In the world of sports, coaches often say what looks lopsided according to the scoreboard was actually closer on the playing surface itself.

For Warsaw's varsity boys basketball team, Saturday's home game with Gary Wirt may have been just the opposite.

A late run by the visiting Troopers turned an otherwise dominating Tiger performance into a 56-47 Warsaw win.

The nine-point win improves Warsaw to 2-1 on the season, while Gary Wirt falls to 1-2.

In Warsaw's first two games of the year - a five point loss at Columbia City in overtime and a five-point win at Fort Wayne South - poor first-half performances were overshadowed by fourth-quarter rallies. Saturday's game saw the Tigers play their best first half of the season, only to let a double-digit lead dwindle to five with under a minute remaining.

"Obviously, that was the best first half we've played this year," 22nd-year Warsaw coach Al Rhodes said. "Basically, we were in control. We got the lead up to 20, but give Wirt credit they took it to the basket."

Warsaw led 43-23 with 3:25 remaining in the third quarter when senior point guard Brad Seiss made good on two free throw attempts, but by outscoring the Tigers 15-8 in the frame the Troopers went into the fourth only trailing 45-37.

Baskets by senior Marcus Ford and freshman Robert Eldridge to open the fourth quarter cut Warsaw's lead to four, 45-41. A three-point play by senior Greg Clay pushed Warsaw's lead back to seven, 48-41, with 6:11 left. A three-point play by twin brother Chris gave the Tigers a nine-point lead, 52-43, with 4:05 remaining.

Leading 52-47 with 49 seconds left in regulation, Greg Clay hit 1 of 2 free throws to push the lead to six. With 32 seconds remaining, Seiss hit 1 of 2 charity tosses to give the Tigers a 54-47 lead. Greg Clay then iced the game with a pair of made free throws with 18 seconds left.

For the game, Warsaw was 17 of 23 at the free throw line.

The Troopers finished the game with 21 fouls, many of which came inside the paint.

"We did a better job getting the ball inside," Rhodes said. "We need to start getting the ball inside to Erik Fussle and Ryan DeGeeter. We're gonna be much stronger when we do that. I really saw some improvement there."

While the scoreboard showed a nine-point game in the end, the opening was anything but close. The Tigers came out shooting, hitting 9 of 12 shots in the first quarter and taking a 22-11 lead going into the second stanza.

Warsaw senior frontliner Jerad Shaw scored eight points in the first two minutes of the game. Consecutive field goals from Greg Clay gave the Tigers a 14-4 lead with three minutes gone by.

Shaw finished the game with 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Greg Clay scored a game-high 22 points. Chris Clay finished with 11 points, while juniors Ryan DeGeeter and William Knepper had four each. Seiss scored three points, all on free throws, while junior Erik Fussle rounded out the Tiger scoring with two points.

Warsaw kept the lead in double digits the entire second quarter, taking a 37-22 lead into the half.

Ford led the Wirt offensive attack with 11 points. Kyle Washington and Eldridge had eight each, while senior Brandon Lee had seven.

For the game, Wirt shot 19 of 46 from the field, including a 4-of-13 performance from the arc.

"I thought our defense was good," Rhodes said. "We took away any inside game and challenged their shots."

Warsaw was 19 of 39 from the field and outrebounded Wirt 32-21.

The Tigers will play their first double weekend of the season Friday and Saturday, hosting Gary Wallace and travelling to Penn.

WARSAW 56, WIRT 47

Gary Wirt (1-3) 11 11 15 10 - 47

Warsaw (2-1) 22 15 8 11 - 56

Gary Wirt FG FT R S Pts.

Ja. Johnson (G) 0-0 1-1 0 1 1

Ford (F) 3-12 3-3 5 2 11

Washington (C) 4-7 0-0 2 0 8

George (F) 1-2 0-0 0 0 2

Eldridge (F) 4-4 0-4 0 2 8

Campbell 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Jo. Johnson 2-4 1-2 2 1 5

M. Johnson 0-1 0-0 1 0 0

Gholson 2-8 0-0 5 0 5

Lee 3-8 0-0 4 2 7

Walker 0-0 0-0 2 0 0

Totals 19-46 5-10 21 6 47

Warsaw FG FT R S Pts.

Seiss (G) 0-0 3-4 4 0 3

G. Clay (F) 7-14 8-11 3 1 22

C. Clay (F) 5-6 1-2 2 0 11

Shaw (F) 3-5 3-4 13 2 10

DeGeeter (C) 2-6 0-0 4 0 4

Knepper 2-3 0-0 3 1 4

Walmer 0-1 0-0 0 0 0

Datta 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Fussle 0-2 2-2 2 0 2

Scott 0-2 0-0 1 0 0

Totals 19-39 17-23 32 4 56

Three-point goals - Wirt 4-13 (Ford 2-7, Gholson 1-3, Lee 1-3), Warsaw 1-8 (Shaw 1-3, G. Clay 0-3, Walmer 0-1, Scott 0-1). Fouls - Wirt 21, Warsaw 15. Fouled out - Gholson.

JV - Warsaw 61, Gary Wirt 45

Warsaw scoring - Braddock 12, Allison 10, Griggs 9, Weinhorst 6, Moore 5, Schultz 4, Miller 3, Gensinger 3, Fuller 3, Roberts 3, Suchecki 2, Burnworth 1

Wawasee Girls Top Crown Point In Roundball Rumble

By Mike Madison, Times-Union Sports Correspondent

HAMMOND -ÊIt was the ideal recipe for an exciting night of basketball: two very good teams, an enthusiastic crowd, and an arena that smelled of high school basketball, 1950's style.

The event was the third annual Region Roundball Classic and the place was the Hammond Civic Center.

In the course of the day Saturday, six boys teams and two girls team participated in something that would have been unheard of in the 50's.

The showcase game of this event was the girls basketball game that pitted the Wawasee Warriors against the Crown Point Bulldogs.

Wawasee had the most fans attending as three chartered buses plus a few hundred other faithful fans made the 100-mile trek to Hammond. Crown Point also had a good following and the two schools together far outdrew the boy's game following them between 4A No. 5 Gary West and 1A No. 1 Lafayette Central Catholic.

For many it was an opportunity to see Wawasee's silky smooth Shanna Zolman matched up against her friend and AAU summer teammate Alex Webster of Crown Point.

From the opening tip it appeared it might be just that, a shootout between Webster and Zolman.

The Bulldog guard opened the scoring as she drove around Zolman for a basket and then just seconds later Zolman hit a trey over the outstretched fingers of Webster.

And the battle was on. What ensued was a hard-fought game between two very good teams, and when the buzzer sounded it was Wawasee on top, 55-48.

It was a see-saw battle all evening with neither team being able to take control before Wawasee built a nine-point lead late in the third quarter only to see Crown Point score eight straight to draw back to within one.

Wawasee junior Meagan Wallen hit her only three of the game with 4:42 remaining but it was a big one, stretching Wawasee's lead to 48-42.

From then on it was Wawasee's patience and control offensively, coupled with Zolman's efficiency at the free throw line, that allowed the Warriors to escape with the seven-point win.

The Zolman-Webster match-up certainly gave the fans their money's worth. Zolman, who following the game was announced as the MVP, ended the evening with 26 points, while Webster lit the nets for 23.

Stats for the two girls were almost identical, but it was the clutch fourth-quarter free throw shooting and Wawasee's win that gave Zolman the MVP honors. Zolman and Webster both played over 31 minutes of the game's 32. Zolman was 3 of 7 from three-point range while Webster was 3 of 8. Zolman finished 11 of 12 from the charity stripe while Webster was 4 of 4. Zolman had five rebounds and four assists while Webster had four rebounds and three assists.

For the Warriors it was certainly a well-rounded effort that provided the victory. Meagan Wallen added 15 points and six rebounds while Jocelyn Higginbotham contributed eight points and five rebounds. Crystal Fawley finished with only one point, but her defensive play was a sparkplug for the Warriors.

Some of the best news for the Warriors though, came from the play of junior Jessica Leach. After tearing her ACL in Wawasee's opening season scrimmage, Leach had re-injured it on both her two previous attempts to come back on the court. On this night she played a total of 13 minutes and still appeared pretty strong.

"It was the kind of game we needed to be in," said Wawasee coach Kem Zolman. "It was very competitive. We fell behind, got control, then lost the lead, but maintained our poise and pulled it out.

"It was a neat game for us just to be involved in. We needed a close game. We needed to see how we would react, and for this early in the year, I would have to give our girls a good grade in that regard."

WAWASEE 55, CROWN POINT 48

Wawasee 16 13 14 12 - 55

Crown Point 17 11 11 9 - 48

Wawasee FG FT R S Pts.

Sorenson 1-1 0-0 0 0 2

Henderson 1-4 0-0 2 0 2

Zolman 6-11 11-12 6 2 26

Bradford 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Hershberger 0-1 0-0 0 0 0

Fawley 0-2 1-4 4 3 1

Lamb 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Wallen 6-9 2-2 3 2 15

Leach 0-0 1-2 1 1 1

Higginbotham 3-4 2-4 5 2 8

Totals 17-38 17-24 26 10 55

Crown Point FG FT R S Pts.

Plumley 0-1 0-0 1 0 0

Pruzin 2-4 0-0 1 0 4

Webster 8-18 4-4 2 2 23

Zondor 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Reeves 2-8 0-2 3 1 4

Swanson 0-1 0-0 1 0 0

Isailovich 0-1 0-0 1 0 0

Cuculich 1-1 1-2 2 0 3

Heneghan 1-2 2-4 5 1 4

Fredericks 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Weiland 1-1 0-0 1 0 2

Rhodes 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Triplett 4-7 0-0 7 2 8

Totals 19-43 7-12 25 6 48

Three-point goals - Wawasee 4-9 (Zolman 3-7, Wallen 1-1, Henderson 0-1), Crown Point 3-10 (Webster 3-7, Plumley 0-1, Pruzin 0-1, Swanson 0-1). Fouls - Wawasee 11, Crown Point 18. Fouled out - Pruzin.

Warsaw Wrestlers Take 11th Place At Lake Central Invitational

By Jim Brenneman, Times-Union Sports Correspondent

ST. JOHN -ÊAt the Lake Central Invitational wrestling tournament, with 100 points, Warsaw placed 11th in a field of 16 teams.

The invitational is a highly reputed event with many past state champions and runners-up in the competition, including Alex Tristis of Griffith, 2001 state champion as a freshman at 119. Tristis was the outstanding wrestler of the Lake Central Tournament, scoring all pins and one tech fall en route to grabbing the championship at 130 pounds.

Warsaw had only one champion. Anthony Boley at 119 pounds powered his way through the first three rounds with a pin and two major decisions to reach the finals.

In his first match, Boley pinned Teddy Ziady of Lake Central in 1:54. Then Boley scored an 11-0 major decision over North Central's David Barnes in round two. In the semi-final match Boley racked up another major decision, 19-9, over Tommy Ling of Lake Station.

In the championship match the Tiger senior faced Leo Mercado of South Bend Washington. Mercado had decimated his foes with a string of first-period pins on his march to the finals.

In the first period of the 119-pound championship Mercado grabbed a takedown and had Boley on his back early, but Boley fought out of the tangle to escape and then quickly responded with a takedown.

Mercado was ahead 4-3 at the beginning of period two, but from then on Boley took charge, scoring an escape and two takedowns to capture the lead.

Boley pressed forward in his domination until Mercado was unable to continue and the match was awarded to Boley by injury default at 5:50.

Warsaw assistant coach Steve Ferber said, "Anthony Boley wrestled extremely well. His matches were fun to watch with plenty of good action."

The Warsaw coaching staff expressed satisfaction with improved wrestling by the entire squad since the loss to Elkhart Memorial.

Warsaw head coach Tony Boley said, "We have had three great days of practice."

Ferber said, "The team needs to see continued improvement and if we keep up the work ethic of this past week then we ought to see some good things toward the end of the season."

David Ferguson (275) took fourth place in his loss to Pierre Ramos of East Chicago Central. Earlier in the day Ferguson notched two pins (3:31 and 1:34) before losing to runner-up Titan Shepperd of Kankakee Valley in the semi-finals.

In his opening match Brandon Cordell (145) lost to James Wright of Hobart in a 6-5 squeaker, but then won two matches including a 1:53 fall to reach the consolation finals. There in a rematch against Wright, Cordell earned fifth place with a convincing 13-5 major decision.

Two Tigers came away with sixth-place finishes, Matt Palladino (135) and Brandon LaFollette (152). Matt Palladino (135) won his opening match, 7-0 but then lost to the eventual champion, Jeff Azbill of Calumet. He then defeated Temple Cosby of Lafayette Jefferson to reach the consolation match where he was pinned with just ten seconds remaining by Eddie Lopez of Hammond Clark.

After a victory in round one, Brandon LaFollette (152) then lost his next match. In the consolation brackets he won twice before losing to Bob Jarmula of Hobart. LaFollette had three wins on the day, including two falls.

Other Tigers managed some victories but did not place. Kyle Boley (140) and Jacob Boots (215) each had one fall, while Ryan Walenga (189) had two wins, including a pin and a decision The 5-1 Tigers next host Plymouth in a Northern Lakes Conference battle on Thursday, December 6, at 7:00 p.m. in the Career Center Gym.

Lake Central Invitational Team Scores

1. Lake Central 205.00, 2. South Bend Washington 150.50, 3. Highland 150.00, 4. Griffith 146.00, 5. North Central 143.50, 6. Calumet 131.00, 7. Hobart 118.00, 8. East Chicago Central 112.50, 9. Munster 109.00, 10. Lafayette Jefferson 107.00, 11. Warsaw 100.00, 12. Kankakee Valley 73.00, 13. Hammond Clark 60.00, 14. Lake Station 45.00, 15. Hammond Morton 43.50, 16. Hammond Gavit 16.00

Final Matches for Warsaw at Lake Central

103 Warsaw forfeited

112 Warsaw forfeited

119 Anthony Boley [1st] (Warsaw) def. Leo Mercado (South Bend Washington), injury default 5:50 championship

125 Steve Lopez [5th] (SBWash) def. Tanner Connealy (War), tech fall 16-0 consolation quarter finals

130 Warsaw forfeited

135 Eddie Lopez [5th] (Hammond Clark) pinned Matt Palladino [6th] (War), 4:50 consolation finals

140 Vic Zerngast [5th] (Munster) def. Kyle Boley (War), 14-9 consolation quarter finals

145 Brandon Cordell [5th] (War) def. James Wright [6th] (Hobart), 13-5 major decision consolation finals

152 Bob Jarmula [5th] (Hob) pinned Brandon LaFollette [6th] (War), 3:45 consolation finals

160 Vince Macielewic (Ham Cl) pinned Julio Reyes (War), 2:56 consolation quarter finals

171 Bobby Costello (Lake Central) defeated Adam Galvin (War), disqualification round one

189 Frankie Stewart [5th] (Cal) pinned Ryan Walenga (War), 4:53 consolation semi-finals

215 Ken Smith [5th] (East Chicago Central) def. Jacob Boots (War), 16-4 major decision consolation semi-finals

275 Pierre Ramos [3rd] (ECC) pinned David Ferguson [4th] (War), 1:35 consolation

Valley Girls Open TRC Season With Win

Times-Union Staff Report

AKRON - After outscoring visiting Oak Hill 55-28 in the final three quarters Saturday, Tippecanoe Valley's varsity girls basketball team picked up a 75-42 win its Three Rivers Conference opener.

The 33-point win improves the Vikings' overall season record to 6-1.

Leading 20-14 at the end of one, Valley outscored the Eagles 18-9 in the second quarter, 17-9 in the third and 20-10 in the fourth. The Vikings connected on 18 of 19 free throws in the win.

Viking sophomore Rebekah Parker led all scorers with 18 points, while senior Tabitha Pratt scored 16. Sherise Denny and Kathy Prater also scored in double figures for Valley, finishing with 10 each.

Pratt led the team in rebounds with 12.

Amy Beery paced Oak Hill with 14 points, while Libby Hiple and Shelby Pitman scored eight each.

TIPPECANOE VALLEY 75, OAK HILL 42

Oak Hill 14 9 9 10 - 42

Valley 20 18 17 20 - 75

Valley scoring - Pratt 7 2-2 16, Rosenstiel 1 0-0 2, Prater 5 0-0 10, Clauson 1 3-4 5, Denny 2 6-6 10, Green 2 1-1 5, Zehr 1 0-0 2, Parker 7 4-4 18, Shafer 2 2-2 7, Anglin 0 0-0 0, Weaver 0 0-0 0, Kramer 0 0-0 0, Leckrone 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 18-19 75.

Three-point goals - Oak Hill 0, Valley 1 (Shafer). Rebounds - Oak Hill 25, Valley 35 (Pratt 12). Turnovers - Oak Hill 17, Valley 8. Fouls - Oak Hill 19, Valley 10. Fouled out - none.

JV - Valley 44, Oak Hill 22

MANCHESTER 38, NORTHFIELD 30

Saturday in North Manchester

Manchester's varsity girls basketball team improved to 7-1 on the season with a 38-30 win over visiting Northfield Saturday. The Squires got double-figure scoring from seniors Heather Terflinger with 16 points and Ann Harms with 13 points. Manchester led 24-22 going into the final frame, where the Squires outscored the Norseman 14-8. Manchester will be in action again Friday at Whitko.

Northfield 9 5 8 8 - 30

Manchester 6 7 11 14 - 38

Manchester - Terflinger 7 2-2 16, Roser 1 0-0 2, Keffaber 2 1-2 5, Fox 0 0-1 0, Harms 4 5-7 13, Rager 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 8-12 38.

Three-point goals - Northfield 2 (Guenin 2), Manchester 0. Fouls - Northfield 15, Manchester 13. Fouled out - Rager.

JV - Northfield 41, Manchester 28

KOKOMO CHRISTIAN 45, LAKELAND

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 33

Friday in Winona Lake

Lakeland Christian Academy's varsity girls basketball team lost its first game of the season Friday, falling 45-33 to visiting Kokomo Christian. The Cougars are now 2-1 on the season. Kristin Paulus led LCA with 16 points and five rebounds, while teammate Courtney Lavender had eight points, seven rebounds and four assists. The Cougars play at Lakewood Park Christian on Dec. 6.

Kokomo Chr. 6 12 10 17 - 45

LCA 6 7 10 10 - 33

LCA scoring - Paulus 16, Lavender 8, Buckholz 4, Stallter 2, Landolt 2, McCall 1

LCA rebound leaders - Lavender 7, Paulus 5, Buckholz 3, McCall 1

LCA assist leaders - Lavender 4, Stallter 2

KCHE 38, MARION KING'S ACADEMY 26

Friday in Winona Lake

KCHE's varsity girls basketball team won its homecoming game Friday night at Grace College, topping Marion King's Academy 38-26. The win improved the Eagles to 3-3 on the season. MeLisa Martinez tallied 20 points, six steals, four rebounds and assist for the winners.

Marion Kings Acad. 2 6 9 9 - 26

KCHE 7 6 12 13 - 38

KCHE leaders - MeLisa Martinez 20 points, 4 rebounds, 6 steals, 1 assist; Chana Spite 9 points, 17 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 1 assist; Brightie Lowe 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist; Abbi Tenaglia 2 points, 1 steal; Abi Erickson 2 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal; Jennifer Jump 5 rebounds; Erin Kantz 3 rebounds, 1 assist

The remaining portion of the weekend's high school roundup will appear in Tuesday's paper. [[In-content Ad]]