Warriors Win Hoops Regional
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
Defeating the Class 3A, third-ranked Fort Wayne Elmhurst Trojans 56-49 Saturday in the Peru Regional championship game, the top-ranked Warriors are right where they want to be - semistate.[[In-content Ad]]"They've had a goal since last year," Wawasee coach Kem Zolman said of his girls. "Now, we have one more step, I understand that. But I think we have their attention now, and we'll take it one step at a time."
That next step is Saturday at the Plymouth Semistate, against the Plymouth Pilgrims on their home court. Before that, the Warriors first had to get past a very physical, talented Elmhurst team.
"This team was probably by far, the best team we've played," Wawasee junior Brennan McAdams said. "They were very physical, very good. They'd shoot a three, if we stopped that, they'd get the ball into the paint. They were all over the place."
The Trojans' talent level was showcased in the opening quarter, as they connected on 7 of 8 field goals, including 4 of 5 treys, propelling them to an 18-13 lead. In that opening quarter, Elmhurst's Teirenney Fincher and Brianna DeBruce each hit two three-pointers, with Fincher scoring six of her game-high 13 points in the quarter and Robinson netting eight of her 13.
"That was definitely one of the toughest teams we've played - probably the toughest team we've played," Wawasee senior Kalyn Lantz said. "They had an answer for everything, but we just hung it out. Our defense came through in the end, and that's what's gonna win ballgames for us. It's all about our defense."
Along with that defense was Lantz's three-point shooting. As she's done throughout this postseason, the senior's sharp-shooting aided her team in need. Hitting 3-of-5 three-pointers in the second quarter, she kept the team from Syracuse in it, trailing just 31-28 at the half. That three-point shooting was especially needed as Elmhurst freshman Liza Clemons was 3-for-3 shooting in the second quarter, scoring six points in the eight minutes. The 6-foot-2 center finished the game with 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting, which helped her team offset Lantz's shooting.
"That's what you hope your seniors will do," Zolman said of Lantz, who finished with 12 points and five steals. "I just thought, tonight, we played about as well together as a team for as long a period of time as I've ever seen for several years now. I thought this was a great game. Just a great game for us."
Accompanying Lantz's 12 points, were junior Taylor Goshert's 13, matching Fincher and Robinson's output, 12 from junior Kylee Ort and another nine from McAdams.
That balanced scoring, doubled with experience and good conditioning appeared to help Wawasee wear Elmhurst down in the third quarter. Routinely running through the Elmhurst defense, Wawasee grabbed its first lead since the first quarter when Kylee Ort connected on a field goal at the 2:36 mark of the third, putting her team in front 40-39. Elmhurst took one-point leads twice before the quarter ended, but for all intensive purposes, Wawasee gradually took control of the ball game.
"It's just desire," Zolman said. "This is what these kids have been working for. They just put us in an opportunity to go one more step. They're not gonna quit."
Wawasee illustrated its desire by outhustling Elmhurst to loose balls and rebounds, grabbing 26 boards to Elmhurst's 16, even though the Fort Wayne squad was much bigger. With four players coming in at 5-foot-8 and another at 5-foot-6, Wawasee had to use its speed and desire to combat Clemons and 5-foot-10 Lecretia Smith for boards. And they did that.
"It's just called hustle, grit and never quitting," Zolman said. "I have so much respect for Elmhurst - that's a great team. They have a lot of talent. They have height, they've got shooters, they've got youth and they've got old people. You put that mix together, and have our kids come out like that - it's just unbelievable."
Speaking of unbelievable, McAdams may have delievered the death blow late in the fourth quarter on a play that had Elmhurst fans scratching their heads. Up 53-48 with 28.4 seconds remaining, and McAdams at the free-throw line for two shots, Zolman pulled all his girls off the blocks for defensive purposes. Regardless, after missing both, McAdams was able to retrieve the rebound against four Elmhurst defenders. After taking possession of the ball, McAdams kicked it out to Goshert, who was then fouled. After hitting both her free throws, the Wawasee lead was extended to 55-48 with 23 seconds left in the game.
"I just got lucky," a modest McAdams said. "I freaked out when I realized (the free throw) wasn't going to go in. It came back to me, so I grabbed it real quick and decided to give it to someone else."
The ball didn't exactly go right to her, as she had to jump between two Elmhurst girls and bat the ball away to give her team another possession, in essence, sealing the game.
"We told them in the beginning, that they were gonna have to be able to play defense extremely hard, which I knew they would do," Zolman said. "We had to rebound, and I told them, if they didn't do anything else tonight, they had to rebound. That was very important."
In order to rebound against the larger Elmhurst team, the Wawasee girls had to be well-conditioned, which they proved they were.
"We hate it while it's happening, but coach does a great job of conditioning us," Lantz said of the preseason conditioning sessions. "That's our goal, to play to the end. That's how we're gonna beat good teams - by outplaying them until the end."
The next good team Wawasee will face is Plymouth, who carries a 20-4 record into Saturday's 3 p.m. contest. The Pilgrims' only losses this season have come against three 4A teams (South Bend Washington, Valparaiso and Elkhart Memorial), as well as a 58-40 loss at Wawasee back on Jan. 19.
"They know they're one game from their ultimate goal of getting back to Conseco," Zolman said of the site of the state finals.
With just one game in the way of avenging last season state championship loss to Indianapolis Brebeuf Jesuit, the Wawasee team is careful not look too far ahead.
"This is what we worked all year for," McAdams said. "This is what we've been waiting for since last March. Our whole goal is to get back to state, and we're taking it one game at a time."
WAWASEE 56, FORT WAYNE ELMHURST 49
W 13 15 19 9 - 56
E 18 13 12 6 - 49
Wawasee - Lantz 4-7 0-1 12, A. Ort 4-9 0-0 8, K. Ort 6-8 0-1 12, McAdams 3-4 2-4 9, Goshert 4-18 5-8 13, Weisser 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 22-49 7-14 56.
Elmhurst - Fincher 5-10 0-0 13, Gorman 0-3 1-2 1, Smith 5-8 0-2 10, Robinson 4-8 2-7 13, Clemons 5-5 2-4 12, Levett 0-1 0-0 0, DeBruce 0-0 0-0 0, Scott 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-35 5-15 49.
3-point goals - Wawasee 5-18 (Lantz 4, McAdams), Elmhurst 6-15 (Fincher 3, Robinson 3). Team Fouls - Wawasee 8, Elmhurst 16. Turnovers - Wawasee 16, Elmhurst 20. Rebounds - Wawasee 26 (K. Ort 8, Goshert 8, McAdams 6), Elmhurst 16 (Clemons 5). Steals - Wawasee 10 (Lantz 5, K. Ort 4), Elmhurst 8 (Smith 3, Robinson 3). Blocks - Wawasee 4 (K. Ort 2), Elmhurst 4 (Clemons 4). Assists - Wawasee 12 (McAdams 5, Goshert 3), Elmhurst 9 (Fincher 4). Records - Wawasee 23-2, Elmhurst 23-3.
Defeating the Class 3A, third-ranked Fort Wayne Elmhurst Trojans 56-49 Saturday in the Peru Regional championship game, the top-ranked Warriors are right where they want to be - semistate.[[In-content Ad]]"They've had a goal since last year," Wawasee coach Kem Zolman said of his girls. "Now, we have one more step, I understand that. But I think we have their attention now, and we'll take it one step at a time."
That next step is Saturday at the Plymouth Semistate, against the Plymouth Pilgrims on their home court. Before that, the Warriors first had to get past a very physical, talented Elmhurst team.
"This team was probably by far, the best team we've played," Wawasee junior Brennan McAdams said. "They were very physical, very good. They'd shoot a three, if we stopped that, they'd get the ball into the paint. They were all over the place."
The Trojans' talent level was showcased in the opening quarter, as they connected on 7 of 8 field goals, including 4 of 5 treys, propelling them to an 18-13 lead. In that opening quarter, Elmhurst's Teirenney Fincher and Brianna DeBruce each hit two three-pointers, with Fincher scoring six of her game-high 13 points in the quarter and Robinson netting eight of her 13.
"That was definitely one of the toughest teams we've played - probably the toughest team we've played," Wawasee senior Kalyn Lantz said. "They had an answer for everything, but we just hung it out. Our defense came through in the end, and that's what's gonna win ballgames for us. It's all about our defense."
Along with that defense was Lantz's three-point shooting. As she's done throughout this postseason, the senior's sharp-shooting aided her team in need. Hitting 3-of-5 three-pointers in the second quarter, she kept the team from Syracuse in it, trailing just 31-28 at the half. That three-point shooting was especially needed as Elmhurst freshman Liza Clemons was 3-for-3 shooting in the second quarter, scoring six points in the eight minutes. The 6-foot-2 center finished the game with 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting, which helped her team offset Lantz's shooting.
"That's what you hope your seniors will do," Zolman said of Lantz, who finished with 12 points and five steals. "I just thought, tonight, we played about as well together as a team for as long a period of time as I've ever seen for several years now. I thought this was a great game. Just a great game for us."
Accompanying Lantz's 12 points, were junior Taylor Goshert's 13, matching Fincher and Robinson's output, 12 from junior Kylee Ort and another nine from McAdams.
That balanced scoring, doubled with experience and good conditioning appeared to help Wawasee wear Elmhurst down in the third quarter. Routinely running through the Elmhurst defense, Wawasee grabbed its first lead since the first quarter when Kylee Ort connected on a field goal at the 2:36 mark of the third, putting her team in front 40-39. Elmhurst took one-point leads twice before the quarter ended, but for all intensive purposes, Wawasee gradually took control of the ball game.
"It's just desire," Zolman said. "This is what these kids have been working for. They just put us in an opportunity to go one more step. They're not gonna quit."
Wawasee illustrated its desire by outhustling Elmhurst to loose balls and rebounds, grabbing 26 boards to Elmhurst's 16, even though the Fort Wayne squad was much bigger. With four players coming in at 5-foot-8 and another at 5-foot-6, Wawasee had to use its speed and desire to combat Clemons and 5-foot-10 Lecretia Smith for boards. And they did that.
"It's just called hustle, grit and never quitting," Zolman said. "I have so much respect for Elmhurst - that's a great team. They have a lot of talent. They have height, they've got shooters, they've got youth and they've got old people. You put that mix together, and have our kids come out like that - it's just unbelievable."
Speaking of unbelievable, McAdams may have delievered the death blow late in the fourth quarter on a play that had Elmhurst fans scratching their heads. Up 53-48 with 28.4 seconds remaining, and McAdams at the free-throw line for two shots, Zolman pulled all his girls off the blocks for defensive purposes. Regardless, after missing both, McAdams was able to retrieve the rebound against four Elmhurst defenders. After taking possession of the ball, McAdams kicked it out to Goshert, who was then fouled. After hitting both her free throws, the Wawasee lead was extended to 55-48 with 23 seconds left in the game.
"I just got lucky," a modest McAdams said. "I freaked out when I realized (the free throw) wasn't going to go in. It came back to me, so I grabbed it real quick and decided to give it to someone else."
The ball didn't exactly go right to her, as she had to jump between two Elmhurst girls and bat the ball away to give her team another possession, in essence, sealing the game.
"We told them in the beginning, that they were gonna have to be able to play defense extremely hard, which I knew they would do," Zolman said. "We had to rebound, and I told them, if they didn't do anything else tonight, they had to rebound. That was very important."
In order to rebound against the larger Elmhurst team, the Wawasee girls had to be well-conditioned, which they proved they were.
"We hate it while it's happening, but coach does a great job of conditioning us," Lantz said of the preseason conditioning sessions. "That's our goal, to play to the end. That's how we're gonna beat good teams - by outplaying them until the end."
The next good team Wawasee will face is Plymouth, who carries a 20-4 record into Saturday's 3 p.m. contest. The Pilgrims' only losses this season have come against three 4A teams (South Bend Washington, Valparaiso and Elkhart Memorial), as well as a 58-40 loss at Wawasee back on Jan. 19.
"They know they're one game from their ultimate goal of getting back to Conseco," Zolman said of the site of the state finals.
With just one game in the way of avenging last season state championship loss to Indianapolis Brebeuf Jesuit, the Wawasee team is careful not look too far ahead.
"This is what we worked all year for," McAdams said. "This is what we've been waiting for since last March. Our whole goal is to get back to state, and we're taking it one game at a time."
WAWASEE 56, FORT WAYNE ELMHURST 49
W 13 15 19 9 - 56
E 18 13 12 6 - 49
Wawasee - Lantz 4-7 0-1 12, A. Ort 4-9 0-0 8, K. Ort 6-8 0-1 12, McAdams 3-4 2-4 9, Goshert 4-18 5-8 13, Weisser 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 22-49 7-14 56.
Elmhurst - Fincher 5-10 0-0 13, Gorman 0-3 1-2 1, Smith 5-8 0-2 10, Robinson 4-8 2-7 13, Clemons 5-5 2-4 12, Levett 0-1 0-0 0, DeBruce 0-0 0-0 0, Scott 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-35 5-15 49.
3-point goals - Wawasee 5-18 (Lantz 4, McAdams), Elmhurst 6-15 (Fincher 3, Robinson 3). Team Fouls - Wawasee 8, Elmhurst 16. Turnovers - Wawasee 16, Elmhurst 20. Rebounds - Wawasee 26 (K. Ort 8, Goshert 8, McAdams 6), Elmhurst 16 (Clemons 5). Steals - Wawasee 10 (Lantz 5, K. Ort 4), Elmhurst 8 (Smith 3, Robinson 3). Blocks - Wawasee 4 (K. Ort 2), Elmhurst 4 (Clemons 4). Assists - Wawasee 12 (McAdams 5, Goshert 3), Elmhurst 9 (Fincher 4). Records - Wawasee 23-2, Elmhurst 23-3.
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