SOUTH WHITLEY - On paper, this matchup seemed about as lopsided as it could get.

On one side you had Warsaw, a 7-4 team receiving honorable mention votes in the latest Associated Press poll. On the other side you had Whitko, a 4-7 team coming off of a Saturday loss to 2-10 Wabash.

The Tigers are a veteran team with several key returning players from last year's squad. Whitko is a young team - five sophomores and a freshman receive most of the minutes on the varsity squad - now made even younger. Melissa Sands, Whitko's only starting senior, is out with a stress fracture above her right ankle. She leads the team with 10.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.

And to no one's surprise, Warsaw beat Whitko 53-39 Tuesday evening. Warsaw's trio of 6-foot-2-inch Katie Elliott, 5-10 Tiffany Ross and 5-9 Sherri Ross combined for 39 of Warsaw's 53 points.

The Tigers took control by halftime.

They made 9 of 14 field goals (64 percent) and 11 of 13 free throws (85 percent) on their way to a 30-12 halftime lead. The Wildcat shooters struggled, making 6 of 25 field goals (24 percent) the first half.

The Tigers led 18-8 less than two minutes into the second quarter. The lead stayed above 10 the rest of the game.

This was the Tigers' first game in 10 days as their previous two were postponed. They shook off the rustiness to shoot 50 percent from the field (16 of 32) and outrebound Whitko 30-23. They had one of their better games at the free throw line, making 19 of 25 (76 percent).

Sherri Ross, who made 8 of 8 free throws, led Warsaw with 15 points. Sophomore center Elliott added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Tiffany Ross chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds.

Before the game Whitko coach Ray Davis told his team one word: Warsaw. That's all he had to say, he later explained, to get his team fired up to play the Tigers.

The Wildcats didn't win. They never threatened Warsaw's lead. But they didn't quit, either. They outscored the Tigers 27-23 the second half, and that was with Warsaw's starters and top reserves still playing.

Davis felt better after this 53-39 loss to Warsaw than he did after Saturday's 42-41 loss to Wabash.

"We didn't back down," he said. "Warsaw was bigger, stronger physically. Our intensity level was up from beginning to end. I was happy considering we were playing five sophomores and a freshman.

"I think this game will only help us."

Sophomores Kelly Osborn and BrieAnn Starkweather scored nine each to lead Whitko. Sophomore Trisha Peters and freshman Aly Frantz added six each. Sophomore Tisha Rowland scored five.

If Warsaw had one negative statistic at the end, it was turnovers. Recently Warsaw coach Will Wienhorst talked about how his team was turning the ball over too often. The Tigers had 22 turnovers against Whitko. Wienhorst basically stayed with his top eight players throughout the game, but he rotated players in and out and looked at several different combinations on the floor.

Warsaw, 8-4, has a 6:15 p.m. Saturday game at Fort Wayne Snider.

Whitko, 4-8, has a 6:30 p.m. Thursday game at Rochester. [[In-content Ad]]