Mike McGraw
Hoosier Authority
There are those who believe basketball is on the decline in
Indiana. I respectfully submit they have never been to Tipton County on game
night. The annual Pilgrim Cup contest between Tipton and Tri-Central was played
Wednesday night at the Trojans’ gym. A quick estimate reveals that about one of
every 5 people in Tipton County were in att3ndance. They were also screaming
their heads off most of the evening. That is not because the game was intense. It is just what folks in Tipton County do on
this night.
Tipton retained possession of the prized hardware with an 83-44
victory over a young Tri-Central squad. The highly regarded Blue Devils simply
had too much firepower. Tri-Central opened the contest with a quick 5-0 burst
that served to awaken the visitors. Tipton responded with a 16-0 run and were
never seriously threatened. They led 25-11 at the quarter and 43-26 at the
half.
The key to Tipton’s dominance was their defensive play. Various
presses and solid half court pressure forced the Trojans into numerous first
half turnovers, mostly on errant or weak passes. However, Tri-Central did
rebound well against the much taller Blue Devils, and their sheer effort kept
them within hailing distance until intermission.
It was a 13-2 Tipton run over the last four minutes of the third
quarter that removed all doubt about the outcome. It gave the Blue Devils a
62-35 cushion after three periods. The fourth quarter was an opportunity for
playing time for both benches. Junior Kyle Coleman led Tipton with 17 points
while IU bound Derek Elston added 16 markers. Senior Austin Burton led
Tri-Central with 12 points.
Be sure to log onto Hoosier Authority early next
week for a video feature on the atmosphere surrounding Tri-Central basketball.
We spoke with students and faculty in an effort to discover why Trojan
basketball is an event like no other.
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