Warsaw Girls Win Tale Of Two Halves
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
MIDDLEBURY - To paraphrase Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities," it was the best of halves, it was the worst of halves for both Warsaw and Wawasee girls basketball squads in the semifinal of the NLC Tournament at Northridge High School Wednesday night.
The Tigers' second half of light was Wawasee's half of darkness as Warsaw went on a 29-2 run to end the game and move to the championship round with a 57-38 win.
It was the Warriors who struck first, jumping out to a 23-16 lead late in the second quarter. The duo of Tiffany Fick and Jessie Wolf combined for 13 first half points and used physical, aggressive defense to knock Warsaw off its game.
The Warriors shot a blistering 55 percent from the field that made up for their 10 turnovers.
While Warsaw's junior guard Julie Seiss struggled in the first half, she still managed seven first half points but sat out the final four minutes of the second quarter.
In that time, the Tigers battled back to within three points with free throws by Mallory Hepler and Laura Heiman and a three-pointer from Danielle DeGeeter on an assist from Kim Clay.
Warsaw was aided by two quick fouls on Fick that forced the 5-foot-10 center to sit out the final moments of the half.
The Warriors went into the locker room at halftime with a 25-22 lead and brimming confidence.
"We told the girls they played a first half of basketball as well as any we've played in three years," said Wawasee head coach Kem Zolman of his team's first 16 minutes against Warsaw.
After two free throws from Wawasee freshman Kayln Lantz with 3:31 left in the third quarter, the Warriors took a 35-29 lead.
From that point on, Warsaw imposed its will and put on an offensive and defensive display that is rarely seen.
Warsaw head coach John Snyder said afterwards it was akin to flipping a switch.
Well, Warsaw was electric from the 3:16 mark of the third quarter when Amy Abbitt nailed a spot-up jumper until the final buzzer sounded. In that 11-minute span, the Tigers outscored Wawasee 29-2.
And it all started with a half court trap that saw Seiss grab two steals and two lay-ups in the span of five seconds.
"Turning up the pressure defensively sometimes flips a switch. We became more confident shooting and rebounding because of our defensive pressure," said Snyder.
When Zolman called a timeout with 7:04 left in the fourth quarter, the Warriors trailed Warsaw by 12 points after an 18-0 Tiger run.
Leading the way was Seiss, who made up for any first half struggles with 14-second half points. Seiss finished the game with an impressive stat line of 20 points, eight steals, seven rebounds and five assists.
While Seiss had the impressive numbers, it was players like Abbitt, who scored seven points on 3 of 4 shooting, and Rebekah Reichard, who had seven points and six rebounds, that provided Warsaw with a multifaceted attack.
DeGeeter was also clutch for Warsaw and was the only other Tiger to finish in double digit scoring with 11 points.
On Wawasee's end, Fick finished with nine points and nine rebounds while Wolf had eight points and seven boards.
After the game, Zolman put the loss in perspective.
"So you didn't win the 2004 NLC tournament. So what?" said Zolman of what he told his players after the game. "This is just a test, not the final grade. That comes at sectional time and that's when we want to be playing our best ball."
The loss drops Wawasee's record to 5-6 on the year with the Warriors off until Jan. 7, when they host NorthWood for a 7:45 tip-off.
The Tigers' first half struggles mirrored what happened Tuesday night in the tournament's opening round against NorthWood. Warsaw fell behind 29-17 at halftime before going on an 11-0 third-quarter run and holding the Panthers to 16 second-half points.
Snyder attributes Wednesday night's struggles to Wawasee's intensity and a rival spirit.
"I think Wawasee was more ready to play Warsaw than Warsaw was ready to play Wawasee," said Snyder.
Warsaw, 7-4 and winners of five straight, travel to the Maple City tonight, where they face Plymouth at Goshen High School with a 6 p.m. tip-off. The Tigers fell to Plymouth 48-44 December 11 at the Tiger Den. Warsaw looks to avenge the loss that was the first for the program by the Pilgrims since 1983.
WARSAW 58, WAWASEE 37
Wawasee 14 11 10 2 - 37
Warsaw 9 13 20 16 - 58
Wawasee FG FT R S Pts.
*Lantz 2-5 2-2 1 1 7
*Walker 1-7 0-0 3 0 2
*Canen 3-12 0-0 2 2 7
*Wolf 4-6 0-0 7 0 8
*Fick 4-6 1-4 9 1 9
Short 1-3 2-2 3 6 4
Knafel 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
Team 0-0 0-0 2 0 0
Totals 15-40 5-8 27 10 37
Warsaw FG FT R S Pts.
*DeGeeter 3-7 3-5 3 5 11
*Abbitt 3-4 0-0 1 2 7
*Seiss 6-15 7-8 7 8 20
*Reichard 3-5 1-4 6 0 7
*Hepler 0-2 2-2 2 0 2
Braddock 0-2 0-0 1 1 0
Scherer 2-3 0-2 2 0 4
Clay 1-2 0-0 0 0 2
Smith 1-2 0-0 0 0 2
Sand 0-0 0-0 1 1 0
Heiman 1-2 1-2 2 0 3
Logan 0-0 0-0 1 1 0
Team 0-0 0-0 4 0 0
Totals 20-44 14-23 30 18 68
Three-point goals - Wawasee 2-8 (Canen 1-4, Lantz 1-1, Walker 0-3), Warsaw 4-10 (DeGeeter 2-5, Seiss 1-2, Abbitt 1-1, Braddock 0-1, Clay 0-1). Assists - Wawasee 10 (Lantz 3, Canen 3), Warsaw 15 (DeGeeter 5, Seiss 5). Turnovers - Wawasee 24, Warsaw 14. Total Fouls - Wawasee 18, Warsaw 11. Fouled out - None [[In-content Ad]]
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MIDDLEBURY - To paraphrase Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities," it was the best of halves, it was the worst of halves for both Warsaw and Wawasee girls basketball squads in the semifinal of the NLC Tournament at Northridge High School Wednesday night.
The Tigers' second half of light was Wawasee's half of darkness as Warsaw went on a 29-2 run to end the game and move to the championship round with a 57-38 win.
It was the Warriors who struck first, jumping out to a 23-16 lead late in the second quarter. The duo of Tiffany Fick and Jessie Wolf combined for 13 first half points and used physical, aggressive defense to knock Warsaw off its game.
The Warriors shot a blistering 55 percent from the field that made up for their 10 turnovers.
While Warsaw's junior guard Julie Seiss struggled in the first half, she still managed seven first half points but sat out the final four minutes of the second quarter.
In that time, the Tigers battled back to within three points with free throws by Mallory Hepler and Laura Heiman and a three-pointer from Danielle DeGeeter on an assist from Kim Clay.
Warsaw was aided by two quick fouls on Fick that forced the 5-foot-10 center to sit out the final moments of the half.
The Warriors went into the locker room at halftime with a 25-22 lead and brimming confidence.
"We told the girls they played a first half of basketball as well as any we've played in three years," said Wawasee head coach Kem Zolman of his team's first 16 minutes against Warsaw.
After two free throws from Wawasee freshman Kayln Lantz with 3:31 left in the third quarter, the Warriors took a 35-29 lead.
From that point on, Warsaw imposed its will and put on an offensive and defensive display that is rarely seen.
Warsaw head coach John Snyder said afterwards it was akin to flipping a switch.
Well, Warsaw was electric from the 3:16 mark of the third quarter when Amy Abbitt nailed a spot-up jumper until the final buzzer sounded. In that 11-minute span, the Tigers outscored Wawasee 29-2.
And it all started with a half court trap that saw Seiss grab two steals and two lay-ups in the span of five seconds.
"Turning up the pressure defensively sometimes flips a switch. We became more confident shooting and rebounding because of our defensive pressure," said Snyder.
When Zolman called a timeout with 7:04 left in the fourth quarter, the Warriors trailed Warsaw by 12 points after an 18-0 Tiger run.
Leading the way was Seiss, who made up for any first half struggles with 14-second half points. Seiss finished the game with an impressive stat line of 20 points, eight steals, seven rebounds and five assists.
While Seiss had the impressive numbers, it was players like Abbitt, who scored seven points on 3 of 4 shooting, and Rebekah Reichard, who had seven points and six rebounds, that provided Warsaw with a multifaceted attack.
DeGeeter was also clutch for Warsaw and was the only other Tiger to finish in double digit scoring with 11 points.
On Wawasee's end, Fick finished with nine points and nine rebounds while Wolf had eight points and seven boards.
After the game, Zolman put the loss in perspective.
"So you didn't win the 2004 NLC tournament. So what?" said Zolman of what he told his players after the game. "This is just a test, not the final grade. That comes at sectional time and that's when we want to be playing our best ball."
The loss drops Wawasee's record to 5-6 on the year with the Warriors off until Jan. 7, when they host NorthWood for a 7:45 tip-off.
The Tigers' first half struggles mirrored what happened Tuesday night in the tournament's opening round against NorthWood. Warsaw fell behind 29-17 at halftime before going on an 11-0 third-quarter run and holding the Panthers to 16 second-half points.
Snyder attributes Wednesday night's struggles to Wawasee's intensity and a rival spirit.
"I think Wawasee was more ready to play Warsaw than Warsaw was ready to play Wawasee," said Snyder.
Warsaw, 7-4 and winners of five straight, travel to the Maple City tonight, where they face Plymouth at Goshen High School with a 6 p.m. tip-off. The Tigers fell to Plymouth 48-44 December 11 at the Tiger Den. Warsaw looks to avenge the loss that was the first for the program by the Pilgrims since 1983.
WARSAW 58, WAWASEE 37
Wawasee 14 11 10 2 - 37
Warsaw 9 13 20 16 - 58
Wawasee FG FT R S Pts.
*Lantz 2-5 2-2 1 1 7
*Walker 1-7 0-0 3 0 2
*Canen 3-12 0-0 2 2 7
*Wolf 4-6 0-0 7 0 8
*Fick 4-6 1-4 9 1 9
Short 1-3 2-2 3 6 4
Knafel 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
Team 0-0 0-0 2 0 0
Totals 15-40 5-8 27 10 37
Warsaw FG FT R S Pts.
*DeGeeter 3-7 3-5 3 5 11
*Abbitt 3-4 0-0 1 2 7
*Seiss 6-15 7-8 7 8 20
*Reichard 3-5 1-4 6 0 7
*Hepler 0-2 2-2 2 0 2
Braddock 0-2 0-0 1 1 0
Scherer 2-3 0-2 2 0 4
Clay 1-2 0-0 0 0 2
Smith 1-2 0-0 0 0 2
Sand 0-0 0-0 1 1 0
Heiman 1-2 1-2 2 0 3
Logan 0-0 0-0 1 1 0
Team 0-0 0-0 4 0 0
Totals 20-44 14-23 30 18 68
Three-point goals - Wawasee 2-8 (Canen 1-4, Lantz 1-1, Walker 0-3), Warsaw 4-10 (DeGeeter 2-5, Seiss 1-2, Abbitt 1-1, Braddock 0-1, Clay 0-1). Assists - Wawasee 10 (Lantz 3, Canen 3), Warsaw 15 (DeGeeter 5, Seiss 5). Turnovers - Wawasee 24, Warsaw 14. Total Fouls - Wawasee 18, Warsaw 11. Fouled out - None [[In-content Ad]]