Class 2A, No. 7 Triton Central's defense shuts down Monrovia

MONROVIA – Triton Central’s physical and athletic defensive presence stifled Monrovia Tuesday and moved the Tigers one win closer to clinching the inaugural Hoosier Legends Conference championship.

Monrovia entered the HLC contest averaging 60 points per game this season. The Tigers are allowing 39 ppg.

With just under three minutes left Tuesday, the Bulldogs finally reached 30 points. The result was a 45-34 win for Class 2A, No. 7 Triton Central, who improved to 17-3 this season (3-0 HLC).

“We don’t have very much length, but all the kids play really hard and, normally, they are pretty connected on defense,” said Triton Central head coach Mark James. “When you see us not connected or we make a mistake, it’s always a layup. When we make a mistake, it’s really bad because we don’t have much length – and that’s a real killer in basketball.

“We have to make up for it with smarts, talking and executing things well. We are executing things better on defense than we are on offense right now.”

Triton Central led 21-16 at halftime and had Monrovia right where it wanted – stuck in a low scoring game chasing an athletic squad led by senior Eli Sego.

Sego (photo), a Rose-Hulman commit, scored eight of his game-high 19 points in the third quarter when the Tigers finally pushed the lead to double digits. He hit back-to-back three-pointers that kept the Bulldogs at bay.

“I thought we were mentally flat tonight but (Monrovia) had a lot to do with that. They came out and played really patient,” said James. “Some of those possessions we defended for like a minute or longer, which is hard.”

Triton Central led 34-26 after three quarters and the lead seemed even larger. The Bulldogs (11-8, 2-3) took just 22 shots through three quarters but had success at the free-throw line, converting 7 of 11.

Needing a spark, Clay Tharp sank a corner 3 to start the fourth-quarter scoring but it came at the 5:39 mark. More than two minutes came off the game clock before the Bulldogs cut into the deficit.

Brayden Hoover (photo) answered with a top of the key 3 and Sego got to the rim twice to quickly push the lead to 41-29 with less than four minutes to go.

Triton Central shot 55% from the field and made 6 of 13 3s. Henry Kemper (photo) finished with seven points and six rebounds. Grant Long had six points, four rebounds and three assists. Hoover and Brody Hartman each finished with five points.

Skoaler Haynes scored half of his team-high 10 points from the free throw line. Tharp and Hayden Najera each scored nine. Najera had a team-high four rebounds.

Triton Central’s junior varsity improved to 12-6 this season with a 47-26 win. Landon Bailey led the Tigers with 11 points. Hudson Reichanadter and Chace Calderone each scored seven.

Triton Central’s final two games of the regular season are at home against HLC foes. The Tigers host Beech Grove (8-12, 2-2) Friday and finish with Speedway (10-9, 2-2) on Feb. 27.

Notes: Tuesday’s game featured two head coaches with a combined 1,159 career victories. Brian Barber (512-200) is in his first year at Monrovia following a very successful run at Danville. Mark James is 648-372 in 44 seasons overall and 49-20 in his third year at Triton Central. …Sego, averaging 22 ppg this season, now needs 20 points to break Wyatt Felling’s career scoring record (1,553) at Triton Central. Sego is ninth on Shelby County’s career scoring list with Felling and Morristown’s Logan Laster (1,570) within his immediate reach. … With a win over Beech Grove, the Tigers will clinch at least a share of the HLC title. Only Tri-West (13-8, 4-1) is still in contention for the championship with its HLC schedule already complete. … The IHSAA sectional draw is Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern Hancock is the host site for Sectional 43 this season. The host Royals (11-8) are one of four teams with double-digit wins this season. Triton Central (17-3) has the most followed by Indianapolis Scecina (15-6). Heritage Christian (10-9) also has at least 10 wins. The remainder of the field is Christel House (9-10), Irvington Prep (8-10) and KIPP Indy Legacy (8-13). The Tigers are 4-0 against potential sectional opponents this season.

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