Lady Tigers Advance To Title Tilt
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
Seventh-ranked Elkhart Memorial and Northern Lakes Conference foe Warsaw are scheduled to battle at 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to next week's Valparaiso Regional.[[In-content Ad]]Elkhart Memorial improved to 22-2 and advanced to the sectional final with a 53-43 win over Goshen in Friday's first semifinal game.
Warsaw is 16-5 on the season following a 48-33 win over host Concord in Friday's second semifinal game.
Elkhart Memorial beat Warsaw 57-52 on Jan. 26 and has ended the Lady Tigers' tournament run the past two seasons.
"We're excited about playing them in the championship game," second-year Warsaw coach Michelle Harter said of Elkhart Memorial. "It was a close game the first time we played them. We're going to have to do some things different this time around."
In beating Concord (10-12) by 15-points, the Lady Tigers used a 13-0 run that bridged the first and second quarters en route to a 21-13 lead at halftime.
Warsaw led the Lady Minutemen 32-21 after three quarters of play and had to fight off a feisty Concord team down the stretch that it beat by 39 points earlier this season.
"That's something we talked about," Harter said of the fact that Friday night's 15-point win wasn't as easy as Warsaw's 75-36 win over Concord on Jan. 23. "When you get in the tournament, everybody is 0-0 again. You have to earn the right to advance."
The Lady Tigers earned the right to advance thanks in large part to their defense, a defense that has given up a total of just 59 points in the last two games.
In the win over Concord, Warsaw made 10 steals, and the Lady Minutemen turned the ball over 19 times.
"Our defense has been pretty consistent," said Harter. "We stepped up at big times tonight and were able to get some steals."
Offensively, Warsaw was just 15 of 35 (43 percent) from the field and 15 of 24 from the free throw line, but had enough balance to overcome a 2-of-10 effort from the field by senior sharpshooter Kelci Freds.
Freds, the most prolific three-point shooter in Warsaw girls history, was just 1 of 9 beyond the arc Friday.
She still found a way to score eight points in the win, five of which came in the fourth quarter.
Junior Kayla Stout led the Lady Tigers with a game-high 15 points, while freshman Lindsay Baker scored seven points, senior Cendall Ogle scored six points, seniors Sarah Shilling and Kaelee Sands added five points each and senior Beth Plummer chipped in with two points.
"That's been the nice thing about this team, when someone is struggling the others will step up," said Harter. "We play as a team. We've got five girls on the floor playing as a team, not five individuals."
That team philosophy, as well as some strong defensive play, has led the Lady Tigers to the most wins they've had in a season since 2004.
Concord was led in scoring by Lindsay Ogle's eight points, while Paige Freeze chipped in with seven points and Trenee Brownlee scored five points and Brianna Bleiler and Alexandra Riester scored four points each.
Concord finished the game 12 of 31 (39 percent) from the field and 6 of 7 from the charity stripe.
WARSAW 48, CONCORD 33
W 9 12 11 16 - 48
C 5 8 8 12 - 33
Warsaw - Kelci Freds 2-10 3-6 8, Creigh Ogle 0-1 0-0 0, Kaitlin Reichard 0-0 0-0 0, Kaelee Sands 2-4 1-2 5, Cendall Ogle 2-2 1-1 6, Beth Plummer 1-1 0-0 2, Lindsay Baker 2-4 2-4 7, Kayla Stout 4-6 7-8 15, Sarah Shilling 2-7 1-3 5, Amber Plummer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-35 15-24 48.
Concord - Natalie Ogle 0-1 0-0 0, Samantha Swain 1-3 0-0 3, Melanie Meyer 1-1 0-0 2, Trenee Brownlee 2-7 1-1 5, Brianna Bleiler 2-5 0-0 4, Alexandra Riester 0-1 4-4 4, Lindsay Ogle 3-9 0-0 8, Andrea Bozzo 0-1 0-0 0, Paige Freeze 3-3 1-2 7. Totals 12-31 6-7 33.
Three-point goals - Warsaw 2 (Freds, Baker), Concord 2 (L. Ogle 2). Rebounds - Warsaw 22 (Stout 5), Concord 20 (L. Ogle 4). Turnovers - Warsaw 10, Concord 19. Fouls - Warsaw 15, Concord 22. Records: Warsaw 16-5, Concord 10-12.
Other semifinal - Elkhart Memorial 53, Goshen 43
Records: Memorial 22-2, Goshen 5-16
Seventh-ranked Elkhart Memorial and Northern Lakes Conference foe Warsaw are scheduled to battle at 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to next week's Valparaiso Regional.[[In-content Ad]]Elkhart Memorial improved to 22-2 and advanced to the sectional final with a 53-43 win over Goshen in Friday's first semifinal game.
Warsaw is 16-5 on the season following a 48-33 win over host Concord in Friday's second semifinal game.
Elkhart Memorial beat Warsaw 57-52 on Jan. 26 and has ended the Lady Tigers' tournament run the past two seasons.
"We're excited about playing them in the championship game," second-year Warsaw coach Michelle Harter said of Elkhart Memorial. "It was a close game the first time we played them. We're going to have to do some things different this time around."
In beating Concord (10-12) by 15-points, the Lady Tigers used a 13-0 run that bridged the first and second quarters en route to a 21-13 lead at halftime.
Warsaw led the Lady Minutemen 32-21 after three quarters of play and had to fight off a feisty Concord team down the stretch that it beat by 39 points earlier this season.
"That's something we talked about," Harter said of the fact that Friday night's 15-point win wasn't as easy as Warsaw's 75-36 win over Concord on Jan. 23. "When you get in the tournament, everybody is 0-0 again. You have to earn the right to advance."
The Lady Tigers earned the right to advance thanks in large part to their defense, a defense that has given up a total of just 59 points in the last two games.
In the win over Concord, Warsaw made 10 steals, and the Lady Minutemen turned the ball over 19 times.
"Our defense has been pretty consistent," said Harter. "We stepped up at big times tonight and were able to get some steals."
Offensively, Warsaw was just 15 of 35 (43 percent) from the field and 15 of 24 from the free throw line, but had enough balance to overcome a 2-of-10 effort from the field by senior sharpshooter Kelci Freds.
Freds, the most prolific three-point shooter in Warsaw girls history, was just 1 of 9 beyond the arc Friday.
She still found a way to score eight points in the win, five of which came in the fourth quarter.
Junior Kayla Stout led the Lady Tigers with a game-high 15 points, while freshman Lindsay Baker scored seven points, senior Cendall Ogle scored six points, seniors Sarah Shilling and Kaelee Sands added five points each and senior Beth Plummer chipped in with two points.
"That's been the nice thing about this team, when someone is struggling the others will step up," said Harter. "We play as a team. We've got five girls on the floor playing as a team, not five individuals."
That team philosophy, as well as some strong defensive play, has led the Lady Tigers to the most wins they've had in a season since 2004.
Concord was led in scoring by Lindsay Ogle's eight points, while Paige Freeze chipped in with seven points and Trenee Brownlee scored five points and Brianna Bleiler and Alexandra Riester scored four points each.
Concord finished the game 12 of 31 (39 percent) from the field and 6 of 7 from the charity stripe.
WARSAW 48, CONCORD 33
W 9 12 11 16 - 48
C 5 8 8 12 - 33
Warsaw - Kelci Freds 2-10 3-6 8, Creigh Ogle 0-1 0-0 0, Kaitlin Reichard 0-0 0-0 0, Kaelee Sands 2-4 1-2 5, Cendall Ogle 2-2 1-1 6, Beth Plummer 1-1 0-0 2, Lindsay Baker 2-4 2-4 7, Kayla Stout 4-6 7-8 15, Sarah Shilling 2-7 1-3 5, Amber Plummer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-35 15-24 48.
Concord - Natalie Ogle 0-1 0-0 0, Samantha Swain 1-3 0-0 3, Melanie Meyer 1-1 0-0 2, Trenee Brownlee 2-7 1-1 5, Brianna Bleiler 2-5 0-0 4, Alexandra Riester 0-1 4-4 4, Lindsay Ogle 3-9 0-0 8, Andrea Bozzo 0-1 0-0 0, Paige Freeze 3-3 1-2 7. Totals 12-31 6-7 33.
Three-point goals - Warsaw 2 (Freds, Baker), Concord 2 (L. Ogle 2). Rebounds - Warsaw 22 (Stout 5), Concord 20 (L. Ogle 4). Turnovers - Warsaw 10, Concord 19. Fouls - Warsaw 15, Concord 22. Records: Warsaw 16-5, Concord 10-12.
Other semifinal - Elkhart Memorial 53, Goshen 43
Records: Memorial 22-2, Goshen 5-16
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