Lady Tigers In Underdog Role
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
Games aren't played on paper, though, and coach Michelle Harter and her team want to prove they belong.
“We talked about that,” Harter said in a phone interview when the word “underdog” came up. “We want to prove we belong there. The first step is believing, and the girls believe they belong there. We believe we have just as good of an opportunity to win Saturday as the other three teams.”
Regional play gets underway at 10:30 a.m. EST when No. 5 Penn (22-4) squares off with No. 7 Lake Central (21-3).
The Lady Tigers will then play No. 9 Merrillville in the day's second semifinal at 12:30 p.m. EST.
The winners will meet in the championship game at 8:30 p.m., with the survivor advancing to a Feb. 28 semistate at either Crown Point or Warsaw.
“We talked about continuing to do the little things and taking things one game at a time,” said Harter. “Right now our focus is on Merrillville, and then if we have the opportunity to play for the championship Saturday night, we'll focus on the little things again against another quality opponent.”
There are 16 teams remaining in the Class 4A tournament, and 14 of them have won at least 20 games this season.
Merrillville brings a 19-7 record into its game with Warsaw, while McCutcheon takes an 18-8 mark into its matchup with Noblesville at the Kokomo Regional.
With a 15-10 record, the Lady Tigers have the fewest wins of any remaining 4A team.
Rightfully so, Harter is more concerned with what happens Saturday, rather than how many games a team has won to date.
Records don't matter on Saturday, and Harter truly believes her team – made up of seven sophomores and four seniors – has a chance.
“Our confidence is at a high level,” said Harter. “We're focused on what we have to do.”
The Lady Tigers, who won the regional in 2013, advanced to Saturday’s game by beating Northridge, Elkhart Central and Goshen in the Goshen Sectional.
Warsaw has won three games in a row and averages 42 points per game, while giving up an average of 40 points per game.
To win the regional championship Saturday, the Lady Tigers would have to extend their win streak to five games, something they haven’t done this season.
Sophomore Dayton Groninger leads Warsaw in scoring with 11 points per game, while classmate Madi Graham and senior Vicki Harris average seven points per contest and senior Pam Miller chips in with six.
Merrillville, which won the Michigan City Sectional by beating Crown Point, LaPorte and Valparaiso, averages 55 points per game, while giving up 47.
Merrillville enters Saturday’s regional semifinal on a 12-game win streak, with its last loss coming to Mooresville on Dec. 30.
Victoria Gaines, a 6-foot-2 Michigan State-bound senior, leads Merrillville in scoring with 11 points per game
She scored just four points in the 65-37 sectional final win over Valparaiso, as her supporting cast provided plenty of punch.
“They have the Gaines girl, who is very athletic,” said Harter. “The (Jasmine) Wright girl can hit from outside. Our focus is on not allowing them to dribble penetrate. We have to rebound. We can’t allow them to get second and third-chances.”
Warsaw and Merrillville have met just once in girls basketball action, with the Lady Tigers winning the 2013 regional final 42-41.[[In-content Ad]]
Games aren't played on paper, though, and coach Michelle Harter and her team want to prove they belong.
“We talked about that,” Harter said in a phone interview when the word “underdog” came up. “We want to prove we belong there. The first step is believing, and the girls believe they belong there. We believe we have just as good of an opportunity to win Saturday as the other three teams.”
Regional play gets underway at 10:30 a.m. EST when No. 5 Penn (22-4) squares off with No. 7 Lake Central (21-3).
The Lady Tigers will then play No. 9 Merrillville in the day's second semifinal at 12:30 p.m. EST.
The winners will meet in the championship game at 8:30 p.m., with the survivor advancing to a Feb. 28 semistate at either Crown Point or Warsaw.
“We talked about continuing to do the little things and taking things one game at a time,” said Harter. “Right now our focus is on Merrillville, and then if we have the opportunity to play for the championship Saturday night, we'll focus on the little things again against another quality opponent.”
There are 16 teams remaining in the Class 4A tournament, and 14 of them have won at least 20 games this season.
Merrillville brings a 19-7 record into its game with Warsaw, while McCutcheon takes an 18-8 mark into its matchup with Noblesville at the Kokomo Regional.
With a 15-10 record, the Lady Tigers have the fewest wins of any remaining 4A team.
Rightfully so, Harter is more concerned with what happens Saturday, rather than how many games a team has won to date.
Records don't matter on Saturday, and Harter truly believes her team – made up of seven sophomores and four seniors – has a chance.
“Our confidence is at a high level,” said Harter. “We're focused on what we have to do.”
The Lady Tigers, who won the regional in 2013, advanced to Saturday’s game by beating Northridge, Elkhart Central and Goshen in the Goshen Sectional.
Warsaw has won three games in a row and averages 42 points per game, while giving up an average of 40 points per game.
To win the regional championship Saturday, the Lady Tigers would have to extend their win streak to five games, something they haven’t done this season.
Sophomore Dayton Groninger leads Warsaw in scoring with 11 points per game, while classmate Madi Graham and senior Vicki Harris average seven points per contest and senior Pam Miller chips in with six.
Merrillville, which won the Michigan City Sectional by beating Crown Point, LaPorte and Valparaiso, averages 55 points per game, while giving up 47.
Merrillville enters Saturday’s regional semifinal on a 12-game win streak, with its last loss coming to Mooresville on Dec. 30.
Victoria Gaines, a 6-foot-2 Michigan State-bound senior, leads Merrillville in scoring with 11 points per game
She scored just four points in the 65-37 sectional final win over Valparaiso, as her supporting cast provided plenty of punch.
“They have the Gaines girl, who is very athletic,” said Harter. “The (Jasmine) Wright girl can hit from outside. Our focus is on not allowing them to dribble penetrate. We have to rebound. We can’t allow them to get second and third-chances.”
Warsaw and Merrillville have met just once in girls basketball action, with the Lady Tigers winning the 2013 regional final 42-41.[[In-content Ad]]
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