Lady Tigers Continue Winning Streak
Seniors Nikki Grose, Brooklyn Harrison push team past Triton
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
After snapping a four-game skid to win the Dec. 30 TCU Lady Tiger Tournament, the Warsaw Lady Tigers (5-7) kept the good times rolling Saturday at Grace College's Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center, beating Triton 41-31 and ending the Lady Trojans’ (7-4) four-game winning streak.
“Each and every practice, the girls are coming out and just getting a little better,” Warsaw coach Michelle Harter said. “Each game, we continue to improve in areas.”
Unquestionably, the biggest areas of improvement have been with Grose and Harrison.
Entering the Lady Tiger Tournament, Grose had missed four games with injuries and suspensions, but had averaged 11.6 points in the five games she played. In the tournament, she netted 13 in a win over Lowell and 22 against Perry Meridian, then added another 19 against Triton.
The tournament also gave Harrison's game a big boost, as she had averaged only 4.6 points per game going into the championship game against Meridian, but she scored 13 in that title tilt and added 14 against Triton.
“Brooklyn and Nikki are really stepping up and being good senior leaders for us right now,” Harter said. “They're starting to do the little things that are so important in basketball – playing fundamental. Brooklyn's been attacking the basket hard, going in strong and getting herself under control. Early on, that didn't happen. Nikki is the only person that can stop her (self). She has finally gotten it into her head that she's going to go in, be strong and if teams double team or triple team, she's a great passer and she can look to kick out. I really think that just helps the rest of the girls relax a little bit. That's the type of leadership we've been looking for.”
The defense of the girls has also been a major contributor to the recent success of the Lady Tigers, as Grose had her third-straight game with five blocked shots and Harrison has gone up from three to four to five steals in her last three contests.
Both have seen significant varsity action since their sophomore seasons, but had been able to defer to the likes of Lindsay Baker and Jennifer Walker-Crawford.
With those girls now playing collegiate basketball, Grose and Harrison are now the go-to girls and it seems like they're now accepting that role.
“When they've had those other players, they weren't the focal point and they could feed off those other girls,” Harter said. “Now, they're realizing, ‘We're the leaders and the team's going to feed off of us and what we do.’”
Against Triton, Harrison was the first Lady Tiger to step up, as the Lady Trojans jumped out to a 6-0 lead before she cut the deficit to 6-5 following a bucket and a three-pointer.
The rest of the Lady Tigers came around in the half, as Warsaw went up 17-8 with 4:59 to play in the half, but their scoring stopped there.
In the last five minutes of the half, Triton went on a 10-0 run, giving the visitors on the scoreboard a slim 18-17 halftime advantage.
Neither team was too impressive in the third quarter, as Warsaw outscored Triton 6-4 in the frame to go into the fourth on top 23-22.
In the final eight minutes of the game, Warsaw outscored Triton 18-9, as Grose went 4 of 4 from the field and hit her one free throw.
“She's a great player and she's who we talked about – how they're going to her and they're starting to figure that out,” Triton coach Adam Heckaman said of Grose. “We talked about it all week, and we just didn't execute. We didn't double down when we went man (defense), and when she goes one-on-one, she's going to score. In our zone, we lost her a couple times and we didn't collapse on her when she did touch the ball. Just a lack of communication on a lot of plays.”
In the final quarter, Triton committed eight of its 17 total turnovers, as six came on their first nine possessions, allowing Warsaw to build a 36-25 lead with 3:10 remaining.
“In the third quarter, we didn't play real well, but we were still only down by one,” Heckaman said. “Then, in the fourth quarter, we just didn't do the things we talked about. We've got to get better at playing through adversity. Playing through rough shooting nights and doing the other things that are going to win games.”
Among those that had a rough shooting night for Triton were junior Kylie Mason, who attempted just six shots, making two for six points, while senior Taylor Hatfield made 3 of 10 attempts for a team-high nine points.
Mason entered the game averaging 17.8 points per game and Hatfield was at 12.8, so the focus of the Warsaw defense was evident.
“Kylie Mason can take over a game,” Harter said. “She's a great shooter and we had to know where she was, communicate and not let her get in a flow. Hatfield also likes to shoot from outside, but she does prefer to penetrate. We just said, 'Know who you're coming out on and know what you're doing.' The girls did a great job of that and took that away from them.”
The Warsaw defense held Triton to it lowest scoring output of the season, and its three lowest scoring games have all been in Northern Lakes Conference losses on the road. On Nov. 21, Triton scored 39 at Plymouth, then netted 42 five days later at NorthWood.
Despite Warsaw's struggles this season, which included the progam's first-ever 0-3 start, Heckaman didn't see a typical team that had gone 2-7 in its first nine games.
“I know people think they're struggling and they haven't won the games they won last year, but when you look at them, they're holding teams to (41 points),” he said. “They're not giving up points. They've had chances in every game, they just hadn't found their identity yet. Now, they're figuring out where to get the ball and they're finishing games.”
Now that the Warsaw game is behind them, the Lady Trojans have a couple of even bigger games this week, as they travel to Class 1A No. 1 Oregon-Davis Wednesday then 10-0 John Glenn (3-0 Northern State Conference) Saturday.
“I don't know with the weather, but hopefully Monday and Tuesday we'll be able to get to the school to practice and get ready for (Oregon-Davis),” Heckaman said. “We play them Wednesday, then we turn around and play an undefeated Glenn game at Glenn, which obviously has huge conference stakes for us since we lost at Knox. Our schedule isn't easy, but that's what we like.”
Riding a new confidence, the Lady Tigers will look to see if the winning will continue into NLC play as they host Northridge (10-3, 2-0 NLC) Saturday.
“They're going to come out and be a strong man-to-man team,” Harter said of the Lady Raiders. “That's what they like to do. They switch up and they'll trap. We need come out and see how much better we need to get.”
WARSAW 41, TRITON 31
T 6 12 4 9 – 31
W 9 8 6 18 – 41
Warsaw – Jodie Carlson 0-2 2-2 2, Eryn Leek 2-6 0-0 4, Pam Miller 0-2 0-0 0, Brooklyn Harrison 5-10 3-5 14, Nikki Grose 9-12 1-2 19, Page Desenberg 0-0 0-0 0, Courtney Farling 0-0 0-0 0, Vicki Harris 0-2 0-0 0, Erin Clemens 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 17-36 6-9 41.
Triton – Taylor Hatfield 3-10 2-2 9, Krystal Sellers 2-7 1-2 6, Kylie Mason 2-6 0-0 4, Mallorie Jennings 0-6 5-8 5, Lauren Hostrawser 0-1 0-0 0, Hannah Jennings 0-2 0-0 0, Becca Kennedy 2-2 0-0 5, Jaela Meister 1-1 0-1 2. Totals 10-35 8-13 31.
Three-pointers – Warsaw 1-6 (Harrison), Triton 3-11 (Hatfield, Sellers, Kennedy); Team Fouls – Warsaw 12, Triton 9; Turnovers – Warsaw 14, Triton 17; Rebounds – Warsaw 21 (Miller 5), Triton 28 (Hostrawser 8); Assists – Warsaw 9 (Harrison 4), Triton 3; Steals – Warsaw 11 (Harrison 5), Triton 4 (M. Jennings 2); Blocks – Warsaw 6 (Grose 5), Triton 1.
Records: Warsaw 5-7, Triton 7-4
JV – Warsaw 20, Triton 17
Warsaw – Madi Graham 6, Desenberg 5, Tahya Bruce 5, Dayton Groninger 4.
Triton – Kayla Kreft 4, Meister 4, Katie Lenker 3, Heather Stichter 2, Brooklyn Beatty 2, Shayla May 2[[In-content Ad]]
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After snapping a four-game skid to win the Dec. 30 TCU Lady Tiger Tournament, the Warsaw Lady Tigers (5-7) kept the good times rolling Saturday at Grace College's Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center, beating Triton 41-31 and ending the Lady Trojans’ (7-4) four-game winning streak.
“Each and every practice, the girls are coming out and just getting a little better,” Warsaw coach Michelle Harter said. “Each game, we continue to improve in areas.”
Unquestionably, the biggest areas of improvement have been with Grose and Harrison.
Entering the Lady Tiger Tournament, Grose had missed four games with injuries and suspensions, but had averaged 11.6 points in the five games she played. In the tournament, she netted 13 in a win over Lowell and 22 against Perry Meridian, then added another 19 against Triton.
The tournament also gave Harrison's game a big boost, as she had averaged only 4.6 points per game going into the championship game against Meridian, but she scored 13 in that title tilt and added 14 against Triton.
“Brooklyn and Nikki are really stepping up and being good senior leaders for us right now,” Harter said. “They're starting to do the little things that are so important in basketball – playing fundamental. Brooklyn's been attacking the basket hard, going in strong and getting herself under control. Early on, that didn't happen. Nikki is the only person that can stop her (self). She has finally gotten it into her head that she's going to go in, be strong and if teams double team or triple team, she's a great passer and she can look to kick out. I really think that just helps the rest of the girls relax a little bit. That's the type of leadership we've been looking for.”
The defense of the girls has also been a major contributor to the recent success of the Lady Tigers, as Grose had her third-straight game with five blocked shots and Harrison has gone up from three to four to five steals in her last three contests.
Both have seen significant varsity action since their sophomore seasons, but had been able to defer to the likes of Lindsay Baker and Jennifer Walker-Crawford.
With those girls now playing collegiate basketball, Grose and Harrison are now the go-to girls and it seems like they're now accepting that role.
“When they've had those other players, they weren't the focal point and they could feed off those other girls,” Harter said. “Now, they're realizing, ‘We're the leaders and the team's going to feed off of us and what we do.’”
Against Triton, Harrison was the first Lady Tiger to step up, as the Lady Trojans jumped out to a 6-0 lead before she cut the deficit to 6-5 following a bucket and a three-pointer.
The rest of the Lady Tigers came around in the half, as Warsaw went up 17-8 with 4:59 to play in the half, but their scoring stopped there.
In the last five minutes of the half, Triton went on a 10-0 run, giving the visitors on the scoreboard a slim 18-17 halftime advantage.
Neither team was too impressive in the third quarter, as Warsaw outscored Triton 6-4 in the frame to go into the fourth on top 23-22.
In the final eight minutes of the game, Warsaw outscored Triton 18-9, as Grose went 4 of 4 from the field and hit her one free throw.
“She's a great player and she's who we talked about – how they're going to her and they're starting to figure that out,” Triton coach Adam Heckaman said of Grose. “We talked about it all week, and we just didn't execute. We didn't double down when we went man (defense), and when she goes one-on-one, she's going to score. In our zone, we lost her a couple times and we didn't collapse on her when she did touch the ball. Just a lack of communication on a lot of plays.”
In the final quarter, Triton committed eight of its 17 total turnovers, as six came on their first nine possessions, allowing Warsaw to build a 36-25 lead with 3:10 remaining.
“In the third quarter, we didn't play real well, but we were still only down by one,” Heckaman said. “Then, in the fourth quarter, we just didn't do the things we talked about. We've got to get better at playing through adversity. Playing through rough shooting nights and doing the other things that are going to win games.”
Among those that had a rough shooting night for Triton were junior Kylie Mason, who attempted just six shots, making two for six points, while senior Taylor Hatfield made 3 of 10 attempts for a team-high nine points.
Mason entered the game averaging 17.8 points per game and Hatfield was at 12.8, so the focus of the Warsaw defense was evident.
“Kylie Mason can take over a game,” Harter said. “She's a great shooter and we had to know where she was, communicate and not let her get in a flow. Hatfield also likes to shoot from outside, but she does prefer to penetrate. We just said, 'Know who you're coming out on and know what you're doing.' The girls did a great job of that and took that away from them.”
The Warsaw defense held Triton to it lowest scoring output of the season, and its three lowest scoring games have all been in Northern Lakes Conference losses on the road. On Nov. 21, Triton scored 39 at Plymouth, then netted 42 five days later at NorthWood.
Despite Warsaw's struggles this season, which included the progam's first-ever 0-3 start, Heckaman didn't see a typical team that had gone 2-7 in its first nine games.
“I know people think they're struggling and they haven't won the games they won last year, but when you look at them, they're holding teams to (41 points),” he said. “They're not giving up points. They've had chances in every game, they just hadn't found their identity yet. Now, they're figuring out where to get the ball and they're finishing games.”
Now that the Warsaw game is behind them, the Lady Trojans have a couple of even bigger games this week, as they travel to Class 1A No. 1 Oregon-Davis Wednesday then 10-0 John Glenn (3-0 Northern State Conference) Saturday.
“I don't know with the weather, but hopefully Monday and Tuesday we'll be able to get to the school to practice and get ready for (Oregon-Davis),” Heckaman said. “We play them Wednesday, then we turn around and play an undefeated Glenn game at Glenn, which obviously has huge conference stakes for us since we lost at Knox. Our schedule isn't easy, but that's what we like.”
Riding a new confidence, the Lady Tigers will look to see if the winning will continue into NLC play as they host Northridge (10-3, 2-0 NLC) Saturday.
“They're going to come out and be a strong man-to-man team,” Harter said of the Lady Raiders. “That's what they like to do. They switch up and they'll trap. We need come out and see how much better we need to get.”
WARSAW 41, TRITON 31
T 6 12 4 9 – 31
W 9 8 6 18 – 41
Warsaw – Jodie Carlson 0-2 2-2 2, Eryn Leek 2-6 0-0 4, Pam Miller 0-2 0-0 0, Brooklyn Harrison 5-10 3-5 14, Nikki Grose 9-12 1-2 19, Page Desenberg 0-0 0-0 0, Courtney Farling 0-0 0-0 0, Vicki Harris 0-2 0-0 0, Erin Clemens 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 17-36 6-9 41.
Triton – Taylor Hatfield 3-10 2-2 9, Krystal Sellers 2-7 1-2 6, Kylie Mason 2-6 0-0 4, Mallorie Jennings 0-6 5-8 5, Lauren Hostrawser 0-1 0-0 0, Hannah Jennings 0-2 0-0 0, Becca Kennedy 2-2 0-0 5, Jaela Meister 1-1 0-1 2. Totals 10-35 8-13 31.
Three-pointers – Warsaw 1-6 (Harrison), Triton 3-11 (Hatfield, Sellers, Kennedy); Team Fouls – Warsaw 12, Triton 9; Turnovers – Warsaw 14, Triton 17; Rebounds – Warsaw 21 (Miller 5), Triton 28 (Hostrawser 8); Assists – Warsaw 9 (Harrison 4), Triton 3; Steals – Warsaw 11 (Harrison 5), Triton 4 (M. Jennings 2); Blocks – Warsaw 6 (Grose 5), Triton 1.
Records: Warsaw 5-7, Triton 7-4
JV – Warsaw 20, Triton 17
Warsaw – Madi Graham 6, Desenberg 5, Tahya Bruce 5, Dayton Groninger 4.
Triton – Kayla Kreft 4, Meister 4, Katie Lenker 3, Heather Stichter 2, Brooklyn Beatty 2, Shayla May 2[[In-content Ad]]
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