Warriors Embrace Favorite Role
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
SYRACUSE -ÊThis year's Wawasee girls basketball team's roster is almost identical to last year's, but the Warriors' situation is much different coming into the regional this time around.
Last year, the Warriors surprised NorthWood to win the sectional title; this year the Warriors were the favorites.
Last year, the Wawasee squad headed into the regional at Columbia City as the underdog; this year as the 23-0 Warriors face 18-5 Concordia they are anything but.
Last year, Wawasee coach Kem Zolman wished he had more time to prepare for the regional; this year he is ready to get back on the court as soon as possible.
"We are ready to play," said Zolman. "Last year I did not like the limited prep time before the game. The girls did not have time to enjoy the sectional win. We were not able to enjoy our accomplishment. But this year, I think our goals are higher. I'm glad that Concordia only has two days to prepare. We only have two days to prepare. It all equals out when you get the ball on the floor.
"I'm glad we don't have the week of hoopla, the week of practice. I want to have the girls get right back out on the floor and play."
And the Warriors will get back out on the court and play host to Concordia Wednesday in the Wawasee Regional. But just because Wawasee owns the better record does not mean the Warriors will have a cakewalk.
"(Cooncordia is) pretty big," said Zolman. "They have four six-footers. They play aggressive defensively, and they like to force an aggressive-type tempo. They also have speed at the guard spots. They are going to present some problems for us."
But the Warriors are undefeated so far this season, and Zolman plans to follow the "if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it" theory.
"At this point, we are only going to make minor adjustments with our defense," said Zolman. "Everything else we will do basically the same. We will look back at the game with NorthWood and make some adjustments from there."
But that does not mean the Warriors plan to let up their intensity.
"We want to raise our level of play," said Zolman. "We want to do the little things a little better. We are not going to ask the girls tol learn a whole new offense or create something new. We just want to do the little things a lot better, that has been our philosophy all year.
"We want to get better one game at a time. That's what we have done all year, and it has worked so far for us."
Another thing that Zolman hopes his Warriors will use to their advantage is last year's regional experience.
"The atmosphere last Saturday and last year at Columbia City is something the kids will remember," said Zolman. "Last year we played Columbia City, and they went on to play in the state finals. Our girls remember the seniors Columbia City had and how physical they were. Our girls were embarrassed at times, and they remember that. Now they know what kind of physical play you deal with in this type of game."
Only time will tell the fate of the Warriors as they face Concordia, and Zolman knows what he wants his team to do.
"We'll just throw it up and see what happens."
NOTES: Morgan Hughes, a junior player at Concordia, has family ties to Wawasee. She is the daughter of former Warrior basketball star Jeff Hughes (1971, '72) and Wawasee graduate Gretchen Love. Her grandfather, Jim Hughes, coached at Syracuse High School in the 1950s. Her aunt, Jenny Hughes Lewis, was a member of the first two girls sectional basketball teams at Wawasee (1976, '77).
CONCORDIA (18-5)
Coach: Janet Bahr
Home teams in caps
Concordia 58, NEW HAVEN 21
CONCORDIA 62, East Noble 38
Concordia 64, NORWELL 35
CONCORDIA 56, DeKalb 46
CONCORDIA 65, Adams Central 38
CONCORDIA 68, Wayne 34
CONCORDIA 57, Bishop Dwenger 42
Concordia 64, HERITAGE 48
Bishop Luers 65, CONCORDIA 50
CARROLL 56, Concordia 45
CONCORDIA 70, Northrop 51
Concordia 61, BISHOP DWENGER 51
SNIDER 55, Concordia 50
Elmhurst 57, CONCORDIA 55
Concordia 63, HARDING 26
SNIDER 49, Concordia 44
Concordia 77, WOODLAN 62
CONCORDIA 64, South Side 42
Concordia 65, NORTH SIDE 37
CONCORDIA 58, Bellmont 41
Bishop Dwenger Sectional
Concordia 73, Elmhurst 50
Concordia 57, Dwenger 32
Concordia 73, Wayne 39
No. 2 WAWASEE (23-0)
Coach: Kem Zolman
Home teams in caps
WAWASEE 72, Westview 28
WAWASEE 94, Elkhart Memorial 47
WAWASEE 79, Fairfield 42
WAWASEE 92, West Noble 66
WAWASEE 110, Culver Girls Academy 27
Wawasee 70, EAST NOBLE 65
WAWASEE 66, Goshen 39
Wawasee 62, LAKELAND 42
Wawasee 72, Warsaw 43
Wawasee 81, Warsaw 66
Wawasee 61, NorthWood 54
Wawasee 47, PLYMOUTH 44
WAWASEE 68, NorthWood 51
WAWASEE 72, Columbia City 64
Wawasee 77, Barrington, Ill. 60
WAWASEE 84, Whitko 42
Wawasee 70, PLYMOUTH 66
WAWASEE 77, Valley 55
WAWASEE 85, Concord 37
Wawasee 86, NORTHRIDGE 51
Wawasee 66, BREMEN 56
Wawasee Sectional
Wawasee 77, Northridge 57
Wawasee 65, NorthWood 59
WAWASEE 3A REGIONAL
2000-2001 No. 2 WAWASEE GIRLS BASKETBALL STATS (Leaders only)
Name FG FG% 3PT 3PT% FT FT% PTS PPG R RPG A APG S SPG
Zolman 177-293 60 76-161 47 207-217 95 789 34.3 179 7.8 147 6.4 115 5.0
Henderson 23-64 36 7-32 22 16-26 62 83 3.6 32 1.4 61 2.7 27 1.1
Bradford 9-27 33 1-3 33 5-9 56 26 1.4 9 0.5 18 0.9 5 0.3
Fawley 27-59 46 18-52 35 15-22 68 123 5.3 44 1.9 81 3.5 40 1.7
Lamb 9-17 53 0-0 0 5-14 36 23 1.2 26 1.4 3 0.2 4 0.2
Wallen 71-165 43 10-35 29 43-60 72 215 9.3 124 5.4 49 2.1 31 1.3
Leach 100-174 57 0-0 0 55-97 57 255 11.1 182 7.9 15 0.7 30 1.3
Higginbotham 82-154 53 0-0 0 20-30 67 184 8.0 166 7.2 22 1.0 33 1.4
Sorenson 8-25 32 0-2 0 11-27 52 27 1.4 29 1.5 13 0.7 9 0.5
Wawasee 509-988 52 112-286 39 379-498 76 1733 75.3 797 34.7 412 17.9 295 12.8
Opponents 375-960 39 59-214 28 233-370 63 1160 50.4 613 26.7 230 10.0 126 5.5
2000-2001 CONCORDIA GIRLS BASKETBALL STATS (Leaders only)
Name FG FG% 3PT 3PT% FT FT% PTS PPG R RPG A APG S SPG
Bennett 56-116 48 7-31 23 50-63 79 183 8.0 55 2.4 90 3.9 53 2.3
Bieberich 37-68 54 0-0 0 19-45 42 93 4.0 71 3.1 6 0.3 12 0.5
Brune 2-11 18 3-15 20 0-3 0 13 0.8 8 0.5 8 0.5 2 0.1
Busch 70-126 56 0-0 0 57-86 66 197 8.6 94 4.1 12 0.5 16 0.7
Conkle 47-110 43 28-82 34 40-51 78 218 10.4 76 3.6 39 1.9 38 1.8
Dunbay 83-181 46 0-0 0 34-51 67 200 8.7 90 3.9 10 0.4 21 0.9
Famy 54-130 42 0-0 0 40-75 53 148 6.4 166 7.2 15 0.7 45 2.0
Hermann 43-83 52 3-23 13 22-33 67 117 5.1 45 2.0 34 1.5 26 1.1
Hockemeyer 4-16 25 0-0 0 5-19 26 13 0.6 23 1.1 10 0.5 9 0.4
Hughes 28-83 34 15-37 41 28-41 68 68 129 5.6 48 2.1 34 1.5 35
Knox 29-72 40 2-13 15 14-23 61 78 3.4 50 2.2 67 2.9 58 2.5
Nahrwold 1-8 13 0-0 0 8-14 57 10 0.6 15 0.9 2 0.1 5 0.3
Concordia 454-1004 45 58-201 29 317-504 63 1399 60.8 741 32.2 327 14.2 320 13.9
Opponents 299-801 37 47-183 26 276-424 65 1015 44.1 577 25.1 178 7.7 164 7.1 [[In-content Ad]]
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SYRACUSE -ÊThis year's Wawasee girls basketball team's roster is almost identical to last year's, but the Warriors' situation is much different coming into the regional this time around.
Last year, the Warriors surprised NorthWood to win the sectional title; this year the Warriors were the favorites.
Last year, the Wawasee squad headed into the regional at Columbia City as the underdog; this year as the 23-0 Warriors face 18-5 Concordia they are anything but.
Last year, Wawasee coach Kem Zolman wished he had more time to prepare for the regional; this year he is ready to get back on the court as soon as possible.
"We are ready to play," said Zolman. "Last year I did not like the limited prep time before the game. The girls did not have time to enjoy the sectional win. We were not able to enjoy our accomplishment. But this year, I think our goals are higher. I'm glad that Concordia only has two days to prepare. We only have two days to prepare. It all equals out when you get the ball on the floor.
"I'm glad we don't have the week of hoopla, the week of practice. I want to have the girls get right back out on the floor and play."
And the Warriors will get back out on the court and play host to Concordia Wednesday in the Wawasee Regional. But just because Wawasee owns the better record does not mean the Warriors will have a cakewalk.
"(Cooncordia is) pretty big," said Zolman. "They have four six-footers. They play aggressive defensively, and they like to force an aggressive-type tempo. They also have speed at the guard spots. They are going to present some problems for us."
But the Warriors are undefeated so far this season, and Zolman plans to follow the "if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it" theory.
"At this point, we are only going to make minor adjustments with our defense," said Zolman. "Everything else we will do basically the same. We will look back at the game with NorthWood and make some adjustments from there."
But that does not mean the Warriors plan to let up their intensity.
"We want to raise our level of play," said Zolman. "We want to do the little things a little better. We are not going to ask the girls tol learn a whole new offense or create something new. We just want to do the little things a lot better, that has been our philosophy all year.
"We want to get better one game at a time. That's what we have done all year, and it has worked so far for us."
Another thing that Zolman hopes his Warriors will use to their advantage is last year's regional experience.
"The atmosphere last Saturday and last year at Columbia City is something the kids will remember," said Zolman. "Last year we played Columbia City, and they went on to play in the state finals. Our girls remember the seniors Columbia City had and how physical they were. Our girls were embarrassed at times, and they remember that. Now they know what kind of physical play you deal with in this type of game."
Only time will tell the fate of the Warriors as they face Concordia, and Zolman knows what he wants his team to do.
"We'll just throw it up and see what happens."
NOTES: Morgan Hughes, a junior player at Concordia, has family ties to Wawasee. She is the daughter of former Warrior basketball star Jeff Hughes (1971, '72) and Wawasee graduate Gretchen Love. Her grandfather, Jim Hughes, coached at Syracuse High School in the 1950s. Her aunt, Jenny Hughes Lewis, was a member of the first two girls sectional basketball teams at Wawasee (1976, '77).
CONCORDIA (18-5)
Coach: Janet Bahr
Home teams in caps
Concordia 58, NEW HAVEN 21
CONCORDIA 62, East Noble 38
Concordia 64, NORWELL 35
CONCORDIA 56, DeKalb 46
CONCORDIA 65, Adams Central 38
CONCORDIA 68, Wayne 34
CONCORDIA 57, Bishop Dwenger 42
Concordia 64, HERITAGE 48
Bishop Luers 65, CONCORDIA 50
CARROLL 56, Concordia 45
CONCORDIA 70, Northrop 51
Concordia 61, BISHOP DWENGER 51
SNIDER 55, Concordia 50
Elmhurst 57, CONCORDIA 55
Concordia 63, HARDING 26
SNIDER 49, Concordia 44
Concordia 77, WOODLAN 62
CONCORDIA 64, South Side 42
Concordia 65, NORTH SIDE 37
CONCORDIA 58, Bellmont 41
Bishop Dwenger Sectional
Concordia 73, Elmhurst 50
Concordia 57, Dwenger 32
Concordia 73, Wayne 39
No. 2 WAWASEE (23-0)
Coach: Kem Zolman
Home teams in caps
WAWASEE 72, Westview 28
WAWASEE 94, Elkhart Memorial 47
WAWASEE 79, Fairfield 42
WAWASEE 92, West Noble 66
WAWASEE 110, Culver Girls Academy 27
Wawasee 70, EAST NOBLE 65
WAWASEE 66, Goshen 39
Wawasee 62, LAKELAND 42
Wawasee 72, Warsaw 43
Wawasee 81, Warsaw 66
Wawasee 61, NorthWood 54
Wawasee 47, PLYMOUTH 44
WAWASEE 68, NorthWood 51
WAWASEE 72, Columbia City 64
Wawasee 77, Barrington, Ill. 60
WAWASEE 84, Whitko 42
Wawasee 70, PLYMOUTH 66
WAWASEE 77, Valley 55
WAWASEE 85, Concord 37
Wawasee 86, NORTHRIDGE 51
Wawasee 66, BREMEN 56
Wawasee Sectional
Wawasee 77, Northridge 57
Wawasee 65, NorthWood 59
WAWASEE 3A REGIONAL
2000-2001 No. 2 WAWASEE GIRLS BASKETBALL STATS (Leaders only)
Name FG FG% 3PT 3PT% FT FT% PTS PPG R RPG A APG S SPG
Zolman 177-293 60 76-161 47 207-217 95 789 34.3 179 7.8 147 6.4 115 5.0
Henderson 23-64 36 7-32 22 16-26 62 83 3.6 32 1.4 61 2.7 27 1.1
Bradford 9-27 33 1-3 33 5-9 56 26 1.4 9 0.5 18 0.9 5 0.3
Fawley 27-59 46 18-52 35 15-22 68 123 5.3 44 1.9 81 3.5 40 1.7
Lamb 9-17 53 0-0 0 5-14 36 23 1.2 26 1.4 3 0.2 4 0.2
Wallen 71-165 43 10-35 29 43-60 72 215 9.3 124 5.4 49 2.1 31 1.3
Leach 100-174 57 0-0 0 55-97 57 255 11.1 182 7.9 15 0.7 30 1.3
Higginbotham 82-154 53 0-0 0 20-30 67 184 8.0 166 7.2 22 1.0 33 1.4
Sorenson 8-25 32 0-2 0 11-27 52 27 1.4 29 1.5 13 0.7 9 0.5
Wawasee 509-988 52 112-286 39 379-498 76 1733 75.3 797 34.7 412 17.9 295 12.8
Opponents 375-960 39 59-214 28 233-370 63 1160 50.4 613 26.7 230 10.0 126 5.5
2000-2001 CONCORDIA GIRLS BASKETBALL STATS (Leaders only)
Name FG FG% 3PT 3PT% FT FT% PTS PPG R RPG A APG S SPG
Bennett 56-116 48 7-31 23 50-63 79 183 8.0 55 2.4 90 3.9 53 2.3
Bieberich 37-68 54 0-0 0 19-45 42 93 4.0 71 3.1 6 0.3 12 0.5
Brune 2-11 18 3-15 20 0-3 0 13 0.8 8 0.5 8 0.5 2 0.1
Busch 70-126 56 0-0 0 57-86 66 197 8.6 94 4.1 12 0.5 16 0.7
Conkle 47-110 43 28-82 34 40-51 78 218 10.4 76 3.6 39 1.9 38 1.8
Dunbay 83-181 46 0-0 0 34-51 67 200 8.7 90 3.9 10 0.4 21 0.9
Famy 54-130 42 0-0 0 40-75 53 148 6.4 166 7.2 15 0.7 45 2.0
Hermann 43-83 52 3-23 13 22-33 67 117 5.1 45 2.0 34 1.5 26 1.1
Hockemeyer 4-16 25 0-0 0 5-19 26 13 0.6 23 1.1 10 0.5 9 0.4
Hughes 28-83 34 15-37 41 28-41 68 68 129 5.6 48 2.1 34 1.5 35
Knox 29-72 40 2-13 15 14-23 61 78 3.4 50 2.2 67 2.9 58 2.5
Nahrwold 1-8 13 0-0 0 8-14 57 10 0.6 15 0.9 2 0.1 5 0.3
Concordia 454-1004 45 58-201 29 317-504 63 1399 60.8 741 32.2 327 14.2 320 13.9
Opponents 299-801 37 47-183 26 276-424 65 1015 44.1 577 25.1 178 7.7 164 7.1 [[In-content Ad]]