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AKRON – When Rochester and Tippecanoe Valley meet on the gridiron the game is known as the “Battle of the Bell.” This Saturday when the two school’s girls basketball teams square off there will be no bell, but fans will be ringing in a new era of the rivalry as a trip to state is up for grabs at the Warsaw Semi-state.

“I saw (Rochester head coach) Tony Stesiak at Walmart after both our teams won the sectional,” began Valley head coach Chris Kindig. “We talked about the regional for a little bit and as I left I joked with him that I’d see him at Warsaw for semi-state.

“Well,” Kindig said with a smile. “Here we are.”

The idea of these two teams meeting for the right to advance to the state finals is beyond remarkable. Rochester was far from favored in its sectional but topped No. 2 South Bend St. Joe in the title game. Valley was far from a lock as it had to avenge a regular season loss to NorthWood in the sectional semis to prove that it belonged.

The excitement only got bigger at the regional level. Rochester upset No. 1 Benton Central on its way to win the title on its home floor while Valley survived overtime in both of its regional wins at Bellmont.

On January 17 Kindig’s squad hosted Rochester in a Three Rivers Conference showdown which the Lady Vikings won. Rochester is 8-1 since that game while Valley is 10-0.

The Zebras certainly won’t be any easier this time around, but sticking to the same blueprint as before certainly cannot hurt the Lady Vikings.

“The consistency we’ve had all year is our defense,” Kindig stated. “We’ve said it before every game this year, ‘We’re going to win this game because of our defense.’ Our defensive consistency is what we rely on.

“If we bring our A-game defense with us on Saturday then I think we’re going to be competitive.”

Defense has been the message all year and that message has been well-received by Kindig’s players.

“If we want to win, I think we need to focus on doing what we did against Rochester last time,” said Valley senior Caylie Teel. “They obviously have great shooters but they don’t have much height; that gives us an advantage down low. We have to be strong on stopping their penetration and getting a hand up on their shooters.”

Repeating the formula from the last meeting with the Zebras is the easy answer, and it should be. Rochester came into the January contest with Valley averaging 56 points per game, the Lady Vikings held the Zebras to just 40 points in a 52-40 win.

Rochester had three players tie for the team scoring lead with eight points, but Alexa Holland was held to just two points. Holland has been the spark plug for the Zebras this postseason as she is averaging over 17 points per game through five postseason contests. The junior dished out 18 against No. 2 St. Joe and 24 in the regional title against Hanover Central.

The kryptonite for Rochester, as Teel mentioned, is the height, or lack thereof.

Valley’s Anne Secrest has been the focal point for the Lady Vikes on both ends of the court all season. In January’s matchup, Secrest pulled down 20 rebounds (15 on offense), scored 11 points, recorded six blocks and added three steals.

Secrest is usually near the top of the box score in every category, but when she’s not the team does not panic. In fact, this team never seems to panic. The girls have a close bond and never seem to let each other down. There is a noticeable level of trust between them all.

“We all just step up and play as a team,” said Valley’s Karis Tucker. “It’s really important for us to be able to do that. Everyone on this team is just so encouraging and we are all there for each other.”

“We’re a tight-knit team. We’re always together, on and off the court,” Hannah Dunn stated.

“Everybody has a role and everybody has a part on the court,” said Teel. “We know that, as a team and as a family, that we can trust each other. If one girl is having an off night, you know the other girls have her back. We know everybody will step up when asked.”

“We definitely have confidence in each other,” Taylor Trippiedi added. “That’s why our team has gotten this far.”

“You don’t get to this point unless you have people contribute,” Kindig said of his team. “We have seven starters in my opinion, and they’ve all accepted their role. You have to have that to make it this far.”

Before last Saturday, only three TRC girls teams had ever won regional titles. Three TRC teams claimed titles last Saturday, with Wabash being the third in class 2A. Wabash will play Fort Wayne Canterbury at 4:00 p.m. while Rochester and Tippecanoe Valley will tip at 6:00 p.m. at Warsaw.