Lady Tigers Rally, Fall Short
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
He was right.
Despite the early deficit, the Tigers fought back to take a 49-48 lead with 2:27 to play, but Perry Meridian answered back, and eventually won the Teachers Credit Union Lady Tiger Classic championship game 54-53 Monday at the Tiger Den.[[In-content Ad]]"Warsaw at home, they're not going to roll over and let you have it," Armstrong said. "We've been up here enough times to know that. They have competitive kids and a competitive coach. We just got off to an absolutely great start. You knew we weren't going to play at that level the whole game. I wish we could have done a little bit better job of managing the game."
Throughout the first quarter, Meridian junior center Lindsay Spears showcased why she was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, scoring 10 of her game-high 15 points in the opening eight minutes. Most of those points came on easy lay-ups via good entry passes.
After seeing the Meridian Falcons hit 11 of 14 first-quarter shots, the Tiger defense stepped it up in the second quarter, and so did the offense.
Limiting the Falcons to seven points in the second quarter, the Tigers scored 19, resulting in 32-24 deficit at the half.
"We started playing the game the way we want our players to play - under control, being patient and looking to attack," Warsaw coach Michelle Harter said. "That made a big difference."
That game plan worked, as Warsaw used a 12-2 run in the second, clawing back into the contest.
"They worked themselves back into the game," Armstrong said. "It wasn't like we gave it back to them."
"We have a consistency issue with our team," he added. "It's not just game-to-game, it's quarter-to-quarter."
The consistency issued continued in the second half.
After unleashing a 12-1 run to start the third, Meridian seemed to be comfortably ahead at 44-28. But from there, Warsaw went on a 17-2 run of its own, peaking when sophomore Kayla Stout hit two free throws with 2:27 to play. The shots gave the Tigers their first lead of the game at 49-48.
"I'm really proud of the girls, because they could have given up after that first quarter," Harter said. "They kept fighting, and they began to do the things we've been asking them to do. (Meridian) scored 25 in the first quarter, then over the next three quarters, we hold them to 29. That's a pretty big turnaround."
Meridian retook the lead, but Warsaw still had its chances down 52-51 with a minute to play.
Following a missed Falcons free throw on a one-and-one opportunity with 52 seconds remaining, the Tigers missed a three-pointer, giving the ball right back.
On their ensuing possession, the Falcons had another shot to increase their lead, but senior Katelyn Walker missed two free throws, leaving the door open for the home team.
However, with the table set, Warsaw failed to get a shot off, turning the ball over with 10 seconds remaining.
"The last two possessions of the game, we were better defensively," Armstrong said.
Still up by just one, Walker got a shot at redemption at the free-throw line, this time making both, increasing the lead to three.
"Katelyn is kind of the heart and soul of our group," Armstrong said. "She wants to be in that situation. I'm sure no one was more upset with her, than herself (after the previous two misses)."
Meridian finished the game with three girls in double-digit scoring, led by Spears' 15 on 7-for-7 shooting. Senior Sam Hawk scored 13 for the Falcons, while Walker finished with 12.
On the other side of the ball, Harter's team had four girls reach the double-digit plateau. Junior Kelci Freds led the Tigers with 14 points, followed by junior Sarah Shilling's 13, Stout's 12 and senior Liz Tat's 10.
"I want us to have that balanced scoring," Harter said. "That's the nice thing about these girls. They don't care who scores. They just want to make sure they're doing what's best for the team."
Warsaw had a chance to send the game into overtime, but couldn't get off a three-point shot and Shilling scored on a lay-up as time ran out.
Defeating East Noble 49-41 in the day's opening game, the Tigers ended a three-game skid. But without a horrendous start in the championship game, the girls could be sitting on a two-game winning streak going into Tuesday's 6:15 p.m. home game with Columbia City.
"If we come out and play 32 minutes of basketball, like we're capable of playing, teams aren't going to be able to stop us," Harter said. "We always seem to have that little lapse in there, where we let teams get on a run."
"We're going to turn that corner," she added. "We just need to keep battling."
In the consolation game, Hagerstown defeated East Noble 47-42.
PERRY MERIDIAN 54, WARSAW 53
(TCU Lady Tiger Classic, Championship)
PM 25 7 12 10 - 54
W 5 19 14 15 - 53
Meridian - Katelyn Walker 3-8 6-8 12, Stephanie Lindsey 2-4 1-2 5, Lindsay Spears 7-7 1-1 15, Amanda Raker 2-5 0-1 4, Sam Hawk 4-7 3-5 13, Caylee Goetcheus 0-0 0-0 0, Rachel Tackett 0-1 0-0 0, Sarah Quebe 2-3 0-0 5, Krista Schott 0-2 0-0 0, Jessi Darmello 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-37 11-17 54.
Warsaw - Kelci Freds 4-10 4-4 14, Liz Tat 4-7 1-1 10, Cendall Ogle 1-4 0-0 2, Kayla Stout 2-4 8-11 12, Sarah Shilling 5-6 3-3 13, Madison Long 0-0 0-0 0, KaeLee Sands 1-1 0-0 2, Alex Glenn 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 17-34 16-19 53.
3-point goals - Meridian 3 (Hawk 2, Quebe), Warsaw 3 (Freds 2, Tat); Team Fouls (fouled out) - Meridian 17 (Spears), Warsaw 13; Turnovers - Meridian 9, Warsaw 13; Rebounds - Meridian 19 (Walker 4, Quebe 4), Warsaw 23 (Stout 8, Shilling 5); Assists - Meridian 15 (Lindsey 5), Warsaw 9 (Long 2, Tat 2, Ogle 2, Glenn 2); Steals - Meridian 11 (Walker 5, Lindsey 3), Warsaw 3 (Sands 2); Records - Meridian 10-3, Warsaw 6-5
All-Tournament Team - Jenna Rusmisel (East Noble), Katelyn Lakes (Hagerstown), Katelyn Walker (Perry Meridian), Sarah Shilling (Warsaw), Kelci Freds (Warsaw)
Most Outstanding Player - Lindsay Spears (Perry Meridian)
WARSAW 49, EAST NOBLE 41
(TCU Lady Tiger Classic, First Round)
EN 2 7 11 21 - 41
W 14 9 11 15 - 49
Warsaw - Kelci Freds 5-9 0-1 13, Liz Tat 4-4 0-2 9, Cendall Ogle 0-0 3-4 3, Kayla Stout 1-3 4-7 6, 2-3 0-0 4, Madison Long 0-2 1-2 1, Kaitlin Reichard 0-0 0-0 0, KaeLee Sands 0-2 0-2 0, Danielle Tat 0-1 0-0 0, Beth Plummer 0-0 0-0 0, Alex Glenn 5-6 2-5 13, Amber Plummer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-30 10-23 49.
EN - Alyssa Hile 0-0 0-0 0, Jenna Rusmisel 5-14 6-6 19, Skyla Handshoe 0-1 2-2 2, Courtney Bolen 2-6 2-3 6, Kasi Furlow 1-1 0-0 2, Alex Timmerman 0-0 0-0 0, Brooke Hyde 0-3 1-2 1, Ashlie Placencia 2-5 4-4 9, Lindsey Bolen 0-2 2-2 2, Karah Reece 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 10-32 4-16 41.
3-point goals - Warsaw 5 (Freds 3, L. Tat, Glenn), EN 4 (Rusmisel 3, Placencia); Team Fouls (fouled out) - Warsaw 18, EN 22 (Placencia); Turnovers - Warsaw 16, EN 10; Rebounds - Warsaw 25 (Glenn 6, Stout 5), EN 17 (Bolen 4); Assists - Warsaw 10 (Freds 3), EN 4 (Bolen 3); Steals - Warsaw 4 (Stout 2), EN 8 (Rusmisel 2, Placencia 2, Bolen 2)
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He was right.
Despite the early deficit, the Tigers fought back to take a 49-48 lead with 2:27 to play, but Perry Meridian answered back, and eventually won the Teachers Credit Union Lady Tiger Classic championship game 54-53 Monday at the Tiger Den.[[In-content Ad]]"Warsaw at home, they're not going to roll over and let you have it," Armstrong said. "We've been up here enough times to know that. They have competitive kids and a competitive coach. We just got off to an absolutely great start. You knew we weren't going to play at that level the whole game. I wish we could have done a little bit better job of managing the game."
Throughout the first quarter, Meridian junior center Lindsay Spears showcased why she was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, scoring 10 of her game-high 15 points in the opening eight minutes. Most of those points came on easy lay-ups via good entry passes.
After seeing the Meridian Falcons hit 11 of 14 first-quarter shots, the Tiger defense stepped it up in the second quarter, and so did the offense.
Limiting the Falcons to seven points in the second quarter, the Tigers scored 19, resulting in 32-24 deficit at the half.
"We started playing the game the way we want our players to play - under control, being patient and looking to attack," Warsaw coach Michelle Harter said. "That made a big difference."
That game plan worked, as Warsaw used a 12-2 run in the second, clawing back into the contest.
"They worked themselves back into the game," Armstrong said. "It wasn't like we gave it back to them."
"We have a consistency issue with our team," he added. "It's not just game-to-game, it's quarter-to-quarter."
The consistency issued continued in the second half.
After unleashing a 12-1 run to start the third, Meridian seemed to be comfortably ahead at 44-28. But from there, Warsaw went on a 17-2 run of its own, peaking when sophomore Kayla Stout hit two free throws with 2:27 to play. The shots gave the Tigers their first lead of the game at 49-48.
"I'm really proud of the girls, because they could have given up after that first quarter," Harter said. "They kept fighting, and they began to do the things we've been asking them to do. (Meridian) scored 25 in the first quarter, then over the next three quarters, we hold them to 29. That's a pretty big turnaround."
Meridian retook the lead, but Warsaw still had its chances down 52-51 with a minute to play.
Following a missed Falcons free throw on a one-and-one opportunity with 52 seconds remaining, the Tigers missed a three-pointer, giving the ball right back.
On their ensuing possession, the Falcons had another shot to increase their lead, but senior Katelyn Walker missed two free throws, leaving the door open for the home team.
However, with the table set, Warsaw failed to get a shot off, turning the ball over with 10 seconds remaining.
"The last two possessions of the game, we were better defensively," Armstrong said.
Still up by just one, Walker got a shot at redemption at the free-throw line, this time making both, increasing the lead to three.
"Katelyn is kind of the heart and soul of our group," Armstrong said. "She wants to be in that situation. I'm sure no one was more upset with her, than herself (after the previous two misses)."
Meridian finished the game with three girls in double-digit scoring, led by Spears' 15 on 7-for-7 shooting. Senior Sam Hawk scored 13 for the Falcons, while Walker finished with 12.
On the other side of the ball, Harter's team had four girls reach the double-digit plateau. Junior Kelci Freds led the Tigers with 14 points, followed by junior Sarah Shilling's 13, Stout's 12 and senior Liz Tat's 10.
"I want us to have that balanced scoring," Harter said. "That's the nice thing about these girls. They don't care who scores. They just want to make sure they're doing what's best for the team."
Warsaw had a chance to send the game into overtime, but couldn't get off a three-point shot and Shilling scored on a lay-up as time ran out.
Defeating East Noble 49-41 in the day's opening game, the Tigers ended a three-game skid. But without a horrendous start in the championship game, the girls could be sitting on a two-game winning streak going into Tuesday's 6:15 p.m. home game with Columbia City.
"If we come out and play 32 minutes of basketball, like we're capable of playing, teams aren't going to be able to stop us," Harter said. "We always seem to have that little lapse in there, where we let teams get on a run."
"We're going to turn that corner," she added. "We just need to keep battling."
In the consolation game, Hagerstown defeated East Noble 47-42.
PERRY MERIDIAN 54, WARSAW 53
(TCU Lady Tiger Classic, Championship)
PM 25 7 12 10 - 54
W 5 19 14 15 - 53
Meridian - Katelyn Walker 3-8 6-8 12, Stephanie Lindsey 2-4 1-2 5, Lindsay Spears 7-7 1-1 15, Amanda Raker 2-5 0-1 4, Sam Hawk 4-7 3-5 13, Caylee Goetcheus 0-0 0-0 0, Rachel Tackett 0-1 0-0 0, Sarah Quebe 2-3 0-0 5, Krista Schott 0-2 0-0 0, Jessi Darmello 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-37 11-17 54.
Warsaw - Kelci Freds 4-10 4-4 14, Liz Tat 4-7 1-1 10, Cendall Ogle 1-4 0-0 2, Kayla Stout 2-4 8-11 12, Sarah Shilling 5-6 3-3 13, Madison Long 0-0 0-0 0, KaeLee Sands 1-1 0-0 2, Alex Glenn 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 17-34 16-19 53.
3-point goals - Meridian 3 (Hawk 2, Quebe), Warsaw 3 (Freds 2, Tat); Team Fouls (fouled out) - Meridian 17 (Spears), Warsaw 13; Turnovers - Meridian 9, Warsaw 13; Rebounds - Meridian 19 (Walker 4, Quebe 4), Warsaw 23 (Stout 8, Shilling 5); Assists - Meridian 15 (Lindsey 5), Warsaw 9 (Long 2, Tat 2, Ogle 2, Glenn 2); Steals - Meridian 11 (Walker 5, Lindsey 3), Warsaw 3 (Sands 2); Records - Meridian 10-3, Warsaw 6-5
All-Tournament Team - Jenna Rusmisel (East Noble), Katelyn Lakes (Hagerstown), Katelyn Walker (Perry Meridian), Sarah Shilling (Warsaw), Kelci Freds (Warsaw)
Most Outstanding Player - Lindsay Spears (Perry Meridian)
WARSAW 49, EAST NOBLE 41
(TCU Lady Tiger Classic, First Round)
EN 2 7 11 21 - 41
W 14 9 11 15 - 49
Warsaw - Kelci Freds 5-9 0-1 13, Liz Tat 4-4 0-2 9, Cendall Ogle 0-0 3-4 3, Kayla Stout 1-3 4-7 6, 2-3 0-0 4, Madison Long 0-2 1-2 1, Kaitlin Reichard 0-0 0-0 0, KaeLee Sands 0-2 0-2 0, Danielle Tat 0-1 0-0 0, Beth Plummer 0-0 0-0 0, Alex Glenn 5-6 2-5 13, Amber Plummer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-30 10-23 49.
EN - Alyssa Hile 0-0 0-0 0, Jenna Rusmisel 5-14 6-6 19, Skyla Handshoe 0-1 2-2 2, Courtney Bolen 2-6 2-3 6, Kasi Furlow 1-1 0-0 2, Alex Timmerman 0-0 0-0 0, Brooke Hyde 0-3 1-2 1, Ashlie Placencia 2-5 4-4 9, Lindsey Bolen 0-2 2-2 2, Karah Reece 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 10-32 4-16 41.
3-point goals - Warsaw 5 (Freds 3, L. Tat, Glenn), EN 4 (Rusmisel 3, Placencia); Team Fouls (fouled out) - Warsaw 18, EN 22 (Placencia); Turnovers - Warsaw 16, EN 10; Rebounds - Warsaw 25 (Glenn 6, Stout 5), EN 17 (Bolen 4); Assists - Warsaw 10 (Freds 3), EN 4 (Bolen 3); Steals - Warsaw 4 (Stout 2), EN 8 (Rusmisel 2, Placencia 2, Bolen 2)
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