VERSAILLES — The WOAC’s Tri-Village Lady Patriots delivered one of their most complete performances of the season, leading from start to finish in a 63-40 non-conference victory over the Versailles Lady Tigers on the Tigers’ Senior Night.
“I’ve been waiting for that team to show up since night one,” said Tri-Village coach Brad Gray. “Our best game of the year coming into this was the Miami East game — we picked a good night to have one tonight. Our kids were as engaged with the game plan, possession to possession, as we’ve been all year. What a great job for our little kids to go down there and battle in the paint and not get hurt in the paint tonight.”
Versailles coach Tracy White credited the Lady Patriots for setting the tone early.
“Kudos to them, more power to them for showing up and knocking down shots and getting on a run early,” White said. “They’re a tough team, and we knew that was the case. We schedule tough teams in our non-league games; our league games are tough. We have to show up to work, and today was just one of those days we didn’t show up ready to go.”
The evening also honored seven Versailles seniors playing their final home game: Elli Stammen, Grace Borchers, Brooke Bergman, Katey Litten, Madison Yagle, Kynnedi Hager, and Jena Heigkamp.
“The seven seniors lead in very different ways,” White said. “They all have different strengths, and they all complement each other in different ways. They have stepped up this year and grown in a lot of different areas that we have challenged them. It’s cool to have a big senior class and for all of them to stick it out and play together. They are all going to be so successful later in life.”
Despite giving up significant height to the MAC squad, Tri-Village countered with quickness, pressure defense, and perimeter shooting. Adalynn Hines opened the scoring with a three-pointer, and after a Katey Litten layup briefly cut the deficit to 3-2, the Lady Patriots caught fire.
Tri-Village buried six first-quarter three-pointers — two each from Taytum Gray and Tai Mize and one apiece from Kenna Wilcox and Hines — to surge ahead 20-8 and seize control of the game.
The second quarter proved to be the most competitive stretch of the night, with Tri-Village edging Versailles 12-11 to carry a 32-19 advantage into halftime. Wilcox led the Lady Patriots in the period with eight points, including two treys, while Ellie Stammen paced the Lady Tigers with five points and the team’s only three-pointer of the game.
“A great night for Kenna,” Gray said. “It was a big ask of her to play as many minutes as she played, going through the stuff she’s been going through. She’s our enforcer in the paint. We needed to have an enforcer in there as long as possible today. What a great game for her. She knocked down shots.”
Tri-Village’s relentless full-court pressure continued after the break, stretching the lead to 52-28 late in the third quarter before the teams entered the final period with the Lady Patriots ahead 52-30. Hines scored seven third-quarter points, including her second three-pointer of the night.
The Lady Patriots closed out the win by taking the fourth quarter 11-8, completing a sweep of all four periods and securing the 23-point road victory.
Defensively, Tri-Village limited Versailles senior standout Katey Litten — who entered the game averaging 14.3 points per contest — to just four first-quarter points.
“Great detail on defense by all of our kids,” Gray said. “Tai Mize was matched up with her most of the game, but Milee Bierly even had her some. When you have a player the caliber of Litten, it’s everybody’s responsibility. It doesn’t just fall on one or two kids, and our other kids were extremely aware when she had the ball.”
White pointed to early missed opportunities and foul trouble as factors that allowed Tri-Village to dictate the game’s flow.
“Right out of the gate, they miss a couple shots, they get some offensive boards, we don’t get some things to fall our way, we get in a little foul trouble, and we let that dictate our entire game,” she said.
The teams finished even on the glass with 27 rebounds apiece, but Tri-Village’s shooting and defensive pressure proved decisive.
Kenna Wilcox and Adalynn Hines shared game-high scoring honors with 16 points each to lead the Lady Patriots to the non-conference win.
BOX SCORE:
TRI-VILLAGE 63, VERSAILLES 40
TRI-VILLAGE – K. Wilcox 16, A. Hines 16, T. Mize 13, S. DeLong 8, T. Gray 8, E. Greer 2 – TOTALS 15 3-6 10 63
VERSAILLES – R. Schmitmeyer 12, S. Stammen 11, G. Borchers 4, K Litten 4, J. HeitKamp 4, Barga 3, K. Hager 2 – TOTALS 17 3-4 1 40
3-POINTERS
Tri-Village 10 (K. Wilcox 4, T. Gray 2, T. Mize 2, S. Hines 2)
Versailles 1 (Stammen 1)
SCORE by QUARTERS
20-12-20-11 63 Tri-Village
08-11-13-08 40 Versailles
