points.

The Vikings took their first big blow when Alex Thacker picked up his fourth foul and headed to the bench with seven points with 1:20 remaining in the third quarter. Once Thacker was out, Wawasee turned it up another notch.

Wawasee put on the press, forcing Valley to hurry and make an ill-advised pass. Reinhard channeled his football instincts, making a leaping effort to grab the pass and quickly toss it to a teammate before landing out of bounds. Reinhard then made it back down court to bank a three, putting Wawasee up 32-31, a lead the Warriors would not give back.

The Warriors outscored Valley 21-10 in the third quarter and 15-8 in the fourth. In addition to the scoring, Reinhard finished his night with eight rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Alex Clark boosted Wawasee with eight points while Stori Bright added a game-high 12 rebounds. Chandler O’Connor led Valley with 12 points, Thacker finished with nine points.

The highlight out the night, off the court, was the performance of the student sections from Wawasee and NorthWood. Yes, NorthWood. The two cheer blocks joined together to cheer on the Warriors, reigning down “N-L-C” chants in the game’s final seconds. The NorthWood students even started an “M-V-P” chant for Reinhard at one point in the fourth quarter.

The conference unity was unique and entertaining, but only a one-time deal as NorthWood won the night cap over Fairfield 66-59, setting up a rematch with the Warriors in Saturday’s sectional title.

The Panthers trailed Wawasee in the third quarter of the first meeting between the two teams but would pull out a 64-51 victory at the Panther Pit on January 9.

“It doesn’t matter who we play,” Reinhard said. “Like coach has told us all season, we’re on a mission and we’re going to go out, be the toughest team and play to the best of our ability. If we do that, then regardless of what the outcome is we can be proud of how we played.”

Wawasee (13-11) and NorthWood will tip at 7:30 p.m. Valley finishes its season with a 14-9 record.