Warrior Season Stopped Short
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
SYRACUSE -Ê"Tomorrow morning, the sun will come up, we'll get together, and everything will be all right."
Wawasee girls basketball coach Kem Zolman summed it all up after a stunning 75-69 loss to Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran in the Wawasee 3A Regional Wednesday night. Watching the game was University of Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, on hand to see junior Shanna Zolman, who's verbally committed to her school.
The Warriors, who were undefeated going into the regional, found themselves down by four at the half and then dug themselves into a 17-point hole midway through the third frame.
However, behind a gutty performance from several young players, Wawasee clawed its way back through the fourth quarter.
Shanna Zolman started the fourth by outscoring Concordia 8-2 and put Wawasee back in the hunt, cutting the lead to seven, 62-55.
Wawasee was down 67-61 late in the fourth, but Meagan Wallen netted a three to cut the lead to three with 2:21 left in regulation. Then at the 1:35 mark, Wallen rebounded her own three-pointer and hit a basket to cut the deficit to one, 67-66, sparking a wild reaction from Wawasee fans.
However, Concordia was nearly flawless in the final minute and a half of play, hitting two baskets and 4 of 5 free throws to get the 75-69 win.
But the victory was not an easy one for Concordia. Wawasee held a 20-17 lead after the first quarter, and the Cadets were up by just four at the half.
But the third quarter, where the Warriors have struggled throughout the season, was Wawasee's downfall.
Concordia wrangled three straight steals that led to baskets for Concordia, allowing the Cadets to build a 10-point lead, 43-33. Jessica Leach hit a basket and the ensuing free throw to cut the lead back to seven, but then Concordia went on a 10-0 run to build a 17-point advantage.
The Cadets held a double-figure lead through the rest of the third frame.
"We love the third quarter," said Concordia coach Janet Bahr. "It has been one of our strengths all season."
Even through a double-team coverage by Concordia, Shanna Zolman led all scorers with 35 points. She pulled down six rebounds and had four steals.
"We knew she was going to get her points," said Bahr. "But we decided to make her work for it. We put two people in her face and made her score through that."
Heidi Busch led Concordia with 16 points off the bench, while Katie Dubay added 13. Jenny Conkle chipped in 12 points.
"There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that we are peaking at the right time," said Bahr. "We are just feeling it right now. Even our subs are coming in and playing very well.
"I think Concordia deserves a lot of credit," said Kem Zolman. "To come into an atmosphere like this and knock down the shots like they did, wide-open or not, they nailed their shots big time."
"I told the girls, 'When you hear the crowd cheering after Wawasee makes a basket, pretend they are cheering for you to run down the court and score,'" said Bahr. "They listened, and I think it worked."
Wallen had 11 points for Wawasee, and Leach added 11 as well.
Wawasee finishes the season 23-1, and Concordia improves to 19-5. The Cadets will play in the semistate Saturday.
"This is the first time we have experienced a loss this year," said Kem Zolman. "It's difficult, and I think we're still in shock."
"I don't think we realize its over yet," said Shanna Zolman. "We are 23-1, but when you lose your last game you don't look at the past. They just wanted it more. We didn't start to play until the last part of the second half. It's very frustrating when you play your heart out and fall short."
CONCORDIA 75
WAWASEE 69
Concordia (19-5) 17 20 23 15 - 75
Wawasee (23-1) 20 13 14 22 - 69
Concordia FG FT R S Pts.
*Bennett 2-6 1-2 0 1 5
*Knox 4-9 0-0 0 1 9
*Conkle 5-11 1-2 2 1 12
*Dubay 5-7 3-5 7 1 13
*Farny 2-5 2-2 6 0 6
Brune 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Bieberich 2-3 0-0 0 0 4
Hockemeyer 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Hughes 2-6 2-2 2 0 8
Nahrwold 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Hermann 1-2 0-0 2 0 2
Busch 5-8 6-8 3 0 16
Totals 28-57 15-21 25 4 75
Wawasee FG FT R S Pts.
*Zolman 15-21 2-2 6 4 35
*Fawley 0-6 2-2 2 1 2
*Wallen 4-12 2-2 2 0 11
*Leach 4-8 3-3 11 0 11
*Higginbotham 4-5 0-0 4 2 8
Henderson 1-4 0-1 2 0 2
Bradford 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
Lamb 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 28-57 9-10 27 7 69
Three-point goals -ÊConcordia 4-16 (Bennett 0-2, Knox 1-6, Hughes 2-3, Conkle 1-5), Wawasee 4-16 (Henderson 0-2, Zolman 3-6, Fawley 0-3, Wallen 1-5). Fouls -ÊConcordia 15, Wawasee 17. Fouled out -ÊHenderson. [[In-content Ad]]
SYRACUSE -Ê"Tomorrow morning, the sun will come up, we'll get together, and everything will be all right."
Wawasee girls basketball coach Kem Zolman summed it all up after a stunning 75-69 loss to Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran in the Wawasee 3A Regional Wednesday night. Watching the game was University of Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, on hand to see junior Shanna Zolman, who's verbally committed to her school.
The Warriors, who were undefeated going into the regional, found themselves down by four at the half and then dug themselves into a 17-point hole midway through the third frame.
However, behind a gutty performance from several young players, Wawasee clawed its way back through the fourth quarter.
Shanna Zolman started the fourth by outscoring Concordia 8-2 and put Wawasee back in the hunt, cutting the lead to seven, 62-55.
Wawasee was down 67-61 late in the fourth, but Meagan Wallen netted a three to cut the lead to three with 2:21 left in regulation. Then at the 1:35 mark, Wallen rebounded her own three-pointer and hit a basket to cut the deficit to one, 67-66, sparking a wild reaction from Wawasee fans.
However, Concordia was nearly flawless in the final minute and a half of play, hitting two baskets and 4 of 5 free throws to get the 75-69 win.
But the victory was not an easy one for Concordia. Wawasee held a 20-17 lead after the first quarter, and the Cadets were up by just four at the half.
But the third quarter, where the Warriors have struggled throughout the season, was Wawasee's downfall.
Concordia wrangled three straight steals that led to baskets for Concordia, allowing the Cadets to build a 10-point lead, 43-33. Jessica Leach hit a basket and the ensuing free throw to cut the lead back to seven, but then Concordia went on a 10-0 run to build a 17-point advantage.
The Cadets held a double-figure lead through the rest of the third frame.
"We love the third quarter," said Concordia coach Janet Bahr. "It has been one of our strengths all season."
Even through a double-team coverage by Concordia, Shanna Zolman led all scorers with 35 points. She pulled down six rebounds and had four steals.
"We knew she was going to get her points," said Bahr. "But we decided to make her work for it. We put two people in her face and made her score through that."
Heidi Busch led Concordia with 16 points off the bench, while Katie Dubay added 13. Jenny Conkle chipped in 12 points.
"There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that we are peaking at the right time," said Bahr. "We are just feeling it right now. Even our subs are coming in and playing very well.
"I think Concordia deserves a lot of credit," said Kem Zolman. "To come into an atmosphere like this and knock down the shots like they did, wide-open or not, they nailed their shots big time."
"I told the girls, 'When you hear the crowd cheering after Wawasee makes a basket, pretend they are cheering for you to run down the court and score,'" said Bahr. "They listened, and I think it worked."
Wallen had 11 points for Wawasee, and Leach added 11 as well.
Wawasee finishes the season 23-1, and Concordia improves to 19-5. The Cadets will play in the semistate Saturday.
"This is the first time we have experienced a loss this year," said Kem Zolman. "It's difficult, and I think we're still in shock."
"I don't think we realize its over yet," said Shanna Zolman. "We are 23-1, but when you lose your last game you don't look at the past. They just wanted it more. We didn't start to play until the last part of the second half. It's very frustrating when you play your heart out and fall short."
CONCORDIA 75
WAWASEE 69
Concordia (19-5) 17 20 23 15 - 75
Wawasee (23-1) 20 13 14 22 - 69
Concordia FG FT R S Pts.
*Bennett 2-6 1-2 0 1 5
*Knox 4-9 0-0 0 1 9
*Conkle 5-11 1-2 2 1 12
*Dubay 5-7 3-5 7 1 13
*Farny 2-5 2-2 6 0 6
Brune 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Bieberich 2-3 0-0 0 0 4
Hockemeyer 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Hughes 2-6 2-2 2 0 8
Nahrwold 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Hermann 1-2 0-0 2 0 2
Busch 5-8 6-8 3 0 16
Totals 28-57 15-21 25 4 75
Wawasee FG FT R S Pts.
*Zolman 15-21 2-2 6 4 35
*Fawley 0-6 2-2 2 1 2
*Wallen 4-12 2-2 2 0 11
*Leach 4-8 3-3 11 0 11
*Higginbotham 4-5 0-0 4 2 8
Henderson 1-4 0-1 2 0 2
Bradford 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
Lamb 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 28-57 9-10 27 7 69
Three-point goals -ÊConcordia 4-16 (Bennett 0-2, Knox 1-6, Hughes 2-3, Conkle 1-5), Wawasee 4-16 (Henderson 0-2, Zolman 3-6, Fawley 0-3, Wallen 1-5). Fouls -ÊConcordia 15, Wawasee 17. Fouled out -ÊHenderson. [[In-content Ad]]