Second Half Gets Tigers Back On Track
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
After Warsaw's 34-32 Wednesday loss to Fort Wayne Northrop, head coach Will Wienhorst had his basketball team watch the game film the next day.
But they did more than just watch. Wienhorst told each girl to write down things she could have done better in the game. One girl, whom Wienhorst didn't identify, wrote down 16 things.
Eleven minutes into Saturday's conference game with Concord, Wienhorst was probably wondering if the girls took their lists to heart. His team trailed 18-9 with 4:37 left before halftime.
However, by the time the game was over, Wienhorst knew for a fact his girls had watched, listened and learned. The second half was one of Warsaw's best halves of basketball this season. After the slow start, the Tigers pulled away for a 59-46 win.
The Tiger offense sprang to life late in the first half. After scoring nine points in the first 11 minutes, Warsaw scored 14 the last five minutes to cut Concord's lead to 26-23 at halftime. Five-foot-11 junior Jackie Edwards sparked the late first-half surge, as she was a force inside. She grabbed three offensive rebounds and scored eight of the 14 points.
Halftime didn't ruin the flow of the Warsaw offense. The Tigers picked up where they left off late in the first half.
Warsaw scored 36 points in the second half on 11-of-18 shooting (61 percent) from the floor. Five-foot-10 junior Tiffany Ross scored Warsaw's first eight points of the third quarter and pushed the Tigers ahead 31-30, their first lead since 6-3 in the first quarter.
Tiffany's twin sister, Sherri, then sent the Tigers on their way to the win. With the game tied 34-34, she knocked down two three-pointers that gave the Tigers their first cushion of the day at 40-34 with a minute to go in the third.
Concord never led again.
The Tiger defense wasn't too shabby in the second half, either. Concord turned the ball over 12 times in the second half and made just 7 of 27 from the field (26 percent). Warsaw outscored Concord 36-20 in the half.
"I tell you what, we play this way all the time, we're gonna be hard to beat," Wienhorst said.
If Warsaw gets on a roll, Wienhorst will put an X on the calendar on Dec. 14, the day of this game, as the reason why.
"If we would have lost this game," he said, "it would have set us back a long time. Last year we didn't get going until after our holiday tournament. We want to start building now."
Tiffany Ross scored 19 on 8-of-10 shooting from the field to lead all Tiger scorers. Sherri Ross and Katie Elliott added eight each.
Five-foot-11 junior Alisha Simons scored 22 to lead Concord. Concord's leading scorer, 5-7 senior guard Carrie Swigert, made one free throw for her only point. She was 0 of 13 from the floor, including 0 of 10 behind the three-point line.
Concord was shorthanded coming into the game, having only eight players available. Injuries and flu have plagued Concord, who fell to 3-5 overall and 0-2 in the Northern Lakes Conference.
Warsaw, 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the NLC, hosts a 6:15 p.m. Tuesday game with Columbia City.
The Tiger offense that had scored no more than 12 points in any quarter the previous two games - losses to state-ranked Huntington North and Fort Wayne Northrop - has reappeared.
"This was a great game for us," Wienhorst said. "People need to understand we had two tough losses. We took great strides today in the second half, coming out and doing what we did after those two losses.
"I think we're just going to get much better. I think we're looking up now. I don't think we'll look back anymore."
Now, if Wienhorst could only get that offense to show up earlier in the game. He has a few ideas how he can fix that.
"We're going to have to look at more game film," he said. "I don't know why we come out flat. I have no idea." Then he joked, "Maybe they'll have to camp out in the locker room the night before so no one will talk to them so they're ready to play." [[In-content Ad]]
After Warsaw's 34-32 Wednesday loss to Fort Wayne Northrop, head coach Will Wienhorst had his basketball team watch the game film the next day.
But they did more than just watch. Wienhorst told each girl to write down things she could have done better in the game. One girl, whom Wienhorst didn't identify, wrote down 16 things.
Eleven minutes into Saturday's conference game with Concord, Wienhorst was probably wondering if the girls took their lists to heart. His team trailed 18-9 with 4:37 left before halftime.
However, by the time the game was over, Wienhorst knew for a fact his girls had watched, listened and learned. The second half was one of Warsaw's best halves of basketball this season. After the slow start, the Tigers pulled away for a 59-46 win.
The Tiger offense sprang to life late in the first half. After scoring nine points in the first 11 minutes, Warsaw scored 14 the last five minutes to cut Concord's lead to 26-23 at halftime. Five-foot-11 junior Jackie Edwards sparked the late first-half surge, as she was a force inside. She grabbed three offensive rebounds and scored eight of the 14 points.
Halftime didn't ruin the flow of the Warsaw offense. The Tigers picked up where they left off late in the first half.
Warsaw scored 36 points in the second half on 11-of-18 shooting (61 percent) from the floor. Five-foot-10 junior Tiffany Ross scored Warsaw's first eight points of the third quarter and pushed the Tigers ahead 31-30, their first lead since 6-3 in the first quarter.
Tiffany's twin sister, Sherri, then sent the Tigers on their way to the win. With the game tied 34-34, she knocked down two three-pointers that gave the Tigers their first cushion of the day at 40-34 with a minute to go in the third.
Concord never led again.
The Tiger defense wasn't too shabby in the second half, either. Concord turned the ball over 12 times in the second half and made just 7 of 27 from the field (26 percent). Warsaw outscored Concord 36-20 in the half.
"I tell you what, we play this way all the time, we're gonna be hard to beat," Wienhorst said.
If Warsaw gets on a roll, Wienhorst will put an X on the calendar on Dec. 14, the day of this game, as the reason why.
"If we would have lost this game," he said, "it would have set us back a long time. Last year we didn't get going until after our holiday tournament. We want to start building now."
Tiffany Ross scored 19 on 8-of-10 shooting from the field to lead all Tiger scorers. Sherri Ross and Katie Elliott added eight each.
Five-foot-11 junior Alisha Simons scored 22 to lead Concord. Concord's leading scorer, 5-7 senior guard Carrie Swigert, made one free throw for her only point. She was 0 of 13 from the floor, including 0 of 10 behind the three-point line.
Concord was shorthanded coming into the game, having only eight players available. Injuries and flu have plagued Concord, who fell to 3-5 overall and 0-2 in the Northern Lakes Conference.
Warsaw, 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the NLC, hosts a 6:15 p.m. Tuesday game with Columbia City.
The Tiger offense that had scored no more than 12 points in any quarter the previous two games - losses to state-ranked Huntington North and Fort Wayne Northrop - has reappeared.
"This was a great game for us," Wienhorst said. "People need to understand we had two tough losses. We took great strides today in the second half, coming out and doing what we did after those two losses.
"I think we're just going to get much better. I think we're looking up now. I don't think we'll look back anymore."
Now, if Wienhorst could only get that offense to show up earlier in the game. He has a few ideas how he can fix that.
"We're going to have to look at more game film," he said. "I don't know why we come out flat. I have no idea." Then he joked, "Maybe they'll have to camp out in the locker room the night before so no one will talk to them so they're ready to play." [[In-content Ad]]