Class 2A, No. 12 Triton Central wears down Batesville for 66-49 victory

FAIRLAND – Class 2A, No. 12 Triton Central had ample looks from beyond the three-point line in the opening half Tuesday afternoon and could have ran away from Batesville sooner.

The Tigers hit just 5 of 22 long-range shots which provided plenty of long rebounds to gather in. And its athleticism kept wearing on the Bulldogs, yet it only produced a 28-26 lead at halftime.

Then came the third quarter. Batesville committed eight turnovers and the Tigers splashed four 3s to get the lead to double digits where it stayed throughout the fourth quarter.

Triton Central improved to 8-3 with a 66-49 victory Tuesday over a young Batesville squad that has no seniors on its roster and played just two juniors.

“Today was kind of proof that we really pride ourselves on being in shape and aggressive,” said Triton Central head coach Bryan Graham. “I thought as the game went on, it started to really affect how they were playing.”

Maryrose Felling (photo) missed her first seven 3s in the opening half before finally connecting on one with 30 seconds left in the second quarter. She noticeably clapped her hands in relief. She added two more made 3s in the third quarter when her team took control. She finished with a game-high 24 points and added 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals.

“It doesn’t matter how good of a player you are and it doesn’t matter how good of a shooter you are, anybody … all the way to the pros, sometimes your shot is off and you have to get something to feel confident,” said Graham of Felling’s ability to hit shots even when she struggles. “I want her confident. Confidence is earned and not given. And the way you get confidence is you have to work hard. It just takes one (going in) for a lot of people and that confidence is back up again.”

The Tigers led 36-32 midway through the third quarter when Felling hit a 3 then quickly produced a steal and layin to push the lead to 41-32.

Kaylin Kathmann hit a corner 3 out of a Batesville timeout then got a stop on Triton Central’s next possession but Rylee Pruitt (photo) produced a half-court steal and raced in for an easy layin. Cheyenne Allen hit a corner 3 with 35 seconds left to secure Triton Central’s first double-digit lead of the contest.

Quinn King (photo) and Layla Compton combined for eight points over the final eight minutes. King finished with 14 points and five assists. Compton had 11 points and four rebounds.

Kate Collier finished with five points, five rebounds and five assists.

Sophomore Leah Meyer led Batesville (7-6) with 16 points and four rebounds. Sophomore Maggie Jelinek had 10 points and 12 rebounds. Kathmann had nine points and four assists.

Triton Central hosts Anderson (4-9) Saturday afternoon and is at Franklin County (7-5) on Jan. 3 before taking focus on the 50^th Annual Shelby County Tournament at Waldron beginning Jan. 8.

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