Sectional Title Sweet To Warsaw Girls
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
DUNLAP - Any and all distractions seemed to disappear once the final horn sounded.
Injuries? What injuries. Lawsuits? Who cares. Class basketball? You get the idea.
Once Warsaw was celebrating its 67-37 win over Elkhart Memorial in the championship game of the Concord Girls Basketball Sectional Saturday, none of it seemed to matter.
"I am excited about setting the tone with the first one (Concord sectional title under the multi-class format)," Warsaw coach Will Wienhorst said. "We are one of 16 4A sectional winners. A sectional championship is a great accomplishment, and now we are going home."
Warsaw (15-8) is going home because it will face Fort Wayne Snider (20-4) in the Warsaw Regional Saturday.
The Tigers' Sectional 5 title was the first sectional championship in two years for a program that had captured 12 such titles and five in the 1990s.
"These girls have worked very hard," Wienhorst said. "We didn't win anything last year - no holiday tourney, no conference and no sectional. This year, we struggled in the holiday tourney, and NorthWood played great against us to win the conference. The kids stayed with it despite all the injuries."
Those injuries, especially key ones to Tiffany and Sherri Ross, Katie Elliott and Jessica Zaugg, caused some to doubt whether this team could win the title. Even against a sectional field that wasn't any tougher than the one Warsaw faced last year, the Tigers had to overcome more than just the opponents in winning the title. They had to overcome the doubters.
The opposition, as it turned out, posed no problem for Warsaw. The Tigers rolled over Concord, Elkhart Central and Elkhart Memorial for the title.
"It is just great to win," senior Sam Wideman said. "It is a feeling I will never have again. This is what I have worked all four years of my high school career to do."
Against Memorial, Warsaw once again had to fight through a loss of focus after rolling up a big lead. Just like their semifinal win over Central on Friday, the Tigers had a big lead that dwindled down in the third period. This time, though, it still never got close.
Warsaw led 35-16 at halftime, but Chakiea Jackson scored seven quick points in the third quarter to help the Chargers cut the margin to 39-28.
"It was quite the physical basketball game," Wienhorst said. "It got a little ragged, and I think it took our focus away just a little bit. It wasn't anything different for us, we just didn't hit some easy shots."
But once again, Tiffany Ross put the Tigers on her injured shoulder and carried the team. She scored seven of her season-high tying 24 points in the period, grabbed four rebounds and Warsaw opened the lead again 46-30.
"The hardest part was the mental state because of the fouls and people getting into it," Sherri Ross said. "We just had to stay focused and made sure we kept our heads in it."
In the fourth, the lead was wide open. The Tigers outscored the Chargers 21-7 in the final frame to run away and hide - with the sectional title.
"I have so much heart, and I want to share it with the team," Tiffany Ross said. "As long as everybody keeps their heads up and thinks 'I can do it' then we can play with confidence, and we can win.
"As a leader, sometimes I shy away from saying stuff, but I know if I don't I won't help the team because I have been here the longest," she said. "I try to teach them what upperclassmen have taught me. I try to carry it on."
Since Tiffany and twin sister Sherri burst onto the scene as sophomores, a lot has been expected of the Tigers, especially in that season when the Tigers upset Columbia City en route to a sectional title. But last year, the Eagles returned the favor in the sectional, and Warsaw has battled the injuries and eight regular-season losses this year.
"It has been very hard," Sherri Ross said. "You can see the pain on their faces, and you just want to go in for them. But they fight hard and come back."
And now what for the Tigers?
"I am very excited about it, and I think we can make it to semistate, and that would be a great opportunity to play in front of a big crowd," junior Katie Elliott said. [[In-content Ad]]
DUNLAP - Any and all distractions seemed to disappear once the final horn sounded.
Injuries? What injuries. Lawsuits? Who cares. Class basketball? You get the idea.
Once Warsaw was celebrating its 67-37 win over Elkhart Memorial in the championship game of the Concord Girls Basketball Sectional Saturday, none of it seemed to matter.
"I am excited about setting the tone with the first one (Concord sectional title under the multi-class format)," Warsaw coach Will Wienhorst said. "We are one of 16 4A sectional winners. A sectional championship is a great accomplishment, and now we are going home."
Warsaw (15-8) is going home because it will face Fort Wayne Snider (20-4) in the Warsaw Regional Saturday.
The Tigers' Sectional 5 title was the first sectional championship in two years for a program that had captured 12 such titles and five in the 1990s.
"These girls have worked very hard," Wienhorst said. "We didn't win anything last year - no holiday tourney, no conference and no sectional. This year, we struggled in the holiday tourney, and NorthWood played great against us to win the conference. The kids stayed with it despite all the injuries."
Those injuries, especially key ones to Tiffany and Sherri Ross, Katie Elliott and Jessica Zaugg, caused some to doubt whether this team could win the title. Even against a sectional field that wasn't any tougher than the one Warsaw faced last year, the Tigers had to overcome more than just the opponents in winning the title. They had to overcome the doubters.
The opposition, as it turned out, posed no problem for Warsaw. The Tigers rolled over Concord, Elkhart Central and Elkhart Memorial for the title.
"It is just great to win," senior Sam Wideman said. "It is a feeling I will never have again. This is what I have worked all four years of my high school career to do."
Against Memorial, Warsaw once again had to fight through a loss of focus after rolling up a big lead. Just like their semifinal win over Central on Friday, the Tigers had a big lead that dwindled down in the third period. This time, though, it still never got close.
Warsaw led 35-16 at halftime, but Chakiea Jackson scored seven quick points in the third quarter to help the Chargers cut the margin to 39-28.
"It was quite the physical basketball game," Wienhorst said. "It got a little ragged, and I think it took our focus away just a little bit. It wasn't anything different for us, we just didn't hit some easy shots."
But once again, Tiffany Ross put the Tigers on her injured shoulder and carried the team. She scored seven of her season-high tying 24 points in the period, grabbed four rebounds and Warsaw opened the lead again 46-30.
"The hardest part was the mental state because of the fouls and people getting into it," Sherri Ross said. "We just had to stay focused and made sure we kept our heads in it."
In the fourth, the lead was wide open. The Tigers outscored the Chargers 21-7 in the final frame to run away and hide - with the sectional title.
"I have so much heart, and I want to share it with the team," Tiffany Ross said. "As long as everybody keeps their heads up and thinks 'I can do it' then we can play with confidence, and we can win.
"As a leader, sometimes I shy away from saying stuff, but I know if I don't I won't help the team because I have been here the longest," she said. "I try to teach them what upperclassmen have taught me. I try to carry it on."
Since Tiffany and twin sister Sherri burst onto the scene as sophomores, a lot has been expected of the Tigers, especially in that season when the Tigers upset Columbia City en route to a sectional title. But last year, the Eagles returned the favor in the sectional, and Warsaw has battled the injuries and eight regular-season losses this year.
"It has been very hard," Sherri Ross said. "You can see the pain on their faces, and you just want to go in for them. But they fight hard and come back."
And now what for the Tigers?
"I am very excited about it, and I think we can make it to semistate, and that would be a great opportunity to play in front of a big crowd," junior Katie Elliott said. [[In-content Ad]]