Warsaw Escapes Whitko With 'W'
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Warsaw Escapes Whitko With 'W'
By Anthony [email protected]
Returning four of five starters from a team that went 16-5 a year ago, the Warsaw Lady Tigers (4-0) looked prepped to overwhelm a Whitko Lady Wildcats (2-3) team that returned just one starter from last year, but that wasn’t the case.
Instead, the Lady Tigers struggled in the first half and only went ahead 24-23 on a free throw by senior Jennifer Walker-Crawford with 21 seconds remaining in the half.
Warsaw built its lead to 11 in the fourth quarter, but Whitko fought back to get within 45-42 with 2:04 remaining, but the Lady Tigers went 8 for 9 from the free-throw line down the stretch to get the 53-45 win.
“Because of the spread last year, when (they beat us) 60-26, and us graduating the four starters that we did, I think they felt like this was going to be easy,” Whitko coach Brandon Bradley said. “Not the coaches, but I think the girls felt comfortable. I don’t think they thought it was going to be easy, but they thought it was going to be easier than it was. Early on, we were able to hit shots and they weren’t.”
The slow start is something that’s happened to Warsaw in its last two games, as it went into halftime tied at 11-11 with Tippecanoe Valley a week earlier.
“A big part of it is just coming out and being patient from the beginning,” Warsaw coach Michelle Harter said. “We tend to want to push the issue. We get excited and see they’re playing a box-and-one (defense) on (senior) Lindsay (Baker), so we have to do this and that instead of just relaxing and letting the game come to us.”
With the Whitko defense concentrating on Baker, the University of Toledo-bound guard struggled, scoring just four points and missing all six of her field goal attempts.
According to Bradley, instead of a box-and-one defense, he implemented a diamond-and-one scheme, which he’d only done once before.
“We did that last year with (Wawasee’s) KiLee Knafel,” he said. “She had one point at halftime and 12 at the end of the game, and she was averaging about 29 a game. It was a very similar approach with Baker.”
While Baker was stymied, Kentucky Wesleyan College-bound Jennifer Walker-Crawford picked up the slack, scoring a game-high 23 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 11 of 15 at the charity stripe.
Along with the points, Walker-Crawford also had six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
“Jen did a tremendous job,” Harter said. “When you have a team that’s taking away your leading scorer, then you need to have other kids step up and Jen stepped up. She got into those gaps where they left the high post open. She finished her shots and when she felt the double team, our guards did a good job of getting into open spots and Jen found them.”
The next leading scorer for Warsaw was senior Sarah Ray, who scored seven points off the bench.
For Whitko, it was 6-foot junior center Jordan Hall who led the way with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting, although 12 of those were scored in the first half and she only got one field goal attempt in the second.
“We let Hall score 12 points in the first half, then we were able to shut her down in the second half, which was a very big key,” Harter said. “We tightened up our defense on the inside and that hurt them a little bit.”
What seemed to hurt Warsaw all the way through was Whitko’s physical play, which Harter viewed as excessive.
“I don’t ever want to blame anything on the officials, but I don’t think the officials helped the situation tonight,” she said. “We did a better job against the box-and-one (defense), getting Lindsay some looks off of screens and they were hanging all over us, bodying us and doing things like that. In the first half, we let that bother us.
“There’s a difference between being physical and holding, grabbing, shoving people,” she added. “There’s a difference there.”
To Bradley, he viewed it as effort, which is something he’s gotten out of the inexperienced squad all season.
“We played four games before tonight, and the one thing we’ve been proudest of is we’ve had superior effort,” he said.
“I knew with is being Warsaw and being in this place, we wouldn’t have any problem with the effort,” he added.
Whitko was whistled for 18 fouls in the loss, and Warsaw capitalized, making 18 of 23 free throws.
“The free-throw line hasn’t been our friend,” Harter said. “We’ve gotten up there and haven’t hit those. Tonight, the girls stepped and really focused and put the ball in the basket when we needed them to do it.”
Warsaw plays its third straight Three Rivers Conference opponent Friday at Wabash, while Whitko hosts Fort Wayne Northrop Wednesday.
WARSAW 53, WHITKO 45
Wa 7 17 13 16 – 53
Wh 11 12 7 15 – 45
Warsaw – Melanie Holladay 1-4 2-2 4, Eryn Leek 2-6 0-0 6, Jennifer Walker-Crawford 6-8 11-15 23, Lindsay Baker 0-6 4-4 4, Nikki Grose 3-8 0-0 6, Sarah Ray 2-5 1-2 7, Brooklyn Harrison 1-4, Pam Miller 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 15-43 18-23 53.
Whitko – Cagney Craig 4-11 2-3 10, Josie Sparks 3-7 2-2 8, Melanie Kelsey 2-3 0-0 5, Kelly Reiff 3-5 0-0 8, Jordan Hall 7-9 0-1 14, Aly Nicodemus 0-1 0-0 0, Maddie Gawthrop 0-0 0-0 0, Abby Alberding 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-36 4-6 45.
Three-point goals – Warsaw 5-17 (Ray 2, Leek 2, Harrison), Whitko 3-8 (Reiff 2, Kelsey); Team Fouls (fouled out) – Warsaw 9, Whitko 18 (Hall); Turnovers – Warsaw 10, Whitko 22; Rebounds – Warsaw 20 (Grose 8), Whitko 24 (Hall 7); Assists – Warsaw 8 (Walker-Crawford 4), Whitko 11 (Craig 5); Steals – Warsaw 11 (Holladay 4), Whitko 3; Blocks – Warsaw 3 (Grose 3), Whitko 3
Records: Warsaw 4-0, Whitko 2-3
JV – Warsaw 39, Whitko 21
Warsaw JV – Megan Kratzsch 14, Courtney Farling 6, Erin Clemens 6, Vicki Harris 6, Haley June 3, Jodie Carlson 2, Miller 2
Whitko JV – Jennifer Reiff 10, Gawthrop 6, Avaree Freel 3, Michelle Kelsey 2[[In-content Ad]]
Returning four of five starters from a team that went 16-5 a year ago, the Warsaw Lady Tigers (4-0) looked prepped to overwhelm a Whitko Lady Wildcats (2-3) team that returned just one starter from last year, but that wasn’t the case.
Instead, the Lady Tigers struggled in the first half and only went ahead 24-23 on a free throw by senior Jennifer Walker-Crawford with 21 seconds remaining in the half.
Warsaw built its lead to 11 in the fourth quarter, but Whitko fought back to get within 45-42 with 2:04 remaining, but the Lady Tigers went 8 for 9 from the free-throw line down the stretch to get the 53-45 win.
“Because of the spread last year, when (they beat us) 60-26, and us graduating the four starters that we did, I think they felt like this was going to be easy,” Whitko coach Brandon Bradley said. “Not the coaches, but I think the girls felt comfortable. I don’t think they thought it was going to be easy, but they thought it was going to be easier than it was. Early on, we were able to hit shots and they weren’t.”
The slow start is something that’s happened to Warsaw in its last two games, as it went into halftime tied at 11-11 with Tippecanoe Valley a week earlier.
“A big part of it is just coming out and being patient from the beginning,” Warsaw coach Michelle Harter said. “We tend to want to push the issue. We get excited and see they’re playing a box-and-one (defense) on (senior) Lindsay (Baker), so we have to do this and that instead of just relaxing and letting the game come to us.”
With the Whitko defense concentrating on Baker, the University of Toledo-bound guard struggled, scoring just four points and missing all six of her field goal attempts.
According to Bradley, instead of a box-and-one defense, he implemented a diamond-and-one scheme, which he’d only done once before.
“We did that last year with (Wawasee’s) KiLee Knafel,” he said. “She had one point at halftime and 12 at the end of the game, and she was averaging about 29 a game. It was a very similar approach with Baker.”
While Baker was stymied, Kentucky Wesleyan College-bound Jennifer Walker-Crawford picked up the slack, scoring a game-high 23 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 11 of 15 at the charity stripe.
Along with the points, Walker-Crawford also had six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
“Jen did a tremendous job,” Harter said. “When you have a team that’s taking away your leading scorer, then you need to have other kids step up and Jen stepped up. She got into those gaps where they left the high post open. She finished her shots and when she felt the double team, our guards did a good job of getting into open spots and Jen found them.”
The next leading scorer for Warsaw was senior Sarah Ray, who scored seven points off the bench.
For Whitko, it was 6-foot junior center Jordan Hall who led the way with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting, although 12 of those were scored in the first half and she only got one field goal attempt in the second.
“We let Hall score 12 points in the first half, then we were able to shut her down in the second half, which was a very big key,” Harter said. “We tightened up our defense on the inside and that hurt them a little bit.”
What seemed to hurt Warsaw all the way through was Whitko’s physical play, which Harter viewed as excessive.
“I don’t ever want to blame anything on the officials, but I don’t think the officials helped the situation tonight,” she said. “We did a better job against the box-and-one (defense), getting Lindsay some looks off of screens and they were hanging all over us, bodying us and doing things like that. In the first half, we let that bother us.
“There’s a difference between being physical and holding, grabbing, shoving people,” she added. “There’s a difference there.”
To Bradley, he viewed it as effort, which is something he’s gotten out of the inexperienced squad all season.
“We played four games before tonight, and the one thing we’ve been proudest of is we’ve had superior effort,” he said.
“I knew with is being Warsaw and being in this place, we wouldn’t have any problem with the effort,” he added.
Whitko was whistled for 18 fouls in the loss, and Warsaw capitalized, making 18 of 23 free throws.
“The free-throw line hasn’t been our friend,” Harter said. “We’ve gotten up there and haven’t hit those. Tonight, the girls stepped and really focused and put the ball in the basket when we needed them to do it.”
Warsaw plays its third straight Three Rivers Conference opponent Friday at Wabash, while Whitko hosts Fort Wayne Northrop Wednesday.
WARSAW 53, WHITKO 45
Wa 7 17 13 16 – 53
Wh 11 12 7 15 – 45
Warsaw – Melanie Holladay 1-4 2-2 4, Eryn Leek 2-6 0-0 6, Jennifer Walker-Crawford 6-8 11-15 23, Lindsay Baker 0-6 4-4 4, Nikki Grose 3-8 0-0 6, Sarah Ray 2-5 1-2 7, Brooklyn Harrison 1-4, Pam Miller 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 15-43 18-23 53.
Whitko – Cagney Craig 4-11 2-3 10, Josie Sparks 3-7 2-2 8, Melanie Kelsey 2-3 0-0 5, Kelly Reiff 3-5 0-0 8, Jordan Hall 7-9 0-1 14, Aly Nicodemus 0-1 0-0 0, Maddie Gawthrop 0-0 0-0 0, Abby Alberding 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-36 4-6 45.
Three-point goals – Warsaw 5-17 (Ray 2, Leek 2, Harrison), Whitko 3-8 (Reiff 2, Kelsey); Team Fouls (fouled out) – Warsaw 9, Whitko 18 (Hall); Turnovers – Warsaw 10, Whitko 22; Rebounds – Warsaw 20 (Grose 8), Whitko 24 (Hall 7); Assists – Warsaw 8 (Walker-Crawford 4), Whitko 11 (Craig 5); Steals – Warsaw 11 (Holladay 4), Whitko 3; Blocks – Warsaw 3 (Grose 3), Whitko 3
Records: Warsaw 4-0, Whitko 2-3
JV – Warsaw 39, Whitko 21
Warsaw JV – Megan Kratzsch 14, Courtney Farling 6, Erin Clemens 6, Vicki Harris 6, Haley June 3, Jodie Carlson 2, Miller 2
Whitko JV – Jennifer Reiff 10, Gawthrop 6, Avaree Freel 3, Michelle Kelsey 2[[In-content Ad]]
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