Tri-Valley boys find power surge

After short circuiting in their game against Cascade, the Tri-Valley boys made some rewiring adjustments and took on four opponents this past week.  

 The first stop was in the high voltage arena of Riggins against the Salmon River Savages on Jan. 8.  

 From tip-off to the final buzzer the Titans controlled the game with a constant current of hard defense and offensive output to win 51-25.  

 High voltage scorers were Orion Southwick with 20 points and Michael Barnett with 11 points.  Hitting the boards were Orion Southwick with 12 rebounds and Cody Nixon and Nathan Kindall with 6 rebounds apiece.

 Reflecting on the game, Coach Morris said. “Our boys had a nice bounce back game after traveling to Cascade last week. I was proud of our defensive effort against a quality Salmon River team. That intensity will be needed as we progress through our league schedule.”

 Two days later the Titans took up the power challenge in Council against the Lumberjacks. Despite the usual overcharged atmosphere, the Titans again took control of the game keeping a substantial lead during the first half of the game.  

 The third quarter brought on an offensive power failure for both teams, but they both got on the grid again during the fourth quarter. The Lumberjacks put on an intensive defensive load, but the Titans kept their ground and won 43-34.  

 High voltage scorers were Ty Barnett with 13 points and Orion Southwick with 11 points.  High rebounders were Orion Southwick with 11 rebounds and Michael Carpenter with 9 rebounds.

 “Tri-Valley played well in one of our tougher league games to date,” said Coach Morris.  “Council’s boys played hard for 32 minutes. I was glad we hit our free throws down the stretch. Getting a win in Council is always tough.”

 The next day Tri-Valley hosted their first home game against Liberty Charter. The Titans kept up with the intense power press of the Patriots and the frenetic pace of the game through the first half of the game and headed to the locker room with a score of 14-15 in favor of the Patriots.

 The Patriots continued to increase the energetic pressure and the Titans found themselves unable to bear the load and lost to Liberty Charter 28-42.

 High voltage score leader for the game was Orion Southwick with 11 points, with Michael Barnett and Garrett Bunk tallying 4 points each. Rebound leaders were Orion Southwick with 7 and Ty Barnett with 4.

 “Tri-Valley welcomed Liberty Charter as our first home game of the 2018-19 season.  Liberty Charter is a 1A division 1 charter school that we were excited to host as they have been a perennial state representative,” Coach Morris said.

 “Our boys fought hard. However, we surrendered a third quarter run and could not close the gap in the fourth. Liberty Charter’s pressure defense was the difference in the game.”

 Ending the four-game week was the highly charged matchup against Garden Valley on Saturday, Jan. 12.  The electrification of the fans and all the pressure of a league game made for an exciting night and fitting end to Tip-off week. The first half ran with the power lines of both teams holding fast with the first quarter score 11 to 10 for the Titans and the halftime score dead even at 25.

 The grounded determination of the Titans put a jolt into the action that resulted in a 44-39 lead at the end of the third quarter. Coach Morris’s schematic of the game was continued into the fourth quarter to keep the lead and send the Wolverines into a fouling scenario to try and get back into the game. When the buzzer sounded the electromagnetic pulse of victory went up from the crowd as the Titans closed the game 64-53.

 High voltage scorers for the game were Orion Southwick with a season high 30 points and Michael Barnett with 13 points. Hitting the boards were Orion Southwick with 10 rebounds and Ty Barnett and Michael Carpenter with 6 each.

 “Garden Valley came into Midvale Saturday as our third game in three nights,” Morris said. “Garden Valley brought with them an 11-1 record, undefeated in league play. They played a similar style to Liberty Charter from the night before. We faced another pressing defense for most of the game. I was proud of how Tri-Valley responded to the challenge. We could have easily excused ourselves as tired and relented. Instead, the team rose up and closed out the game.  

 “I would like to thank all the Tri-Valley fans that attended the games. By far, Midvale’s gym has been the loudest we’ve played in all year.”