Triton Athletics

Friday, December 5, 2025 BOURBON, Ind. — In a highly anticipated clash between undefeated teams, the NorthWood Panthers overcame a 14-point first-half deficit to defeat the Triton Trojans 58–47 at the Trojan Trench. The matchup between the 3A Panthers (2-0) and 1A Trojans (2-1) lived up to its billing as the battle proved that experience and physicality can overcome an early deficit when the stakes are high. Trojans Strike First Triton came out firing in the first quarter, dominating both ends of the floor. The Trojans shot an impressive 73% from the field in the opening frame, connecting on 8-of-11 attempts including three of their five three-point tries to build a commanding 19-7 advantage. "That's one thing we talked about—you guys got to come out and be the aggressor and attack," Triton head coach Jason Groves said. "I thought they did that both sides of the ball offensively and defensively." Brady Wood and Julian Swanson led the early charge, combining for 10 of Triton's 19 first-quarter points. The sophomore Wood matched his senior backcourt mate with efficient shooting that had NorthWood head coach Aaron Wolfe searching for answers. "They came out ready to play," Wolfe would later acknowledge. "We had to weather that storm and find our identity." The packed Trojan Trench provided a significant boost to the home team's energy. "The crowd is everything," Wood said. "When the crowd's loud, it gives us all energy. It gives everybody confidence. The crowd is a really huge part of a basketball game." The Trojans extended their lead to 14 points early in the second quarter, appearing poised to pull away from the state championship program from just two years ago. At halftime, Triton held a surprising 10-4 advantage in points in the paint despite the significant size disadvantage. "We knew they were going to come out and extend their man-to-man defense and pressure us," Groves said. "We got some quick guys that can get to the basket, and I thought we did a good job doing that." Panthers Find Their Footing But NorthWood, led by 19th-year coach Aaron Wolfe (318 career wins), refused to fold. The Panthers' size advantage began to assert itself as the second quarter progressed, particularly through the play of senior forward Brogan Ferrell. Ferrell, who Wolfe had praised for having "the most improved off-season," was perfect from the field in the first half, scoring eight points to spark NorthWood's comeback. The Panthers outscored Triton 20-8 in the second quarter to knot the game at 27-27 heading into halftime. "I thought NorthWood did a nice job adjusting, kind of maybe backing off and just trying to keep us in front of them a little bit and not denying so much," Groves explained. "Give NorthWood credit. I thought they executed at a really high level no matter who was in the game, what the situation was. They kept their composure and really did a nice job executing." "I don't know if they wore us down, but I felt like we lost that and maybe lost the confidence a little bit," Groves said. "When things are going well, we're really good. When things aren't going very well, that's when we kind of start to nitpick at each other and lose our focus. That's a big area where we got to be better. If we want to be successful, make a run in the tournament, those are the areas we got to get better at." Triton's shooting cooled dramatically after the hot start. The Trojans converted just 7-of-18 shots in the second half (38.9%) after their blistering 12-of-22 performance (54.5%) before intermission. The Decisive Fourth Quarter The third quarter remained competitive, with neither team able to pull away. NorthWood edged ahead 41-37 entering the final period, setting the stage for the Panthers' knockout blow. NorthWood opened the fourth quarter with a devastating 19-0 run that effectively ended any hopes of a Triton comeback. The Panthers' length and physicality wore down the smaller Trojans, who managed just 10 points in each of the final two quarters after scoring 27 in the first half. "The size difference was huge," Groves noted. "They're a 3A program with a lot of big, physical players. That caught up with us in the second half." Ferrell Leads Balanced Attack Brogan Ferrell finished with a game-high 17 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting performance, adding five rebounds. His efficiency was the difference-maker for NorthWood, which shot 52.5% from the field for the game, including a scorching 64.7% in the second half. Senior guard Collin Deatsman added 12 points, while Davis Everingham matched that total with four three-pointers. The trio combined for 41 of NorthWood's 58 points. Mason Pearson, the 6'7" senior forward bound for Olivet Nazarene, controlled the paint with 12 rebounds and six points despite battling foul trouble that limited his offensive opportunities. His presence inside was instrumental in NorthWood's rebounding advantage (23-19) and defensive dominance in the second half. Trojans' Balanced Effort Falls Short Julian Swanson led Triton with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, adding two steals. The senior guard, an all-conference selection last year, kept the Trojans competitive throughout but couldn't solve NorthWood's increasingly stingy defense in the final two quarters. Jayden Overmyer and Brady Wood each contributed 12 points. Overmyer added six rebounds and was efficient from the floor (5-of-7), while Wood connected on 5-of-9 attempts including two three-pointers. Landon Patrick, the grandson of legendary coach Bill Patrick (Tippecanoe Valley and Whitko), orchestrated the offense with three assists and added four points while recording four steals. His defensive pressure helped Triton force 14 NorthWood turnovers, but the Trojans couldn't capitalize enough offensively. Gage Riffle struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 1-of-6 three-point attempts in an uncharacteristic off night for the sharpshooting senior. Learning from Adversity Despite the loss, there were positives for the #11-ranked 1A Trojans to take from battling a quality 3A opponent toe-to-toe for three quarters. "It gives us things to clean up and it also shows us we can play with these top-level teams," Wood said. "They're 12th in 3A. We can play with the big teams, the good guys. We are just as good as anyone out there." The sophomore's competitive fire was evident throughout the contest, reflecting the undersized Trojans' refusal to back down from the larger Panthers. "You got to play with a chip on your shoulder, especially being undersized," Wood said. "You just got to want it. You got to want it more than the kids that think—I'm not sure if they thought this, but some people will just look over us because we're small. So you got to want it." Groves emphasized the importance of learning from the defeat rather than dwelling on it. "This is exactly the kind of game we need early in the season," Groves said. "Playing a team like NorthWood, with their size and experience, only makes us better. Obviously, you grow from failure and we're going to learn from it and hopefully get better. That's one thing we got to understand—we got to take this as a learning example and learn from our mistakes. Not just point fingers. It's got to be, okay, what are we all doing wrong? What could we have done better as a coaching staff, as players? And correct that and get better at it." The coach was quick to put the loss in perspective for his team's larger goals. "In the grand scheme of things, this isn't going to have an impact on any of our goals we want to accomplish this year," Groves said. "But it was definitely a good test for us. That's for sure." Looking Ahead for Triton, the loss serves as a measuring stick and a learning opportunity. The Trojans return to action Tuesday, December 9, when they host Lakeland Christian at 7:30 p.m. With conference play and the prestigious Bi-County Tournament looming in January, Triton will look to apply the lessons learned from their first defeat. NORTHWOOD 58, TRITON 47 At Trojan Trench NORTHWOOD: Brogan Ferrell 6-6 5-6 17; Collin Deatsman 5-11 0-0 12; Davis Everingham 4-9 0-0 12; Caleb Vincent 2-4 2-2 7; Mason Pearson 3-6 0-0 6; Colin Edwards 1-3 1-2 4. Totals 21-40 8-10 58. TRITON: Julian Swanson 5-9 2-2 13; Jayden Overmyer 5-7 2-4 12; Brady Wood 5-9 0-0 12; Landon Patrick 2-5 0-1 4; Jamison Swanson 1-2 0-0 3; Gage Riffle 1-8 0-0 3. Totals 19-40 4-7 47. NorthWood 7 20 14 17 - 58 Triton 19 8 10 10 - 47 3-point goals: NorthWood 8-18 (Davis Everingham 4-8; Collin Deatsman 2-6; Caleb Vincent 1-3; Colin Edwards 1-1), Triton 5-15 (Brady Wood 2-5; Julian Swanson 1-1; Jamison Swanson 1-2; Gage Riffle 1-6). Total Fouls: NorthWood 17, Triton 14. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: NorthWood 23 (Mason Pearson 12), Triton 19 (Gage Riffle 5). Assists: NorthWood 15 (Caleb Vincent 7), Triton 5 (Landon Patrick 3). Turnovers: NorthWood 14, Triton 13. Steals: NorthWood 4 (Collin Deatsman 2, Caleb Vincent 2), Triton 9 (Landon Patrick 4). Records: NorthWood 2–0, Triton 2–1. Next: Triton vs Lakeland Christian (Tue., Dec. 9, 7:30 pm); NorthWood @ Westview (Wed., Dec. 11). Article writing assisted by AI Media outlets and fans are encouraged to share our posts on Facebook; however, you may not reproduce the articles or accompanying images on your own website.