Warsaw Wins TCU Lady Tiger Tourney Title
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Warsaw Wins TCU Lady Tiger Tourney Title
By Anthony [email protected]
Entering its 36th annual TCU Lady Tiger Tournament with a 2-7 mark, the Warsaw Lady Tigers first defeated Lowell 57-44 in the morning, then downed Perry Meridian 48-41 in the title game.
The championship is Warsaw’s second straight, a feat the program had not accomplished since the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons.
“These kids wanted this to be the time when we turned our season around,” Warsaw coach Michelle Harter said. “We got some good senior leadership tonight, which we’ve been lacking in the past.”
That leadership began with Nikki Grose, who earned tournament MVP honors.
In the Lowell game, Grose had 13 points, six rebounds, five blocks, four assists and three steals, and didn’t slow down in the nightcap, posting 22 points, eight rebounds and five more blocks against Perry Meridian.
“Nikki came to play at times when we needed her to play offensively, while also getting some blocked shots on the inside,” Harter said of Grose.
Coming into the day, Grose had missed four of five games, as she was out two games with a concussion, then two more by violating a team rule.
Along with Grose missing time because of the rule infraction, her classmate Brooklyn Harrison also missed one game. But like Grose, she too came up big in the tournament.
Coming off the bench, Harrison had 13 points, four rebounds and four steals in the title game, earning all-tournament honors.
“Brooklyn played a tremendous game,” Harter said. “Getting into the passing lanes, getting her hand on the basketball and making steals. She was coming down the court, jumping, stopping and going up strong. Those are little things that we knew she was capable of doing.”
Along with the seniors’ production, juniors Vick Harris and Jodie Carlson each scored four points, while junior Pam Miller had three and senior Eryn Leek finished with two.
“It was a great team effort,” Harter said. “I talked to the girls before the game about how we had made strides and were (at a certain level) and when we left tonight, that we were above that. The girls really took that heart.”
The Lady Tigers had to make a strong second quarter run to reach that level.
Trailing 22-16, Warsaw held Perry Meridian scoreless for four-and-a-half minutes, using an 8-0 run to go up 24-22 with two minutes left in the half.
Perry Meridian chipped the lead to 40-35 late in the third quarter, but the Lady Tigers opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back buckets by Grose and Harrison, extending the lead to nine.
“This was a big step for us to turn a corner and to start doing the things we need to do,” Harter said. “The girls saw success by doing the little things that we’ve been asking them to do in the first nine games. They did them today.”
Warsaw also dominated the tournament last year, defeating South Bend St. Joseph 54-21, then Lowell 57-33 in the title game.
However, this tournament victory had much more meaning, as last year’s team finished the season 24-2, while this one was looking for anything positive to happen.
“This tournament is always a great tournament for us, but this was a big win for us, to help the girls get some confidence back,” Harter said. “It’s hard when you’re losing games and things aren’t going well. I thought the girls really did a very good job of, when things weren’t going well, they huddled, communicated, they got it together and got it back on the right track.
“This was big for us to come out and prove we are a good basketball team,” she added. “We just hadn’t been playing up to our potential. Now, we took the step and started playing the way we’re capable of playing.”
The Lady Tigers will look for their first three-game winning streak of the season when they take on Triton Saturday night at Grace College’s Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.
“They do want to get up-and-down, and they have great outside shooters,” Harter said of the 7-3 Triton Lady Trojans. “It’s going to be important for us to continue to work as a team against Triton.”
WARSAW 48, PERRY MERIDIAN 41
(TCU Lady Tiger Tourney, C’ship)
PM 17 8 10 6 – 41
W 14 12 14 8 – 48
Warsaw – Kilee Slone 0-0 0-0 0, Jodie Carlson 1-4 1-2 4, Eryn Leek 0-6 2-3 2, Pam Miller 1-1 1-4 3, Nikki Grose 10-14 1-2 22, Page Desenberg 0-0 0-0 0, Vicki Harris 2-3 0-0 4, Brooklyn Harrison 5-8 2-2 13, Erin Clemens 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 19-38 7-13 48.
PM – Elizabeth McIntyre 5-10 0-0 12, Morgan Landis 1-10 0-0 2, Jenny Sims 0-5 0-0 0, Mariah Wooten 1-3 0-0 2, Cassie Baird 10-14 1-1 22, Kieran Casey 0-0 0-0 0, D’Anjrea Allen 0-2 0-0 0, Adi Lamphier 0-1 1-2 1, Riley Taylor 0-3 0-0 0, Jenny Castoe 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 18-52 2-3 41.
3-point goals – Warsaw 3-10 (Carlson, Harrison, Grose), PM 3-16 (McIntyre 2, Baird); Team Fouls – Warsaw 6, PM 15; Turnovers – Warsaw 17, PM 18; Rebounds – Warsaw 28 (Grose 8), PM 30 (Baird 7); Assists – Warsaw 11 (Leek 3, Miller 3), PM 7 (Sims 3); Steals – Warsaw 10 (Harrison 4), PM 10 (Landis 5); Blocks – Warsaw 6 (Grose 5), PM 4 (Baird 3).
Records: Warsaw 4-7, PM 7-6
All-Tournament Team – Nikki Grose (MVP, Warsaw), Brooklyn Harrison (Warsaw), Morgan Landis (Perry Meridian), Cassie Baird (Perry Meridian), Abby Kvachkoff (Crown Point), Hunter Jusevitch (Lowell).
WARSAW 57, LOWELL 44
(TCU Lady Tiger Tourney, 1st Rd)
L 12 8 11 13 – 44
W 18 11 14 14 – 57
Warsaw – Kilee Slone 3-4 1-3 8, Jodie Carlson 2-2 2-2 7, Eryn Leek 3-6 2-3 10, Pam Miller 2-5 4-7 8, Nikki Grose 5-13 3-4 13, Page Desenberg 0-1 0-0 0, Courtney Farling 0-0 0-0 0, Vicki Harris 0-3 0-1 0, Brooklyn Harrison 1-5 1-2 3, Erin Clemens 3-4 2-2 8. Totals 19-43 15-24 57.
Lowell – Sarah Weaver 1-4 1-3 3, Hunter Jusevitch 5-16 6-6 21, Nicole Sharkey 2-3 2-2 6, Sydney Barta 2-3 1-2 5, Amy Fraikin 0-2 0-0 0, Samantha Roach 1-3 0-0 2, Jocelyn Bobos 0-2 1-2 1, Nicole Kiszenia 2-4 2-3 6. Totals 13-37 13-18 44.
3-point goals – Warsaw 4-7 (Leek 2, Slone, Carlson), Lowell 5-14 (Jusevitch 5); Team Fouls – Warsaw 16, Lowell 18; Turnovers – Warsaw 12, Lowell 23; Rebounds – Warsaw 28 (Grose 6), Lowell 30 (Kiszenia 11); Assists – Warsaw 13 (Grose 4), Lowell 6 (Wieser 3); Steals – Warsaw 14 (Slone 3, Carlson 3, Harrison 3, Grose 3), Lowell 6 (Bobos 2, Barta 2); Blocks – Warsaw 5 (Grose 5), Lowell 2.[[In-content Ad]]
Entering its 36th annual TCU Lady Tiger Tournament with a 2-7 mark, the Warsaw Lady Tigers first defeated Lowell 57-44 in the morning, then downed Perry Meridian 48-41 in the title game.
The championship is Warsaw’s second straight, a feat the program had not accomplished since the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons.
“These kids wanted this to be the time when we turned our season around,” Warsaw coach Michelle Harter said. “We got some good senior leadership tonight, which we’ve been lacking in the past.”
That leadership began with Nikki Grose, who earned tournament MVP honors.
In the Lowell game, Grose had 13 points, six rebounds, five blocks, four assists and three steals, and didn’t slow down in the nightcap, posting 22 points, eight rebounds and five more blocks against Perry Meridian.
“Nikki came to play at times when we needed her to play offensively, while also getting some blocked shots on the inside,” Harter said of Grose.
Coming into the day, Grose had missed four of five games, as she was out two games with a concussion, then two more by violating a team rule.
Along with Grose missing time because of the rule infraction, her classmate Brooklyn Harrison also missed one game. But like Grose, she too came up big in the tournament.
Coming off the bench, Harrison had 13 points, four rebounds and four steals in the title game, earning all-tournament honors.
“Brooklyn played a tremendous game,” Harter said. “Getting into the passing lanes, getting her hand on the basketball and making steals. She was coming down the court, jumping, stopping and going up strong. Those are little things that we knew she was capable of doing.”
Along with the seniors’ production, juniors Vick Harris and Jodie Carlson each scored four points, while junior Pam Miller had three and senior Eryn Leek finished with two.
“It was a great team effort,” Harter said. “I talked to the girls before the game about how we had made strides and were (at a certain level) and when we left tonight, that we were above that. The girls really took that heart.”
The Lady Tigers had to make a strong second quarter run to reach that level.
Trailing 22-16, Warsaw held Perry Meridian scoreless for four-and-a-half minutes, using an 8-0 run to go up 24-22 with two minutes left in the half.
Perry Meridian chipped the lead to 40-35 late in the third quarter, but the Lady Tigers opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back buckets by Grose and Harrison, extending the lead to nine.
“This was a big step for us to turn a corner and to start doing the things we need to do,” Harter said. “The girls saw success by doing the little things that we’ve been asking them to do in the first nine games. They did them today.”
Warsaw also dominated the tournament last year, defeating South Bend St. Joseph 54-21, then Lowell 57-33 in the title game.
However, this tournament victory had much more meaning, as last year’s team finished the season 24-2, while this one was looking for anything positive to happen.
“This tournament is always a great tournament for us, but this was a big win for us, to help the girls get some confidence back,” Harter said. “It’s hard when you’re losing games and things aren’t going well. I thought the girls really did a very good job of, when things weren’t going well, they huddled, communicated, they got it together and got it back on the right track.
“This was big for us to come out and prove we are a good basketball team,” she added. “We just hadn’t been playing up to our potential. Now, we took the step and started playing the way we’re capable of playing.”
The Lady Tigers will look for their first three-game winning streak of the season when they take on Triton Saturday night at Grace College’s Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.
“They do want to get up-and-down, and they have great outside shooters,” Harter said of the 7-3 Triton Lady Trojans. “It’s going to be important for us to continue to work as a team against Triton.”
WARSAW 48, PERRY MERIDIAN 41
(TCU Lady Tiger Tourney, C’ship)
PM 17 8 10 6 – 41
W 14 12 14 8 – 48
Warsaw – Kilee Slone 0-0 0-0 0, Jodie Carlson 1-4 1-2 4, Eryn Leek 0-6 2-3 2, Pam Miller 1-1 1-4 3, Nikki Grose 10-14 1-2 22, Page Desenberg 0-0 0-0 0, Vicki Harris 2-3 0-0 4, Brooklyn Harrison 5-8 2-2 13, Erin Clemens 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 19-38 7-13 48.
PM – Elizabeth McIntyre 5-10 0-0 12, Morgan Landis 1-10 0-0 2, Jenny Sims 0-5 0-0 0, Mariah Wooten 1-3 0-0 2, Cassie Baird 10-14 1-1 22, Kieran Casey 0-0 0-0 0, D’Anjrea Allen 0-2 0-0 0, Adi Lamphier 0-1 1-2 1, Riley Taylor 0-3 0-0 0, Jenny Castoe 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 18-52 2-3 41.
3-point goals – Warsaw 3-10 (Carlson, Harrison, Grose), PM 3-16 (McIntyre 2, Baird); Team Fouls – Warsaw 6, PM 15; Turnovers – Warsaw 17, PM 18; Rebounds – Warsaw 28 (Grose 8), PM 30 (Baird 7); Assists – Warsaw 11 (Leek 3, Miller 3), PM 7 (Sims 3); Steals – Warsaw 10 (Harrison 4), PM 10 (Landis 5); Blocks – Warsaw 6 (Grose 5), PM 4 (Baird 3).
Records: Warsaw 4-7, PM 7-6
All-Tournament Team – Nikki Grose (MVP, Warsaw), Brooklyn Harrison (Warsaw), Morgan Landis (Perry Meridian), Cassie Baird (Perry Meridian), Abby Kvachkoff (Crown Point), Hunter Jusevitch (Lowell).
WARSAW 57, LOWELL 44
(TCU Lady Tiger Tourney, 1st Rd)
L 12 8 11 13 – 44
W 18 11 14 14 – 57
Warsaw – Kilee Slone 3-4 1-3 8, Jodie Carlson 2-2 2-2 7, Eryn Leek 3-6 2-3 10, Pam Miller 2-5 4-7 8, Nikki Grose 5-13 3-4 13, Page Desenberg 0-1 0-0 0, Courtney Farling 0-0 0-0 0, Vicki Harris 0-3 0-1 0, Brooklyn Harrison 1-5 1-2 3, Erin Clemens 3-4 2-2 8. Totals 19-43 15-24 57.
Lowell – Sarah Weaver 1-4 1-3 3, Hunter Jusevitch 5-16 6-6 21, Nicole Sharkey 2-3 2-2 6, Sydney Barta 2-3 1-2 5, Amy Fraikin 0-2 0-0 0, Samantha Roach 1-3 0-0 2, Jocelyn Bobos 0-2 1-2 1, Nicole Kiszenia 2-4 2-3 6. Totals 13-37 13-18 44.
3-point goals – Warsaw 4-7 (Leek 2, Slone, Carlson), Lowell 5-14 (Jusevitch 5); Team Fouls – Warsaw 16, Lowell 18; Turnovers – Warsaw 12, Lowell 23; Rebounds – Warsaw 28 (Grose 6), Lowell 30 (Kiszenia 11); Assists – Warsaw 13 (Grose 4), Lowell 6 (Wieser 3); Steals – Warsaw 14 (Slone 3, Carlson 3, Harrison 3, Grose 3), Lowell 6 (Bobos 2, Barta 2); Blocks – Warsaw 5 (Grose 5), Lowell 2.[[In-content Ad]]
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