A BIG WIN...is what J.T. Stone ans the Twin Valley South Panthers got against Versailles.

Story by Bob Moore
“Inspired Basketball” is how Twin Valley South (TVS) coach Tony Augspurger described his team’s play in a huge win over Midwestern Athletic Conference (MAC) opponent Versailles Tigers in the first round of the Division III sectional at Tippecanoe High School. Steve Summers provided all the inspiration a coach and team ever needed to get their team off to a great start. Summers started the game 8 for 8 from the field that included four bombs from beyond the arc. Summers finished the game with 32 points and scored the Panthers first 20 out of 22 points that helped the Panthers to a 52 - 46 victory over the Tigers.

On December 22, 2007 TVS traveled to Versailles and suffered their worst loss of the season, 66-44. “We just let them do what they wanted to do when we played them first time” Augspurger noted. “We told the kids that we have to play D, rebound and not let them do what they want.”

The Panthers did just that by limiting the Tigers to 6 points in the first 6 minutes of the basketball game. “I felt like we did a good job of getting them out sync in the first quarter” noted Augspurger.

J.T. Stone and Josh Flynn helped take care of the ball off the glass for the Panthers. Flynn finished the game with 10 rebounds and Stone added 8 while TVS out rebounded Versailles 25 – 16.

“Josh and J.T. were outstanding” continued Augspurger. “They battled on the boards and the two of them were the main stays.”

Flynn also played a big role on defense. In the first contest the Tiger’s 6’5” big man Bryant Ahrens torched the Panthers for 20 points and tonight Flynn helped hold him to 6 points and Augspurger was quick to point out, “That was all Josh!”

“Josh is so distruptive on defense. All week long we worked on Josh guarding him (Ahrens) and he did a great job.”

From a team standpoint, the Panthers also tightened their belt with their team defense in the last 10 games, reducing their points allowed per game 5 PPG to 49 points which is significant when you consider they played the top 4 offensive teams in the conference in the closing stretch that averaged over 62 PPG.

The effort on defense and controlling the rebounds were major factors in the big win over a MAC opponent but Augspurger noted the key of the game came down to his CCC Player of the Year.

“It helps to have the best player on the floor” beamed Augspurger referring to Summers with an 8 for 8 start from the field and his 32 point performance on the night. “I walked up to Steve Summers before the game and said, ‘Steve, it’s a really nice feeling to be the best player on the floor and know it, isn’t it?’ He just walked right onto the floor and proved it.”

In his last 10 games Summers averaged 23 points per game and tonight’s performance included the third game in that stretch he had scored over 30 points.

The run started for Summers happened to correspond when two of TVS’s starters went down with injury. Ryan Innis, a Special Mention All CCC player for the Panthers averaged 15.6 PPG before he suffered a high ankle sprain and was out for 4.5 games. Josh Flynn also went down the same time, but was only out for one game. In that first game with both players out, TVS was without 19 PPG of their offense.

“When Ryan and Josh went out Steve got more looks and we came to understand that he needed more looks" noted Augspurger.

What looked like impending doom for the Panthers with the skid in December and battling team injuries just proved the old saying that 'every cloud has a silver lining.'

Steve Summers stepped into the role of senior leader and put the Panthers on his back. Summers offensive production went from 14.2 PPG the first 10 games of the season to 22.3 PPG the last 11. You can also say that during that last stretch of games your conference player of the year was cast.

On this night the first eight shots of the night for Summers the basket must have looked as big as the ocean. Summers hit 4 deuces and 4 treys and when his last trey struck the bottom of the net the Panthers enjoyed a 22-10 lead at the 7:12 mark.

Augspurger noted that “Superlatives just don’t cover the feeling he was on. When he hit his last shot from the three to finish the run I just said ‘Oh my gosh!’”

My only description of the run is that it was a thing of beauty. Summers had some pull up jumpers, turn around jumpers and a fade away jump shots that just left everyone in the stands dumbfounded.

It is a look that Augspurger is used to seeing and notes that it is business as usual for his sharp shooter.

“He’s got so much better at going to the basket” when describing the difference between Summers from the end of his sophomore season to now. “He’s no longer just a stationary shooter.”

“He’s got so much better at shooting that ‘stuff’ that looks like bad shots, but he has such good body control. Those are good shots for him. I’ve started running things for Steve that I haven’t ran since Frank Napier, Ryan Miller, Chad Vorhis(players from CCC Champ teams from mid-‘90’s) because I just think he can do some stuff, even though I’ve had some really good shooters in that amount of time.”

The Tigers were able to make a game of it late and closed within 2 points with just over 2 minutes to play in the game. The Panthers missed the front end of three one and bonus situations in the 4th quarter and Tigers made some easy buckets off Panther miscues.

“I don’t think we defended as well (in the fourth quarter) and we didn’t make any free throws. The bottom line we didn’t step up and make free throws tonight and that is something we have to do a better job in if we want to keep playing” noted Augspurger.

The Panthers avenged one loss against the Tigers and have a chance to avenge another December loss when they play the Grey Hounds from Dixie on Monday night at 7:30 at Tippecanoe High School.

“It’s a local rivalry and the kids live 6 miles down the road from each other, so it means something. They had (Dixie) such an outstanding season. They have two great guards and a bunch of guys to go with them so we have to be ready to play.”

After working nine days straight without a break Augspurger noted that he is giving the team a day off on Thursday. “I told them that I wanted to give them a day off and not the rest of the season off. We’ll get back it at it on Friday and start getting ready for Dixie.”

Scoring by quarters
TVS……........…16…31…40…52
Versailles….....10…19…33…46

TVS
Innis – 0
Spitler – 9
Schmidt – 0
Summers – 32
Stone – 8
Flynn – 3
FG% 47.6 (20-42) FT% 47 (7-15)

Versailles
Selhorst – 3
Richard – 7
Winner – 5
Nisonger – 5
Nieport – 14
Ahrens – 6
Grieshop – 6
Mescher – 2
FG% 43.9 (18-41) FT% 71.4 (5-7)

Three point goals
TVS – 5 (Summers 4, Spitler)
Versailles - 0