Panthers Force Tigers To Share NLC Title
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
NAPPANEE -ÊA basketball game was being played, but when halftime arrived, NorthWood girls coach Steve Neff decided it was time for class.
Neff grades his basketball team, and during halftime of Tuesday's Northern Lakes Conference game against Warsaw, he scrawled an 'F' on the chalkboard.
The Panthers would finish the game with a 'C.' Thanks to an 'A' in the second half, the Panthers more than made up for the way they sleepwalked through the first half. NorthWood (14-3) rallied to beat Warsaw (11-7) 50-43.
"We didn't pass," Neff said. "We didn't make the honor roll at halftime. We had the long lecture and barely made it out for the second half."
For the Panthers, this win was more special than other wins this season.
The Northern Lakes Conference title was on the line, and the Panthers made sure they snared their portion. Warsaw entered 5-0 in the NLC, while NorthWood was 4-1. NorthWood, Plymouth and Warsaw share first place in the conference this season as there are no tiebreakers. The Panthers have won the title outright or gained a share of it every year since 1993, except last year, when Warsaw won it.
By beating Warsaw, Neff won the 400th game of his career. In 23 years of coaching - all at NorthWood -ÊNeff is 400-97 (.801).
"Coach Neff and I are good friends, and he's a very good coach," Warsaw coach Will Wienhorst said. "I'm happy for him, but I just wish it would have happened on another night."
NorthWood junior guard Kasey Chamberlin scored 12 points in the second half and finished with 16. NorthWood senior guard Andee Morris, the sole reason the Panthers still had a chance in the second half, scored 12 in the first half and finished with 16.
Senior center Nerecia Taylor led Warsaw with 12 points.
As losses go, this is a game Warsaw let slip-slide away. The Tigers led 12-7 after one quarter, 24-18 at halftime and 33-31 after three quarters. But they could not close the deal.
After turning the ball over nine times in the first three quarters, they fumbled it away seven times in the fourth quarter. When Chamberlin hit a runner in the paint to put NorthWood up 36-35 with six minutes left, she gave the Panthers their first lead since 7-5 in the first quarter.
Once the Panthers grasped the lead, they refused to give it up. Chamberlin, who hit a three-pointer earlier in the quarter, ignited a 17-2 NorthWood outburst to turn a 35-31 Warsaw lead with 7:27 left into a 48-37 Warsaw deficit with 44 seconds left.
"As well as we played the first half, NorthWood made their run," Wienhorst said. "This is the first time all year we had a lead like this and lost it late in the game. We stood on offense and wanted someone else to do it.
"We had five possessions where we didn't do anything. As this game progressed, NorthWood extended its defense. This moved our guards out of the passing lanes and took away the good angles to pass it inside."
The Tigers controlled the game in the first half. Offensively, they scored at will inside in their half-court sets. Defensively, they shut down NorthWood inside by double-teaming NorthWood 6-foot-1 sophomore center Carol Duncan. Duncan, who leads NorthWood with 14 points per game, scored none in the first half and sat on the bench for the final four minutes of the first half after picking up a technical foul.
Problem was, despite dominating the game, the Tigers led by just six at halftime.
And that's why Wienhorst thought NorthWood was able to catch Warsaw in the fourth quarter. For all the turnovers in the fourth quarter, what bugged him is what happened in the second quarter. The Tigers extended their lead to 22-10 with 3:29 left before halftime, but Morris hit two three-pointers to put NorthWood back in the game at 24-18 at the break.
"We played very good basketball for the first quarter and a half," Wienhorst said. "The big key is when Duncan went out. We knew three people scored for them. With her out, we said (Morris) or (Chamberlin) will score their points. We told them not to sag (inside) with Duncan out. We give up open threes. If we get a hand in their faces and they don't score, it's a whole different ballgame. Instead of being up six at halftime, we would have been up 12.
"The whole year long, we have missed open three-point shooters. The Mount Vernon game, the Snider game and now this game."
Said Neff: "We have had a worse quarter. We've had a quarter this season where we scored zero. I felt good being down six at halftime. We were down 12 and cut it to six.
"Andee kept us in the game. I can't say enough about her. She had a lot of pressure on her. Channel 22 was here to interview her for Burger King Athlete of the Week."
Duncan made up for lost time in the fourth quarter, scoring seven of her 11. Chamberlin added five in the quarter, a quarter that NorthWood outscored Warsaw 19-10. Warsaw shot 3 of 10 from the field in the fourth; NorthWood shot 7 of 10, converting several times after Warsaw turnovers.
"We challenged them to play our game instead of looking like idiots on the floor," Neff said of his halftime lecture. "We moved the ball better and made more than one pass before we shot. Defensively, Andee and Kasey out in the front of our zone really hustled, and we were giving (Warsaw) only one shot."
The teacher flunked his students at halftime. The students responded to give the coach his 400th win.
"I don't want to look back yet," Neff said. "That would mean I'm retiring. I don't plan to retire for awhile."
NORTHWOOD 50, WARSAW 43
Warsaw (11-7) 12 12 9 10 - 43
NorthWood (14-3) 7 11 13 19 - 50
NorthWood FG FT A S R Pts.
Morris (G) 5-9 2-2 3 0 2 16
Ky. Chamberlin (G) 7-12 0-1 2 5 4 16
Duncan (C) 5-6 1-2 3 3 4 11
Ke. Chamberlin (F) 2-5 1-2 0 1 6 5
Stichter (F) 1-4 0-0 1 0 3 2
Haney 0-3 0-0 1 0 0 0
Nunemaker 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Sandy 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Mast 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Miller 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Team - - - - 1 -
Totals 20-39 4-7 10 9 20 50
Warsaw FG FT A S R Pts.
O'Connell (G) 2-9 2-2 3 1 1 7
Rooney (F) 1-10 3-3 0 1 5 5
Kesler (G) 1-7 1-2 8 0 4 3
Parker (F) 1-2 0-0 2 1 2 2
Conley (C) 1-2 0-0 0 1 7 2
Taylor 6-7 0-0 0 1 4 12
Knisely 1-1 3-3 0 0 1 5
Colt 2-5 0-0 1 2 2 5
Poling 1-1 0-0 0 0 2 2
Overton 0-0 0-0 0 0 3 0
Totals 16-44 9-11 14 7 31 43
Three-point goals - NorthWood 6-12 (Morris 4-8, Ky. Chamberlin 2-2, Haney 0-2), Warsaw 2-11 (O'Connell 1-5, Colt 1-2, Rooney 0-3, Parker 0-1). Turnovers -ÊNorthWood 12, Warsaw 16. Fouled out -ÊNone. Total fouls - NorthWood 10, Warsaw 15. Technical foul -ÊDuncan.
JV: NORTHWOOD 34, WARSAW 30
NorthWood scoring -ÊCort Sandy 11, Carlea Howard 7, Chelsey Bowers 8, Stephanie Mast 2, Kelsey Newcomer 6
Warsaw scoring -ÊAbby Sumpter 4, Stephanie DeRenzo 6, Leah Kiphart 2, Ashley Wyatt 8, Kayla Burner 2, Holly Stackhouse 4, Keriann Conley 4. [[In-content Ad]]
NAPPANEE -ÊA basketball game was being played, but when halftime arrived, NorthWood girls coach Steve Neff decided it was time for class.
Neff grades his basketball team, and during halftime of Tuesday's Northern Lakes Conference game against Warsaw, he scrawled an 'F' on the chalkboard.
The Panthers would finish the game with a 'C.' Thanks to an 'A' in the second half, the Panthers more than made up for the way they sleepwalked through the first half. NorthWood (14-3) rallied to beat Warsaw (11-7) 50-43.
"We didn't pass," Neff said. "We didn't make the honor roll at halftime. We had the long lecture and barely made it out for the second half."
For the Panthers, this win was more special than other wins this season.
The Northern Lakes Conference title was on the line, and the Panthers made sure they snared their portion. Warsaw entered 5-0 in the NLC, while NorthWood was 4-1. NorthWood, Plymouth and Warsaw share first place in the conference this season as there are no tiebreakers. The Panthers have won the title outright or gained a share of it every year since 1993, except last year, when Warsaw won it.
By beating Warsaw, Neff won the 400th game of his career. In 23 years of coaching - all at NorthWood -ÊNeff is 400-97 (.801).
"Coach Neff and I are good friends, and he's a very good coach," Warsaw coach Will Wienhorst said. "I'm happy for him, but I just wish it would have happened on another night."
NorthWood junior guard Kasey Chamberlin scored 12 points in the second half and finished with 16. NorthWood senior guard Andee Morris, the sole reason the Panthers still had a chance in the second half, scored 12 in the first half and finished with 16.
Senior center Nerecia Taylor led Warsaw with 12 points.
As losses go, this is a game Warsaw let slip-slide away. The Tigers led 12-7 after one quarter, 24-18 at halftime and 33-31 after three quarters. But they could not close the deal.
After turning the ball over nine times in the first three quarters, they fumbled it away seven times in the fourth quarter. When Chamberlin hit a runner in the paint to put NorthWood up 36-35 with six minutes left, she gave the Panthers their first lead since 7-5 in the first quarter.
Once the Panthers grasped the lead, they refused to give it up. Chamberlin, who hit a three-pointer earlier in the quarter, ignited a 17-2 NorthWood outburst to turn a 35-31 Warsaw lead with 7:27 left into a 48-37 Warsaw deficit with 44 seconds left.
"As well as we played the first half, NorthWood made their run," Wienhorst said. "This is the first time all year we had a lead like this and lost it late in the game. We stood on offense and wanted someone else to do it.
"We had five possessions where we didn't do anything. As this game progressed, NorthWood extended its defense. This moved our guards out of the passing lanes and took away the good angles to pass it inside."
The Tigers controlled the game in the first half. Offensively, they scored at will inside in their half-court sets. Defensively, they shut down NorthWood inside by double-teaming NorthWood 6-foot-1 sophomore center Carol Duncan. Duncan, who leads NorthWood with 14 points per game, scored none in the first half and sat on the bench for the final four minutes of the first half after picking up a technical foul.
Problem was, despite dominating the game, the Tigers led by just six at halftime.
And that's why Wienhorst thought NorthWood was able to catch Warsaw in the fourth quarter. For all the turnovers in the fourth quarter, what bugged him is what happened in the second quarter. The Tigers extended their lead to 22-10 with 3:29 left before halftime, but Morris hit two three-pointers to put NorthWood back in the game at 24-18 at the break.
"We played very good basketball for the first quarter and a half," Wienhorst said. "The big key is when Duncan went out. We knew three people scored for them. With her out, we said (Morris) or (Chamberlin) will score their points. We told them not to sag (inside) with Duncan out. We give up open threes. If we get a hand in their faces and they don't score, it's a whole different ballgame. Instead of being up six at halftime, we would have been up 12.
"The whole year long, we have missed open three-point shooters. The Mount Vernon game, the Snider game and now this game."
Said Neff: "We have had a worse quarter. We've had a quarter this season where we scored zero. I felt good being down six at halftime. We were down 12 and cut it to six.
"Andee kept us in the game. I can't say enough about her. She had a lot of pressure on her. Channel 22 was here to interview her for Burger King Athlete of the Week."
Duncan made up for lost time in the fourth quarter, scoring seven of her 11. Chamberlin added five in the quarter, a quarter that NorthWood outscored Warsaw 19-10. Warsaw shot 3 of 10 from the field in the fourth; NorthWood shot 7 of 10, converting several times after Warsaw turnovers.
"We challenged them to play our game instead of looking like idiots on the floor," Neff said of his halftime lecture. "We moved the ball better and made more than one pass before we shot. Defensively, Andee and Kasey out in the front of our zone really hustled, and we were giving (Warsaw) only one shot."
The teacher flunked his students at halftime. The students responded to give the coach his 400th win.
"I don't want to look back yet," Neff said. "That would mean I'm retiring. I don't plan to retire for awhile."
NORTHWOOD 50, WARSAW 43
Warsaw (11-7) 12 12 9 10 - 43
NorthWood (14-3) 7 11 13 19 - 50
NorthWood FG FT A S R Pts.
Morris (G) 5-9 2-2 3 0 2 16
Ky. Chamberlin (G) 7-12 0-1 2 5 4 16
Duncan (C) 5-6 1-2 3 3 4 11
Ke. Chamberlin (F) 2-5 1-2 0 1 6 5
Stichter (F) 1-4 0-0 1 0 3 2
Haney 0-3 0-0 1 0 0 0
Nunemaker 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Sandy 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Mast 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Miller 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Team - - - - 1 -
Totals 20-39 4-7 10 9 20 50
Warsaw FG FT A S R Pts.
O'Connell (G) 2-9 2-2 3 1 1 7
Rooney (F) 1-10 3-3 0 1 5 5
Kesler (G) 1-7 1-2 8 0 4 3
Parker (F) 1-2 0-0 2 1 2 2
Conley (C) 1-2 0-0 0 1 7 2
Taylor 6-7 0-0 0 1 4 12
Knisely 1-1 3-3 0 0 1 5
Colt 2-5 0-0 1 2 2 5
Poling 1-1 0-0 0 0 2 2
Overton 0-0 0-0 0 0 3 0
Totals 16-44 9-11 14 7 31 43
Three-point goals - NorthWood 6-12 (Morris 4-8, Ky. Chamberlin 2-2, Haney 0-2), Warsaw 2-11 (O'Connell 1-5, Colt 1-2, Rooney 0-3, Parker 0-1). Turnovers -ÊNorthWood 12, Warsaw 16. Fouled out -ÊNone. Total fouls - NorthWood 10, Warsaw 15. Technical foul -ÊDuncan.
JV: NORTHWOOD 34, WARSAW 30
NorthWood scoring -ÊCort Sandy 11, Carlea Howard 7, Chelsey Bowers 8, Stephanie Mast 2, Kelsey Newcomer 6
Warsaw scoring -ÊAbby Sumpter 4, Stephanie DeRenzo 6, Leah Kiphart 2, Ashley Wyatt 8, Kayla Burner 2, Holly Stackhouse 4, Keriann Conley 4. [[In-content Ad]]