Surging Warsaw Girls Hold Off Rival Wawasee
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
While winter is a time for hibernation, the Warsaw girls basketball team may be waking from its early season slumber.
After a 2-4 record, the worst in school history, the Tigers are starting to show that there's life after Jaclyn Leininger.
Warsaw used a 38-26 rebounding edge and an effective 17-point performance from Julie Seiss to top Northern Lakes Conference and county rival Wawasee 48-36, Saturday night.
Earlier in the week, Warsaw knocked off a one-loss Columbia City squad. As a potential matchup with state-ranked South Bend St. Joseph's in Warsaw's Holiday Tournament looms large, the Tigers avoided a letdown.
Both Warsaw and Wawasee looked to be in a shooting haze as the teams combined to shoot 35 of 95 from the field. The Tigers' ability to get after loose balls was the deciding factor.
Mallory Hepler grabbed an offensive rebound and hit two free throws with 4:22 left in the third quarter to spark a 9-0 Tiger run that for all intents and purposes put the Warriors out of the game.
To that point, Wawasee stayed within shouting distance using a healthy dose of Tiffany Fick. Fick led the Warriors with 13 points on 6 of 12 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds.
It was rebounds, however, that were at a premium for Wawasee. Warsaw doubled up the Warriors with a 20-10 advantage on the boards in the first half that madeup for a less than stellar shooting display.
Seiss scored seven of her game-high 17 points in the opening quarter while Wawasee managed just four points, all of which came from Fick.
In fact, until Rachel Canen's three-pointer with 2:45 left in the first half, all six of Wawasee's points came from the 5-foot-10 Fick.
Canen finished the evening with 13 points, eight of which came in the fourth quarter.
Before Canen's late offensive outburst, it was the third quarter that propelled Warsaw to victory.
Before Warsaw's 9-0 run that put the game out of reach for Wawasee, it was the Warriors who came out sharp to start the second half.
Fick scored the first six Warrior points of the second half and Jessie Wolf added a basket after pulling down an offensive rebound to cap an 8-2 Wawasee run that cut Warsaw's lead to seven points.
The Tigers' ability to quickly answer Wawasee's charge may have broken the Warriors' spirit.
"I thought our kids came out very focused in the second half. We executed offensively very well but we just couldn't counter. They had an answer back to it all. So a lot of times what that does is affect you mentally," said Wawasee head coach Kem Zolman.
The Tigers used their bodies to out-position and outwork Wawasee on the boards.
"Basically, I thought Warsaw was able to go after every loose rebound and every loose ball," agreed Zolman. "We're turning to block out and they're going to get (loose balls)."
While Warsaw dominated the boards, Warsaw first-year head coach John Snyder expects more.
"As many offensive rebounds we got, I thought there was a lot more we should have got," said Snyder. " I felt like we could have gone harder. I think it's still an area we need to improve on."
Increased expectations aren't limited to rebounding. While Seiss finished with 17 points and has been the most consistent player for Warsaw and Rebekah Reichard battled through a 4 of 12 shooting performance to finish with eight points, Snyder expects a viable third scorer to step up on a regular basis.
Saturday night it was sophomore Danielle DeGeeter who finished with eight points on 4 of 6 shooting.
"Some girls tried to step up tonight," said Snyder of the search for a third scorer. "So that's encouraging, so maybe that's a sign we're moving in the right direction."
As for Warsaw's first option, Seiss also moving in the right direction.
Early in the year, Seiss was perhaps unselfish to a fault. As the 5-9 junior grows in her role as the team's go-to-player in the absence of Leininger, the potential for a Leininger-esque performance becomes more likely.
Seiss finished with 17 points on 14 field goal attempts and was 50 percent from behind the three-point arc on 3-of-6 shooting.
"I'm real happy with the way Julie's been playing. She has been incredibly consistent all year but I feel like she's going to bust out with a 30-point night," said Snyder.
Wawasee's go-to player, Fick along with Rachel Canen impressed Zolman.
"Those are definitely our big two. Tiff did a very nice job for us tonight, very focused. Looking to seal people inside, and she did a really nice job," said Zolman.
With the win, Warsaw moves its record to 4-4 overall and 1-1 in the NLC. The Tigers host the Warsaw Holiday Tournament Thursday and open the morning session against Fort Wayne Snider.
Wawasee, 4-5 overall and 1-1 in the NLC, is off until the NLC tournament when they host Goshen, Dec. 28 at 6 p.m.
WARSAW 52, WAWASEE 36
Wawasee 4 7 12 13 - 36
Warsaw 13 9 15 15 - 52
Wawasee FG FT R S Pts.
*Lantz 1-5 0-0 2 1 2
*Walker 0-2 0-0 0 1 0
*Canen 5-12 1-2 2 1 13
*Wolf 3-9 0-0 5 0 6
*Fick 6-12 1-1 8 0 13
Short 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Knafel 1-4 0-4 2 0 2
Team 0-0 0-0 7 0 0
Totals 16-44 2-7 26 3 36
Warsaw FG FT R S Pts.
*DeGeeter 4-6 0-1 6 1 8
*Abbitt 1-8 0-0 2 0 2
*Seiss 7-14 0-1 6 2 17
*Reichard 4-12 0-2 7 0 8
*Hepler 1-2 2-2 5 1 4
Braddock 1-1 0-0 0 0 3
Scherer 0-1 0-0 5 1 0
Clay 0-1 0-0 2 2 0
Smith 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
Sand 1-3 2-2 2 1 4
Wood 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Heiman 0-2 2-2 0 0 2
Logan 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Team 0-0 0-0 3 0 0
Totals 19-51 6-10 38 9 52
Three-point goals - Wawasee 2-6 (Canen 2-3, Walker 0-2, Lantz 0-1), Warsaw 4-12 (Seiss 3-6, Braddock 1-1, Abbitt 0-3, Clay 0-1, Sand 0-1).Turnovers - Wawasee 10, Warsaw 9 Fouls - Wawasee 15, Warsaw 11 Fouled out - None. Technical Fouls - Wawasee 2
JV - Warsaw 51, Wawasee 15
Warsaw scoring leaders - Megan Wood 15, Brit Clark 9 [[In-content Ad]]
While winter is a time for hibernation, the Warsaw girls basketball team may be waking from its early season slumber.
After a 2-4 record, the worst in school history, the Tigers are starting to show that there's life after Jaclyn Leininger.
Warsaw used a 38-26 rebounding edge and an effective 17-point performance from Julie Seiss to top Northern Lakes Conference and county rival Wawasee 48-36, Saturday night.
Earlier in the week, Warsaw knocked off a one-loss Columbia City squad. As a potential matchup with state-ranked South Bend St. Joseph's in Warsaw's Holiday Tournament looms large, the Tigers avoided a letdown.
Both Warsaw and Wawasee looked to be in a shooting haze as the teams combined to shoot 35 of 95 from the field. The Tigers' ability to get after loose balls was the deciding factor.
Mallory Hepler grabbed an offensive rebound and hit two free throws with 4:22 left in the third quarter to spark a 9-0 Tiger run that for all intents and purposes put the Warriors out of the game.
To that point, Wawasee stayed within shouting distance using a healthy dose of Tiffany Fick. Fick led the Warriors with 13 points on 6 of 12 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds.
It was rebounds, however, that were at a premium for Wawasee. Warsaw doubled up the Warriors with a 20-10 advantage on the boards in the first half that madeup for a less than stellar shooting display.
Seiss scored seven of her game-high 17 points in the opening quarter while Wawasee managed just four points, all of which came from Fick.
In fact, until Rachel Canen's three-pointer with 2:45 left in the first half, all six of Wawasee's points came from the 5-foot-10 Fick.
Canen finished the evening with 13 points, eight of which came in the fourth quarter.
Before Canen's late offensive outburst, it was the third quarter that propelled Warsaw to victory.
Before Warsaw's 9-0 run that put the game out of reach for Wawasee, it was the Warriors who came out sharp to start the second half.
Fick scored the first six Warrior points of the second half and Jessie Wolf added a basket after pulling down an offensive rebound to cap an 8-2 Wawasee run that cut Warsaw's lead to seven points.
The Tigers' ability to quickly answer Wawasee's charge may have broken the Warriors' spirit.
"I thought our kids came out very focused in the second half. We executed offensively very well but we just couldn't counter. They had an answer back to it all. So a lot of times what that does is affect you mentally," said Wawasee head coach Kem Zolman.
The Tigers used their bodies to out-position and outwork Wawasee on the boards.
"Basically, I thought Warsaw was able to go after every loose rebound and every loose ball," agreed Zolman. "We're turning to block out and they're going to get (loose balls)."
While Warsaw dominated the boards, Warsaw first-year head coach John Snyder expects more.
"As many offensive rebounds we got, I thought there was a lot more we should have got," said Snyder. " I felt like we could have gone harder. I think it's still an area we need to improve on."
Increased expectations aren't limited to rebounding. While Seiss finished with 17 points and has been the most consistent player for Warsaw and Rebekah Reichard battled through a 4 of 12 shooting performance to finish with eight points, Snyder expects a viable third scorer to step up on a regular basis.
Saturday night it was sophomore Danielle DeGeeter who finished with eight points on 4 of 6 shooting.
"Some girls tried to step up tonight," said Snyder of the search for a third scorer. "So that's encouraging, so maybe that's a sign we're moving in the right direction."
As for Warsaw's first option, Seiss also moving in the right direction.
Early in the year, Seiss was perhaps unselfish to a fault. As the 5-9 junior grows in her role as the team's go-to-player in the absence of Leininger, the potential for a Leininger-esque performance becomes more likely.
Seiss finished with 17 points on 14 field goal attempts and was 50 percent from behind the three-point arc on 3-of-6 shooting.
"I'm real happy with the way Julie's been playing. She has been incredibly consistent all year but I feel like she's going to bust out with a 30-point night," said Snyder.
Wawasee's go-to player, Fick along with Rachel Canen impressed Zolman.
"Those are definitely our big two. Tiff did a very nice job for us tonight, very focused. Looking to seal people inside, and she did a really nice job," said Zolman.
With the win, Warsaw moves its record to 4-4 overall and 1-1 in the NLC. The Tigers host the Warsaw Holiday Tournament Thursday and open the morning session against Fort Wayne Snider.
Wawasee, 4-5 overall and 1-1 in the NLC, is off until the NLC tournament when they host Goshen, Dec. 28 at 6 p.m.
WARSAW 52, WAWASEE 36
Wawasee 4 7 12 13 - 36
Warsaw 13 9 15 15 - 52
Wawasee FG FT R S Pts.
*Lantz 1-5 0-0 2 1 2
*Walker 0-2 0-0 0 1 0
*Canen 5-12 1-2 2 1 13
*Wolf 3-9 0-0 5 0 6
*Fick 6-12 1-1 8 0 13
Short 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Knafel 1-4 0-4 2 0 2
Team 0-0 0-0 7 0 0
Totals 16-44 2-7 26 3 36
Warsaw FG FT R S Pts.
*DeGeeter 4-6 0-1 6 1 8
*Abbitt 1-8 0-0 2 0 2
*Seiss 7-14 0-1 6 2 17
*Reichard 4-12 0-2 7 0 8
*Hepler 1-2 2-2 5 1 4
Braddock 1-1 0-0 0 0 3
Scherer 0-1 0-0 5 1 0
Clay 0-1 0-0 2 2 0
Smith 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
Sand 1-3 2-2 2 1 4
Wood 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Heiman 0-2 2-2 0 0 2
Logan 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Team 0-0 0-0 3 0 0
Totals 19-51 6-10 38 9 52
Three-point goals - Wawasee 2-6 (Canen 2-3, Walker 0-2, Lantz 0-1), Warsaw 4-12 (Seiss 3-6, Braddock 1-1, Abbitt 0-3, Clay 0-1, Sand 0-1).Turnovers - Wawasee 10, Warsaw 9 Fouls - Wawasee 15, Warsaw 11 Fouled out - None. Technical Fouls - Wawasee 2
JV - Warsaw 51, Wawasee 15
Warsaw scoring leaders - Megan Wood 15, Brit Clark 9 [[In-content Ad]]