Tiger Girls End Carroll's Home Winning Streak
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
FORT WAYNE - An atmosphere as electric as Carroll High School's gymnasium Wednesday evening, it was only fitting there be a lightning bolt painted at mid-court.
A battle of Class 4A heavyweights No. 3 Warsaw and No. 9 Carroll was quite possibly everything a fan could have hoped for, a nip-and-tuck, back-and-forth battle that went down to the wire.
And like so many times before, Warsaw Miss Basketball candidate Jaclyn Leininger came through when her team needed her, scoring eight of her team's 12 fourth-quarter points and leading the Tigers to a 62-53 win over the previously unbeaten Chargers.
"Jaclyn is more than a scorer, she's a complete player," veteran Warsaw coach Will Wienhorst said. "She sees the floor and makes good reads. Last year she would get in a hurry in games like this. This year she takes her time."
With a Leininger score at the 4:24 mark of the fourth quarter, the Tigers took a 54-53 lead, one they didn't relinquish as they dealt Carroll its first home loss since Feb. 1, 2000.
Senior Michelle DeGeeter and Leininger hit back-to-back baskets to give Warsaw a 58-53 lead with 2:24 remaining, and then after some costly missed shots in the lane by Carroll stars Tamesha Scotton and Kelley Mieklejohn, the Tigers iced the game with a pair of free throws each from Leininger and sophomore Julie Seiss.
The win was the 16th straight for Warsaw, improving the Tigers to 16-1 on the season. Warsaw last won 16 consecutive games during the 1989-90 season.
With the nine-point loss, the Chargers fell to 15-1 on the season and had their 32-game home winning streak snapped. The last team to beat the Chargers on their floor was Columbia City nearly four years ago.
"We think we have one of the best places to play," said Carroll coach Lisa McBride, whose husband Mike coaches the Triton boys team. "We have a small gym, and we have a loud band and tremendous fan support. We practice here and the girls shoot here everyday. There's nothing special or magical about it, we just take pride in protecting our house. Tonight was a great game for fans, players and coaches."
Though the two programs hadn't played each other prior to last year, this is quickly becoming a heated rivalry.
The teams locked horns for the first time last year, with host Warsaw coming back from a 12-point deficit in the third quarter to win by three.
Behind hot-handed shooter Abbi Noll, the Chargers returned the favor by knocking the Tigers off 66-57 in the semifinal round of the Columbia City Sectional.
It was that loss in the sectional last year, said Leininger, that caused the Tigers to circle last night's game on the calendar.
"After we lost to Carroll in the sectional, all we could think about was this game," Leininger said. "We knew we played them here and they had a winning streak. We were ready for this game."
Leininger certainly was, scoring 30 points on 12-of-15 shooting. En route to her 41st consecutive game in double figures and her 13th straight game of 20 or more, Leininger was also 2 of 2 from three-point range and 4 of 4 at the charity stripe.
"Jaclyn Leininger is a great player," said McBride. "I had a chance to help coach her last year on the Junior All-Star team. She has great potential from anywhere on the floor. She's the total package and tonight she stepped up."
Frontliners Rebekah Reichard and DeGeeter stepped up for Warsaw as well.
Reichard, a 5-11 junior, was 2 of 3 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free throw line, scoring eight points to go with seven rebounds and two steals.
The 6-1 DeGeeter scored eight points in the third quarter and finished the evening 6 of 9 from the floor for 12 points. She also had five rebounds and a steal.
"Rebekah played very well tonight," said Wienhorst. "What makes Rebekah so good is that she's behind others on the team in scoring but she doesn't care, she just does what the team needs. She makes big plays. Michelle DeGeeter also played well. She stepped up and hit some big baskets."
Warsaw led 17-15 after the first quarter and 33-31 at halftime.
Carroll led by as much as three, 40-37, in the third quarter but the Tigers got crucial points from Leininger and DeGeeter to knot the game at 43 before taking a 50-47 lead into the final frame when Leininger hit a three-pointer with four seconds left.
Scotton scored the first bucket of the fourth, cutting Warsaw's advantage to one, but the Chargers scored just six points in the final frame and were held scoreless over the last 4:53.
"Defense and rebounding were key," said McBride. "The No. 1 thing we wanted to do was rebound and get more than one shot. Warsaw was very good on the boards and limited us to just one shot. We missed a layup, and Warsaw got the rebound. We missed another, and Warsaw got the rebound. Warsaw did a good job taking advantage of things. They're a very tough team."
The Tigers finished the game 23 of 41 (56.1 percent) from the field, while Carroll was 22 of 46 (47.8 percent). The two teams combined for just 23 turnovers.
Meiklejohn led the Chargers in scoring with 18 points, while Scotton had 13 and Mary Petrie and Hollace Yoder eight each.
Seiss added eight points, eight assists and three steals for Warsaw, while Kara Mayer had four points, four rebounds and three assists in the win.
The Tigers are in action again Friday and Saturday as they participate in the McDonald's Chicagoland Classic.
Warsaw plays at 9:30 p.m. (Warsaw time) against Neuqua Valley (13-4) the 17th-ranked team in Illinois. Saturday at noon the Tigers battle No. 5 New Trier (15-4).
NO. 3 (4A) WARSAW 62, NO. 9 (4A) CARROLL 52
Warsaw 17 16 17 12 - 62
Carroll 13 18 16 6 - 53
Warsaw FG FT R S Pts.
* Mayer 1-5 2-2 4 0 4
* Seiss 2-8 3-4 2 3 8
* Reichard 2-3 4-4 7 2 8
* Leininger 12-15 4-4 4 2 30
* DeGeeter 6-9 0-0 5 1 12
Abbitt 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Durcholz 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Clay 0-1 0-0 0 1 0
Kindig 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 23-41 13-14 22 10 62
Carroll FG FT R S Pts.
* Petrie 3-7 2-4 6 2 8
* Pape 0-2 0-0 2 1 0
* Yoder 3-6 1-2 3 0 8
* Scotton 6-11 1-2 2 0 13
* Meiklejohn 8-17 2-2 4 0 18
Reese 0-1 2-2 0 0 2
Felger 2-2 0-0 0 1 4
Totals 22-46 8-12 20 4 53
Three-point goals - Warsaw 3-5 (Leininger 2-2, Seiss 1-2, Mayer 0-1), Carroll 1-2 (Yoder 1-2). Turnovers - Warsaw 11, Carroll 12. Fouls - Warsaw 12, Carroll 12. Fouled out - none.
JV - Warsaw 40, Carroll 38
Warsaw scoring - DeGeeter 11, Scherer 8, Clark 6, Hathaway 5, Conley 4, Logan 4, Wood 2 [[In-content Ad]]
FORT WAYNE - An atmosphere as electric as Carroll High School's gymnasium Wednesday evening, it was only fitting there be a lightning bolt painted at mid-court.
A battle of Class 4A heavyweights No. 3 Warsaw and No. 9 Carroll was quite possibly everything a fan could have hoped for, a nip-and-tuck, back-and-forth battle that went down to the wire.
And like so many times before, Warsaw Miss Basketball candidate Jaclyn Leininger came through when her team needed her, scoring eight of her team's 12 fourth-quarter points and leading the Tigers to a 62-53 win over the previously unbeaten Chargers.
"Jaclyn is more than a scorer, she's a complete player," veteran Warsaw coach Will Wienhorst said. "She sees the floor and makes good reads. Last year she would get in a hurry in games like this. This year she takes her time."
With a Leininger score at the 4:24 mark of the fourth quarter, the Tigers took a 54-53 lead, one they didn't relinquish as they dealt Carroll its first home loss since Feb. 1, 2000.
Senior Michelle DeGeeter and Leininger hit back-to-back baskets to give Warsaw a 58-53 lead with 2:24 remaining, and then after some costly missed shots in the lane by Carroll stars Tamesha Scotton and Kelley Mieklejohn, the Tigers iced the game with a pair of free throws each from Leininger and sophomore Julie Seiss.
The win was the 16th straight for Warsaw, improving the Tigers to 16-1 on the season. Warsaw last won 16 consecutive games during the 1989-90 season.
With the nine-point loss, the Chargers fell to 15-1 on the season and had their 32-game home winning streak snapped. The last team to beat the Chargers on their floor was Columbia City nearly four years ago.
"We think we have one of the best places to play," said Carroll coach Lisa McBride, whose husband Mike coaches the Triton boys team. "We have a small gym, and we have a loud band and tremendous fan support. We practice here and the girls shoot here everyday. There's nothing special or magical about it, we just take pride in protecting our house. Tonight was a great game for fans, players and coaches."
Though the two programs hadn't played each other prior to last year, this is quickly becoming a heated rivalry.
The teams locked horns for the first time last year, with host Warsaw coming back from a 12-point deficit in the third quarter to win by three.
Behind hot-handed shooter Abbi Noll, the Chargers returned the favor by knocking the Tigers off 66-57 in the semifinal round of the Columbia City Sectional.
It was that loss in the sectional last year, said Leininger, that caused the Tigers to circle last night's game on the calendar.
"After we lost to Carroll in the sectional, all we could think about was this game," Leininger said. "We knew we played them here and they had a winning streak. We were ready for this game."
Leininger certainly was, scoring 30 points on 12-of-15 shooting. En route to her 41st consecutive game in double figures and her 13th straight game of 20 or more, Leininger was also 2 of 2 from three-point range and 4 of 4 at the charity stripe.
"Jaclyn Leininger is a great player," said McBride. "I had a chance to help coach her last year on the Junior All-Star team. She has great potential from anywhere on the floor. She's the total package and tonight she stepped up."
Frontliners Rebekah Reichard and DeGeeter stepped up for Warsaw as well.
Reichard, a 5-11 junior, was 2 of 3 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free throw line, scoring eight points to go with seven rebounds and two steals.
The 6-1 DeGeeter scored eight points in the third quarter and finished the evening 6 of 9 from the floor for 12 points. She also had five rebounds and a steal.
"Rebekah played very well tonight," said Wienhorst. "What makes Rebekah so good is that she's behind others on the team in scoring but she doesn't care, she just does what the team needs. She makes big plays. Michelle DeGeeter also played well. She stepped up and hit some big baskets."
Warsaw led 17-15 after the first quarter and 33-31 at halftime.
Carroll led by as much as three, 40-37, in the third quarter but the Tigers got crucial points from Leininger and DeGeeter to knot the game at 43 before taking a 50-47 lead into the final frame when Leininger hit a three-pointer with four seconds left.
Scotton scored the first bucket of the fourth, cutting Warsaw's advantage to one, but the Chargers scored just six points in the final frame and were held scoreless over the last 4:53.
"Defense and rebounding were key," said McBride. "The No. 1 thing we wanted to do was rebound and get more than one shot. Warsaw was very good on the boards and limited us to just one shot. We missed a layup, and Warsaw got the rebound. We missed another, and Warsaw got the rebound. Warsaw did a good job taking advantage of things. They're a very tough team."
The Tigers finished the game 23 of 41 (56.1 percent) from the field, while Carroll was 22 of 46 (47.8 percent). The two teams combined for just 23 turnovers.
Meiklejohn led the Chargers in scoring with 18 points, while Scotton had 13 and Mary Petrie and Hollace Yoder eight each.
Seiss added eight points, eight assists and three steals for Warsaw, while Kara Mayer had four points, four rebounds and three assists in the win.
The Tigers are in action again Friday and Saturday as they participate in the McDonald's Chicagoland Classic.
Warsaw plays at 9:30 p.m. (Warsaw time) against Neuqua Valley (13-4) the 17th-ranked team in Illinois. Saturday at noon the Tigers battle No. 5 New Trier (15-4).
NO. 3 (4A) WARSAW 62, NO. 9 (4A) CARROLL 52
Warsaw 17 16 17 12 - 62
Carroll 13 18 16 6 - 53
Warsaw FG FT R S Pts.
* Mayer 1-5 2-2 4 0 4
* Seiss 2-8 3-4 2 3 8
* Reichard 2-3 4-4 7 2 8
* Leininger 12-15 4-4 4 2 30
* DeGeeter 6-9 0-0 5 1 12
Abbitt 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Durcholz 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Clay 0-1 0-0 0 1 0
Kindig 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 23-41 13-14 22 10 62
Carroll FG FT R S Pts.
* Petrie 3-7 2-4 6 2 8
* Pape 0-2 0-0 2 1 0
* Yoder 3-6 1-2 3 0 8
* Scotton 6-11 1-2 2 0 13
* Meiklejohn 8-17 2-2 4 0 18
Reese 0-1 2-2 0 0 2
Felger 2-2 0-0 0 1 4
Totals 22-46 8-12 20 4 53
Three-point goals - Warsaw 3-5 (Leininger 2-2, Seiss 1-2, Mayer 0-1), Carroll 1-2 (Yoder 1-2). Turnovers - Warsaw 11, Carroll 12. Fouls - Warsaw 12, Carroll 12. Fouled out - none.
JV - Warsaw 40, Carroll 38
Warsaw scoring - DeGeeter 11, Scherer 8, Clark 6, Hathaway 5, Conley 4, Logan 4, Wood 2 [[In-content Ad]]