Lady Tigers Win Regional Title
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
Using its trademark defense to overcome some offensive woes, Class 4A No. 8 Warsaw beat No. 5 Merrillville 42-41 Saturday night in a girls basketball regional final at Valparaiso High School.
The Lady Tigers, who made just 15 of 46 field goal attempts and uncharacteristically committed 16 turnovers, improved to 24-1 on the season and are now one win away from playing for a state championship.
The Lady Pirates, who were just 15 of 48 from the field and committed 14 turnovers, finished the season with a 23-2 record.
“It was an ugly win,” said Warsaw coach Michelle Harter, whose team advanced to the regional final by beating Penn 49-42 earlier in the day. “It says a lot about our team that we found a way to win. They understand that you have to do the little things, and that's why we won.”
After leading by as many as five points midway through the fourth quarter, Warsaw found itself trailing 41-40 with 20 seconds remaining in the game.
That is until senior Melanie Holladay, who hadn't attempted a field goal the entire game, rebounded teammate Jennifer Walker-Crawford's miss and put it in the hoop, giving Warsaw its first regional title since 2004.
After Merrillville called a timeout with 14 seconds left, senior Dariyan Morris missed a shot in the lane, and Warsaw junior Nikki Grose grabbed the rebound.
Grose was fouled with two seconds remaining, but missed the front end of a 1-and-1 at the free throw line.
The Lady Pirates corralled Grose's missed charity toss, but a heave at the buzzer was nowhere near the mark and the Lady Tigers and their coaches and fans celebrated wildly.
“We worked so hard to earn this,” said an emotional Walker-Crawford, who led Warsaw in the title tilt with 19 points and 11 rebounds. “It came down to heart and desire, and we just wanted it more than anyone in this gym tonight. I wanted this for my team so bad. We wanted to be able to play one more game at home.”
Warsaw will in fact play one more game at home, as the Lady Tigers will host Fort Wayne South (23-3) Saturday at approximately 6:15 p.m.
The winner will play either No. 2 Bedford North Lawrence (26-0) or No. 5 Indianapolis Roncalli (24-3) in next week's state finals at The Hulman Center in Terre Haute.
A Class 2A semistate championship game between Fort Wayne Luers and Eastern will be played at Warsaw at 4 p.m. Saturday.
“The girls kept their composure and found a way to win,” said Harter. “I challenged them at halftime to leave it all on the court and not have any regrets, and they responded. The seniors talked about this on senior night. It was their goal to play one more game at home in the semistate.”
Warsaw trailed 13-12 after one quarter of play and 19-17 at halftime.
As they have during their tournament run, however, the Lady Tigers came out of the halftime break on a mission.
Warsaw outscored the Lady Pirates 13-8 in the third quarter, getting nine points from Walker-Crawford and the other four from Grose.
Grose finished the regional final with 13 points and 16 rebounds, as she and Walker-Crawford combined for 32 points and 27 rebounds.
Holladay, who hit two clutch free throws in the fourth quarter, finished with four points, while seniors Lindsay Baker and Sarah Ray and junior Brooklyn Harrison scored two points each.
Baker, who is ninth on the Lady Tigers' all-time scoring list, struggled to find her shooting touch, making just 1 of 11 attempts.
It didn't totally faze Warsaw, however. Baker's teammates were there to shoulder the load and display the Lady Tigers' depth.
“Sometimes the shots aren't going to fall,” said Baker. “But the great thing is, I don't have to score. That's what's so nice about this team, there's no pressure on me. This team has heart and is going to do what it takes to win.”
Sophomore Victoria Gaines led Merrillville with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Morris added 10 points.
WARSAW 49, PENN 42
To advance to the regional final, the Lady Tigers first had to beat Penn for the second time this season.
Behind a stellar effort from Grose, they did just that, handing the Lady Kingsmen a 49-42 loss and ending their season with a 19-5 record.
Grose scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, as Warsaw improved to 7-1 all-time against Penn.
“We came out and played our hearts out,” said Grose. “The pressure wasn’t on us, because no one thought we were going to win. It was a great opportunity. I’m so happy to play on this team and have great teammates and coaches.”
Warsaw beat Penn in the regular season last year when the Lady Kingsmen were 16-0. It was their only loss until they fell in the semistate championship.
The Lady Tigers beat Penn again this season, winning 55-42 in Mishawaka on Jan. 16.
Prior to Saturday, the Lady Kingsmen hadn’t lost since the setback to Warsaw.
Despite the Lady Tigers’ success against Penn, they felt overlooked and unrespected.
“I think people understimated us,” said Grose. “You look at blogs and stuff on the internet, and people were talking about Penn and Merrillville. It motivated us even more today. I know it did me. I look at that site before every game.”
Grose helped silence Warsaw’s naysayers by making 9 of 10 shots. To go with her double-double, she also blocked two shots.
“Nikki has been tremendous all year,” said Harter. “When she decides no one is going to stop her, no one does. She was tremendous on the boards and stepped up and hit some key free throws. She was under control and focused on doing what we needed her to.”
Walker-Crawford added 10 points and nine boards for Warsaw, while junior Erin Leek scored six points and Holladay chipped in with five.
Penn led 13-10 after one quarter of play and 20-19 at halftime.
The Lady Tigers found their stride in the third quarter, however, and took a 33-27 lead into the final frame.
Junior Caroline Buhr, who has only played four games this season because of a knee injury, led Penn with 18 points and nine rebounds. Junior Jessica Alexander scored nine points.
REGIONAL FINAL
(Valparaiso H.S.)
WARSAW 42, MERRILLVILLE 41
M 13 6 8 14 – 41
W 12 5 13 12 – 42
Merrillville – Dariyan Morris 4-17 2-4 10, Victoria Gaines 8-15 5-7 21, Jaz Talley 0-0 3-4 3, Myranda Harris 0-0 0-0 0, Audrianna Downs 2-9 0-0 4, Darian Patton 1-4 0-0 2, Amber Sturdivant 0-3 1-2 1. Totals 15-48 11-17 41.
Warsaw – Sarah Ray 0-1 2-2 2, Melanie Holladay 1-1 2-4 4, Eryn Leek 0-2 0-0 0, Jennifer Walker-Crawford 7-15 3-4 19, Lindsay Baker 1-11 0-0 2, Brooklyn Harrison 1-3 0-0 2, Nikki Grose 5-13 3-5 13. Totals 15-4 10-15 42.
Three-pointers – Merrillville 0, Warsaw 2 (Walker-Crawford 2); Rebounds – Merrillville 35 (Sturdivant 11), Warsaw 35 (Grose 16, Walker-Crawford 11); Turnovers – Merrillville 14, Warsaw 16; Fouls – Merrillville 15, Warsaw 14; Fouled out – none; Records: Merrillville 23-2, Warsaw 24-1
REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
WARSAW 49, PENN 42
P 13 7 7 15 – 42
W 10 9 14 16 – 49
Penn – Taylor Lutz 1-6 3-3 5, Jennifer Mater 1-3 0-0 2, Lauren Ellenburger 0-0 0-0 0, Maya Solomon 1-3 0-0 2, Jessica Alexander 2-3 5-6 9, Caroline Buhr 9-15 0-0 18, Olivia Carlton 0-8 4-6 4, Camryn Buhr 1-5 0-0 2, Kaitlyn Marenyi 0-6 0-0 0, Micaela Box 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 15-50 12-15 42.
Warsaw – Sarah Ray 0-0 0-0 0, Melanie Holliday 1-1 3-4 5, Eryn Leek 1-3 3-4 6, Jennifer Walker-Crawford 4-11 2-2 10, Lindsay Baker 0-4 4-4 4, Brooklyn Harrison 1-2 0-0 2, Nikki Grose 9-10 4-8 22. Totals 16-31 16-22 49.
Three-pointers – Penn 0, Warsaw 1 (Leek); Rebounds – Penn 22 (Burh 9), Warsaw 34 (Grose 12, Walker-Crawford 9); Turnovers – Penn 4, Warsaw 16; Fouls – Penn 21, Warsaw 14; Fouled out – Lutz, Baker; Records: Penn 19-5, Warsaw 23-1[[In-content Ad]]
Using its trademark defense to overcome some offensive woes, Class 4A No. 8 Warsaw beat No. 5 Merrillville 42-41 Saturday night in a girls basketball regional final at Valparaiso High School.
The Lady Tigers, who made just 15 of 46 field goal attempts and uncharacteristically committed 16 turnovers, improved to 24-1 on the season and are now one win away from playing for a state championship.
The Lady Pirates, who were just 15 of 48 from the field and committed 14 turnovers, finished the season with a 23-2 record.
“It was an ugly win,” said Warsaw coach Michelle Harter, whose team advanced to the regional final by beating Penn 49-42 earlier in the day. “It says a lot about our team that we found a way to win. They understand that you have to do the little things, and that's why we won.”
After leading by as many as five points midway through the fourth quarter, Warsaw found itself trailing 41-40 with 20 seconds remaining in the game.
That is until senior Melanie Holladay, who hadn't attempted a field goal the entire game, rebounded teammate Jennifer Walker-Crawford's miss and put it in the hoop, giving Warsaw its first regional title since 2004.
After Merrillville called a timeout with 14 seconds left, senior Dariyan Morris missed a shot in the lane, and Warsaw junior Nikki Grose grabbed the rebound.
Grose was fouled with two seconds remaining, but missed the front end of a 1-and-1 at the free throw line.
The Lady Pirates corralled Grose's missed charity toss, but a heave at the buzzer was nowhere near the mark and the Lady Tigers and their coaches and fans celebrated wildly.
“We worked so hard to earn this,” said an emotional Walker-Crawford, who led Warsaw in the title tilt with 19 points and 11 rebounds. “It came down to heart and desire, and we just wanted it more than anyone in this gym tonight. I wanted this for my team so bad. We wanted to be able to play one more game at home.”
Warsaw will in fact play one more game at home, as the Lady Tigers will host Fort Wayne South (23-3) Saturday at approximately 6:15 p.m.
The winner will play either No. 2 Bedford North Lawrence (26-0) or No. 5 Indianapolis Roncalli (24-3) in next week's state finals at The Hulman Center in Terre Haute.
A Class 2A semistate championship game between Fort Wayne Luers and Eastern will be played at Warsaw at 4 p.m. Saturday.
“The girls kept their composure and found a way to win,” said Harter. “I challenged them at halftime to leave it all on the court and not have any regrets, and they responded. The seniors talked about this on senior night. It was their goal to play one more game at home in the semistate.”
Warsaw trailed 13-12 after one quarter of play and 19-17 at halftime.
As they have during their tournament run, however, the Lady Tigers came out of the halftime break on a mission.
Warsaw outscored the Lady Pirates 13-8 in the third quarter, getting nine points from Walker-Crawford and the other four from Grose.
Grose finished the regional final with 13 points and 16 rebounds, as she and Walker-Crawford combined for 32 points and 27 rebounds.
Holladay, who hit two clutch free throws in the fourth quarter, finished with four points, while seniors Lindsay Baker and Sarah Ray and junior Brooklyn Harrison scored two points each.
Baker, who is ninth on the Lady Tigers' all-time scoring list, struggled to find her shooting touch, making just 1 of 11 attempts.
It didn't totally faze Warsaw, however. Baker's teammates were there to shoulder the load and display the Lady Tigers' depth.
“Sometimes the shots aren't going to fall,” said Baker. “But the great thing is, I don't have to score. That's what's so nice about this team, there's no pressure on me. This team has heart and is going to do what it takes to win.”
Sophomore Victoria Gaines led Merrillville with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Morris added 10 points.
WARSAW 49, PENN 42
To advance to the regional final, the Lady Tigers first had to beat Penn for the second time this season.
Behind a stellar effort from Grose, they did just that, handing the Lady Kingsmen a 49-42 loss and ending their season with a 19-5 record.
Grose scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, as Warsaw improved to 7-1 all-time against Penn.
“We came out and played our hearts out,” said Grose. “The pressure wasn’t on us, because no one thought we were going to win. It was a great opportunity. I’m so happy to play on this team and have great teammates and coaches.”
Warsaw beat Penn in the regular season last year when the Lady Kingsmen were 16-0. It was their only loss until they fell in the semistate championship.
The Lady Tigers beat Penn again this season, winning 55-42 in Mishawaka on Jan. 16.
Prior to Saturday, the Lady Kingsmen hadn’t lost since the setback to Warsaw.
Despite the Lady Tigers’ success against Penn, they felt overlooked and unrespected.
“I think people understimated us,” said Grose. “You look at blogs and stuff on the internet, and people were talking about Penn and Merrillville. It motivated us even more today. I know it did me. I look at that site before every game.”
Grose helped silence Warsaw’s naysayers by making 9 of 10 shots. To go with her double-double, she also blocked two shots.
“Nikki has been tremendous all year,” said Harter. “When she decides no one is going to stop her, no one does. She was tremendous on the boards and stepped up and hit some key free throws. She was under control and focused on doing what we needed her to.”
Walker-Crawford added 10 points and nine boards for Warsaw, while junior Erin Leek scored six points and Holladay chipped in with five.
Penn led 13-10 after one quarter of play and 20-19 at halftime.
The Lady Tigers found their stride in the third quarter, however, and took a 33-27 lead into the final frame.
Junior Caroline Buhr, who has only played four games this season because of a knee injury, led Penn with 18 points and nine rebounds. Junior Jessica Alexander scored nine points.
REGIONAL FINAL
(Valparaiso H.S.)
WARSAW 42, MERRILLVILLE 41
M 13 6 8 14 – 41
W 12 5 13 12 – 42
Merrillville – Dariyan Morris 4-17 2-4 10, Victoria Gaines 8-15 5-7 21, Jaz Talley 0-0 3-4 3, Myranda Harris 0-0 0-0 0, Audrianna Downs 2-9 0-0 4, Darian Patton 1-4 0-0 2, Amber Sturdivant 0-3 1-2 1. Totals 15-48 11-17 41.
Warsaw – Sarah Ray 0-1 2-2 2, Melanie Holladay 1-1 2-4 4, Eryn Leek 0-2 0-0 0, Jennifer Walker-Crawford 7-15 3-4 19, Lindsay Baker 1-11 0-0 2, Brooklyn Harrison 1-3 0-0 2, Nikki Grose 5-13 3-5 13. Totals 15-4 10-15 42.
Three-pointers – Merrillville 0, Warsaw 2 (Walker-Crawford 2); Rebounds – Merrillville 35 (Sturdivant 11), Warsaw 35 (Grose 16, Walker-Crawford 11); Turnovers – Merrillville 14, Warsaw 16; Fouls – Merrillville 15, Warsaw 14; Fouled out – none; Records: Merrillville 23-2, Warsaw 24-1
REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
WARSAW 49, PENN 42
P 13 7 7 15 – 42
W 10 9 14 16 – 49
Penn – Taylor Lutz 1-6 3-3 5, Jennifer Mater 1-3 0-0 2, Lauren Ellenburger 0-0 0-0 0, Maya Solomon 1-3 0-0 2, Jessica Alexander 2-3 5-6 9, Caroline Buhr 9-15 0-0 18, Olivia Carlton 0-8 4-6 4, Camryn Buhr 1-5 0-0 2, Kaitlyn Marenyi 0-6 0-0 0, Micaela Box 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 15-50 12-15 42.
Warsaw – Sarah Ray 0-0 0-0 0, Melanie Holliday 1-1 3-4 5, Eryn Leek 1-3 3-4 6, Jennifer Walker-Crawford 4-11 2-2 10, Lindsay Baker 0-4 4-4 4, Brooklyn Harrison 1-2 0-0 2, Nikki Grose 9-10 4-8 22. Totals 16-31 16-22 49.
Three-pointers – Penn 0, Warsaw 1 (Leek); Rebounds – Penn 22 (Burh 9), Warsaw 34 (Grose 12, Walker-Crawford 9); Turnovers – Penn 4, Warsaw 16; Fouls – Penn 21, Warsaw 14; Fouled out – Lutz, Baker; Records: Penn 19-5, Warsaw 23-1[[In-content Ad]]
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092