Baker, Defense Cook Up Warsaw Win
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
Taking a 32-25 lead into the second half, the Warsaw (4-1) defense gave up just 11 points to the Wabash (4-4) in the final 16 minutes of play, all of which came from senior Kelsey Cromer, who went 3 of 7 in the half.
"In the first half, we were just a step slow," Warsaw coach Michelle Harter said about her team's defense. "We were reacting after the girl had caught the ball, instead of moving while the ball was in flight.
"We did a much better job of that in the second half," she added. "That made a world of difference, because it didn't allow their shooters to get open. They were taking contested shots, and that's what you want to make sure you're doing."
The Lady Apaches' field-goal percentage went from 47 percent in the opening half to 18 in the second, allowing the Lady Tigers to win the game going away.
Although Wabash has been a mainstay in the Class 2A Top 10 rankings over the years, the loss of star players Brooklyn Short and Kaleigh Hensley has brought the team back down to earth a little bit.
However, Wabash still has good players with Kelsey Cromer, who had 19 points, five rebounds and three steals, as well as 6-foot sophomore Kyleigh Hampton
But they just weren't enough against Warsaw.
"Hampton is tall player that can shoot the 3, she can post up on the inside and she has a mid-range game," Harter said about the sophomore, who had nine points, all of which were scored in the first half. "That gives you a challenge, then you have Kelsey Cromer who's done a great job for them and is a great shooter. When you have two players like that, that can really play, you need to make sure you're focusing and finding those players."
Warsaw had a much more balanced attack, led by junior Lindsay Baker, who had 19 points, 10 rebounds and a steal.
Throughout her time at Warsaw, Baker has been a leader on the court, but while she's been filling out the stat book in other areas, her point totals have been down. Against Wabash, that wasn't the case.
"People expect her to be a scorer all the time, and Lindsay does so much more out there on the floor for us," Harter said about the 6-foot point guard. "She's been getting the ball where it needs to go, making steals and getting on the boards for us. Tonight, her shot finally came for her. She just relaxed and took her shots within the flow of the offense."
Baker's performance was exceptional, but it's been the post presence of 6-1 senior Sarah Heagy and 6-1 sophomore Nikki Grose that has been the consistent positive for the Lady Tigers and that continued in their latest conquest.
In the win, Heagy scored 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while also picking up seven rebounds and two assists. Coming off the bench, Grose had six points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
"To have Sarah Heagy playing so well on the inside and Nikki Grose playing well, that helps to allow our shooters to get open on the outside," Harter said.
The defense of the interior players, as well as the general zone defense, gave Warsaw its third-straight win and puts the team in a good mental state going into its Northern Lakes Conference opener at Plymouth Saturday.
"You want to be coming off a good win, being ready to go when you have to go to Plymouth," Harter said. "That's a tough place to play. Coach (Dave) Cox always has them ready, fundamentally. I saw they were here tonight watching, so I'm sure they'll be making some adjustments."
Junior varsity tipoff for the game at Plymouth will be 6 p.m.
WARSAW 58, WABASH 36
Wab 14 11 8 3 – 36
War 11 21 10 16 – 58
Warsaw – Madison Davis 0-3 0-0 0, Lauren Burish 0-1 0-0 0, Jennifer Walker-Crawford 1-11 2-2 4, Lindsay Baker 8-14 0-0 19, Sarah Heagy 4-6 5-8 13, Ashley Ousley 0-0 2-2 2, Sarah Ray 2-3 3-4 7, Melanie Holladay 0-1 0-0 0, Eryn Leek 0-0 0-0 0, Brooklyn Harrison 3-4 0-0 7, Nikki Grose 3-6 0-0 6. Totals 21-49 12-16 58.
Wabash – Claire Cromer 1-4 2-2 5, Katelin Vogel 0-0 0-0 0, Marin Hill 1-5 1-1 3, Kelsey Cromer 7-19 0-2 19, Kyleigh Hampton 4-10 0-0 9, Charlianne Pardo 0-1 0-0 0, Brittany Stone 0-1 0-0 0, Hannah Mullett 0-1 0-0 0, Sarah Puckett 0-0 0-0 0, Kalie Obenour 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-41 3-5 36.
Three-point goals – Warsaw 4-11 (Baker 3, Harrison), Wabash 7-20 (K. Cromer 5, C. Cromer, Hampton); Team Fouls – Warsaw 7, Wabash 14; Turnovers – Warsaw 10, Wabash 17; Rebounds – Warsaw 34 (Baker 10), Wabash 26 (K. Cromer 7); Assists – Warsaw 9 (Walker-Crawford 2, Heagy 2), Wabash 6 (C. Cromer); Steals – Warsaw 5 (Davis 3), Wabash 6 (K. Cromer 3); Blocks – Warsaw 3 (Grose 3), Wabash 1; Records: Warsaw 4-1, Wabash 4-4
JV – Warsaw 35, Wabash 31
Warsaw – Gabby Monroy 13, Courtney Farling 10, Vicki Harris 5, Hannah Boal 4, Pam Miller 2, Nicolette Shepherd 1[[In-content Ad]]
Taking a 32-25 lead into the second half, the Warsaw (4-1) defense gave up just 11 points to the Wabash (4-4) in the final 16 minutes of play, all of which came from senior Kelsey Cromer, who went 3 of 7 in the half.
"In the first half, we were just a step slow," Warsaw coach Michelle Harter said about her team's defense. "We were reacting after the girl had caught the ball, instead of moving while the ball was in flight.
"We did a much better job of that in the second half," she added. "That made a world of difference, because it didn't allow their shooters to get open. They were taking contested shots, and that's what you want to make sure you're doing."
The Lady Apaches' field-goal percentage went from 47 percent in the opening half to 18 in the second, allowing the Lady Tigers to win the game going away.
Although Wabash has been a mainstay in the Class 2A Top 10 rankings over the years, the loss of star players Brooklyn Short and Kaleigh Hensley has brought the team back down to earth a little bit.
However, Wabash still has good players with Kelsey Cromer, who had 19 points, five rebounds and three steals, as well as 6-foot sophomore Kyleigh Hampton
But they just weren't enough against Warsaw.
"Hampton is tall player that can shoot the 3, she can post up on the inside and she has a mid-range game," Harter said about the sophomore, who had nine points, all of which were scored in the first half. "That gives you a challenge, then you have Kelsey Cromer who's done a great job for them and is a great shooter. When you have two players like that, that can really play, you need to make sure you're focusing and finding those players."
Warsaw had a much more balanced attack, led by junior Lindsay Baker, who had 19 points, 10 rebounds and a steal.
Throughout her time at Warsaw, Baker has been a leader on the court, but while she's been filling out the stat book in other areas, her point totals have been down. Against Wabash, that wasn't the case.
"People expect her to be a scorer all the time, and Lindsay does so much more out there on the floor for us," Harter said about the 6-foot point guard. "She's been getting the ball where it needs to go, making steals and getting on the boards for us. Tonight, her shot finally came for her. She just relaxed and took her shots within the flow of the offense."
Baker's performance was exceptional, but it's been the post presence of 6-1 senior Sarah Heagy and 6-1 sophomore Nikki Grose that has been the consistent positive for the Lady Tigers and that continued in their latest conquest.
In the win, Heagy scored 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while also picking up seven rebounds and two assists. Coming off the bench, Grose had six points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
"To have Sarah Heagy playing so well on the inside and Nikki Grose playing well, that helps to allow our shooters to get open on the outside," Harter said.
The defense of the interior players, as well as the general zone defense, gave Warsaw its third-straight win and puts the team in a good mental state going into its Northern Lakes Conference opener at Plymouth Saturday.
"You want to be coming off a good win, being ready to go when you have to go to Plymouth," Harter said. "That's a tough place to play. Coach (Dave) Cox always has them ready, fundamentally. I saw they were here tonight watching, so I'm sure they'll be making some adjustments."
Junior varsity tipoff for the game at Plymouth will be 6 p.m.
WARSAW 58, WABASH 36
Wab 14 11 8 3 – 36
War 11 21 10 16 – 58
Warsaw – Madison Davis 0-3 0-0 0, Lauren Burish 0-1 0-0 0, Jennifer Walker-Crawford 1-11 2-2 4, Lindsay Baker 8-14 0-0 19, Sarah Heagy 4-6 5-8 13, Ashley Ousley 0-0 2-2 2, Sarah Ray 2-3 3-4 7, Melanie Holladay 0-1 0-0 0, Eryn Leek 0-0 0-0 0, Brooklyn Harrison 3-4 0-0 7, Nikki Grose 3-6 0-0 6. Totals 21-49 12-16 58.
Wabash – Claire Cromer 1-4 2-2 5, Katelin Vogel 0-0 0-0 0, Marin Hill 1-5 1-1 3, Kelsey Cromer 7-19 0-2 19, Kyleigh Hampton 4-10 0-0 9, Charlianne Pardo 0-1 0-0 0, Brittany Stone 0-1 0-0 0, Hannah Mullett 0-1 0-0 0, Sarah Puckett 0-0 0-0 0, Kalie Obenour 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-41 3-5 36.
Three-point goals – Warsaw 4-11 (Baker 3, Harrison), Wabash 7-20 (K. Cromer 5, C. Cromer, Hampton); Team Fouls – Warsaw 7, Wabash 14; Turnovers – Warsaw 10, Wabash 17; Rebounds – Warsaw 34 (Baker 10), Wabash 26 (K. Cromer 7); Assists – Warsaw 9 (Walker-Crawford 2, Heagy 2), Wabash 6 (C. Cromer); Steals – Warsaw 5 (Davis 3), Wabash 6 (K. Cromer 3); Blocks – Warsaw 3 (Grose 3), Wabash 1; Records: Warsaw 4-1, Wabash 4-4
JV – Warsaw 35, Wabash 31
Warsaw – Gabby Monroy 13, Courtney Farling 10, Vicki Harris 5, Hannah Boal 4, Pam Miller 2, Nicolette Shepherd 1[[In-content Ad]]
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092