By Don McDermott Sports Editor
Fairborn – Nutter Center
Tri-Village High School’s unbeaten Patriots extended their record to 15-0 this season with a 73-61 victory against Brookville Saturday in the Miami Valley Basketball Fest in Wright State University’s Ervin J. Nutter Center.
Three events grab the Patriots’ attention this week.
Friday, they go to Pitsburg to play Franklin Monroe in a Cross County Conference game.
Saturday night, Northridge entertains Tri-Village in the Polar Bears’ north Dayton gym.
And when they play that game the Patriots will know if they are the No. 1-seeded team in the Dayton Division IV Sectional Tournament, which opens Feb. 16 in the University of Dayton Arena.
The drawings will be conducted at 10 a.m. Saturday in the UD Arena. Expected to challenge Tri-Village for the No. 1 seed are Cedarville, 12-1, and Yellow Springs, 13-2.
Lee Falknor, the Tri-Village coach, did no politicking for the top seed after his team’s impressive performance against Brookville Saturday.
Instead, he applauded his team. “The victory here today and being 15-0 is a tribute to the kids…on how much they like each other, they things they do for the team, how they play, and how they sacrifice,” said Falknor. “That’s why we’ve been successful.”
With 1,100 fans, most of them from Tri-Village, watching in the 10,000-seat Nutter Center, the Patriots shook off a “sluggish” start and the threat of Kregg Creamer to subdue the feisty Blue Devils.
Tri-Village trailed 18-17 after one period, and settled for a 28-28 standoff at halftime. But the Patriots’ full-court pressure defense and their slick passing game, sparked by Most Valuable Player Shane Bietry, knocked out the “Devils in the remaining 16 minutes.
In the third quarter, T-V outscored Brookville 21-10, and in the final period, the Patriots’ lead was never less than eight points.
Bietry scored 18 points and had six assists to claim MVP honors in the second major event in which Tri-Village participated. He earned similar laurels in the Jets Holiday Tournament in December.
“We were a little sluggish in the first half, but we pumped up the intensity at halftime,” said Bietry. And as for being MVP, the senior guard observed: “I’ve had some bad games, but I come here and have a good one. It just happens.”
Dirk Lewis led the Patriots with 21 points, while Nate Lindamood added 15 and Scoob Cook 11 for Tri-Village, which shot 54.1 percent (26 of 48) from the field, was 15 of 19 from the foul line, and outrebounded the Blue Devils 35-28. And, the Patriots had assists on 16 of their 26 field goals.
Creamer, a 6-5 senior forward headed for either Miami of Ohio or Kent State University on a football scholarship, scored 27 points. Creamer shot a powerful 10 of 14 from the field, had seven offensive rebounds, and passed for three assists.
Scoring by Quarters
Tri-Village 17 11 21 24 – 73
Brookville 18 10 10 23 – 61
Tri-Village
Lindamood - 15
Brandon - 2
Ward - 6
Cook - 11
Bietry - 18
Lewis - 21
Fisherback - 0
Totals - 73
Brookville
Todd - 3
Neiswonger - 0
Fourman - 10
Akers - 3
Harris - 0
Lamb - 10
Moehl - 2
Creamer - 27
Kimmel - 6
Helpinstine - 0
Totals - 61
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