With his team playing in the Republic Bank Louisville Invitational Tournament for the first time in six years, Valley High School boys basketball coach Joe Harris wanted his team to come out and make a statement in the first game of the 69th annual event.
It took some time, but the Vikings did just what Harris wanted. Playing on their home court, they rallied from 23 points down in the third quarter to knock off Southern 76-73 in a first-round matchup. Ty Walter scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half to help lead the Vikings, who now face top-seeded Trinity at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
PHOTO GALLERY | Southern vs. Valley
With his top eight players being underclassmen, Harris figured his players would start tight, but he never expected the Vikings (12-7), the No. 16 seed in the 20-team tournament, would be down 44-24 at halftime. He said his players were talking about little things, such as using different a ball than they typically use at J.C. Cantrell Gymnasium.
“I told them, ‘Don’t let the first opportunity to show the city what we’re about be spoiled like this,’” Harris said.
He urged the Vikings to break down the second half one possession at a time. That mindset led to a 14-2 run that cut the 17th-seed Trojans advantage to just 56-51 with 1:28 left in the third quarter. Southern (10-6) responded with a 10-2 run of its own that gave the Trojans a 13-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
But Valley responded with a 19-2 run over a five-minute span in the final period. They took the lead on a Cameron Wilson 3-pointer that made it 70-68 with 2:29 remaining. Valley would also finally hit its free throws. After going just 5 of 26 in the first three quarters – including making just 1 of 10 while scoring 29 points in the third – the Vikings hit 8 of 14 in the final period to pull away.
“Our coaches believed in us” Walter said. “We believed in us. We just had to fight hard, get rebounds and block out.”
In making their rally, the Vikings shot 57.6 percent in the second half, forced 10 Trojans turnovers and outrebounded them 26-16. A dozen of those late rebounds came on the offensive glass.
Southern coach Shedrick Jones, Jr. told his team to be ready for a comeback, but the Trojans, who were led by Glenn Hill’s 20 points, just played too tentative down the stretch.
“The aggressor won,” Jones said. “They just outplayed us.”
It won’t get any easier for the Vikings as they prepare for the Shamrocks, the No. 5 team in the state in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings.
“There’s going to be some nerves Wednesday, (but) I love the challenge, the opportunity,” Harris said.
| Southern | 21 | 23 | 18 | 11 | — | 73 |
| Valley | 14 | 10 | 29 | 23 | — | 76 |
Southern (10-6) – Ch. Wilson 2, Jackson 1, Hill 20, Durbin 15, Andrews 14, Cancel 4, Reedel 6, Jones 11.
Valley (12-7) – Walter 20, Brewer 2, Lewis 13, Brooks 10, Evans 10, Ca. Wilson 7, George 14.
3-point goals – Durbin 3, Andrews, Walter 4, Ca. Wilson.