Lady Tigers In Sectional With Familiar Foes
January 29, 2018 at 6:51 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
But what Concord High School is hosting this week is basically a Northern Lakes Conference tournament.
The 43rd annual IHSAA girls basketball state tournament tips off Tuesday, and six of the seven teams in the field at Concord are from the eight-member NLC.
The IHSAA took Penn out of Sectional 4 and replaced the Kingsmen with Plymouth.
Elkhart Central is the only non-NLC school playing at Concord, and the only NLC teams not playing in Dunlap this week are NorthWood and Wawasee, both of which are in the 6-team Class 3A sectional at Fairfield.
Needless to say, there’s plenty of familiarity amongst the coaches and players who will battle inside Concord’s McCuen Gymnasium.
“You look at the fact we have six NLC schools in this sectional, along with Elkhart Central, and there is no one team who is an “easy” game. Concord is one of the most improved teams from last year, Elkhart Central continues its upward trend, and Goshen and Memorial are solid ball clubs. It will take your best game to win our sectional,” said first-year Warsaw coach Lenny Krebs, who spent the previous 14 seasons coaching at Goshen.
“It is unfortunate that we have so many NLC schools in this sectional as we have one of the top overall records in the state as a conference, but we are going to beat up on each other at the first level of the state tournament. There are many years where multiple NLC teams could win the sectional if we were not all placed in the same one.
“Plymouth joining our sectional this year just compounds the problem. I just think it is unfortunate that the teams in our conference play such a high level of competitive basketball all season and they get put in the same sectional.”
Plymouth and Elkhart Central open sectional play by facing off in Tuesday’s only game.
Warsaw and Concord will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, followed by Goshen and Elkhart Memorial.
Friday’s first semifinal game will feature Northridge against Tuesday’s winners, followed by a matchup of Wednesday’s winners.
The sectional final is slated for 6 p.m. Saturday, with the champion advancing to the LaPorte Regional, where it will play the winner from the Penn Sectional.
Warsaw finished the regular season with a 14-8 record, which includes a 5-2 mark in NLC play.
The Lady Tigers have won their last two games and concluded the regular season Saturday when senior Emma Bohnenkamper’s last-second shot in the lane lifted them to a 28-26 win over NorthWood.
After trailing Concord 17-16 at halftime on Jan. 20, the Lady Tigers outscored the Minutemen 30-12 in the second half en route to a 17-point win.
Warsaw leads the overall series with Concord 49-2 and has won the last 41 meetings. Concord’s only wins against Warsaw were in 1981 and 1983.
That, however, means nothing to Krebs, who is preaching to his players that no team can be overlooked in tournament play.
“There is no easy game in this sectional. Current games are not won based on past history. We don’t get a lead of any sort because we beat Concord last week, or because of this streak everyone mentions,” said Krebs.
“We don’t talk about the past here, unless it is to help us learn and play better at the moment. Concord is not going to be an easy game for us. While we did beat them last week, I know Coach Cepeda and have no doubt she will make some adjustments and have her team ready to play us again.
“It will make a difference that we have to go to their gym to play, as well. We are going to have to make sure we play our best basketball right from the tip on Wednesday. I have so much respect for Coach Cepeda and the job she has done. They are a well-coached team and they will be ready.”
But what Concord High School is hosting this week is basically a Northern Lakes Conference tournament.
The 43rd annual IHSAA girls basketball state tournament tips off Tuesday, and six of the seven teams in the field at Concord are from the eight-member NLC.
The IHSAA took Penn out of Sectional 4 and replaced the Kingsmen with Plymouth.
Elkhart Central is the only non-NLC school playing at Concord, and the only NLC teams not playing in Dunlap this week are NorthWood and Wawasee, both of which are in the 6-team Class 3A sectional at Fairfield.
Needless to say, there’s plenty of familiarity amongst the coaches and players who will battle inside Concord’s McCuen Gymnasium.
“You look at the fact we have six NLC schools in this sectional, along with Elkhart Central, and there is no one team who is an “easy” game. Concord is one of the most improved teams from last year, Elkhart Central continues its upward trend, and Goshen and Memorial are solid ball clubs. It will take your best game to win our sectional,” said first-year Warsaw coach Lenny Krebs, who spent the previous 14 seasons coaching at Goshen.
“It is unfortunate that we have so many NLC schools in this sectional as we have one of the top overall records in the state as a conference, but we are going to beat up on each other at the first level of the state tournament. There are many years where multiple NLC teams could win the sectional if we were not all placed in the same one.
“Plymouth joining our sectional this year just compounds the problem. I just think it is unfortunate that the teams in our conference play such a high level of competitive basketball all season and they get put in the same sectional.”
Plymouth and Elkhart Central open sectional play by facing off in Tuesday’s only game.
Warsaw and Concord will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, followed by Goshen and Elkhart Memorial.
Friday’s first semifinal game will feature Northridge against Tuesday’s winners, followed by a matchup of Wednesday’s winners.
The sectional final is slated for 6 p.m. Saturday, with the champion advancing to the LaPorte Regional, where it will play the winner from the Penn Sectional.
Warsaw finished the regular season with a 14-8 record, which includes a 5-2 mark in NLC play.
The Lady Tigers have won their last two games and concluded the regular season Saturday when senior Emma Bohnenkamper’s last-second shot in the lane lifted them to a 28-26 win over NorthWood.
After trailing Concord 17-16 at halftime on Jan. 20, the Lady Tigers outscored the Minutemen 30-12 in the second half en route to a 17-point win.
Warsaw leads the overall series with Concord 49-2 and has won the last 41 meetings. Concord’s only wins against Warsaw were in 1981 and 1983.
That, however, means nothing to Krebs, who is preaching to his players that no team can be overlooked in tournament play.
“There is no easy game in this sectional. Current games are not won based on past history. We don’t get a lead of any sort because we beat Concord last week, or because of this streak everyone mentions,” said Krebs.
“We don’t talk about the past here, unless it is to help us learn and play better at the moment. Concord is not going to be an easy game for us. While we did beat them last week, I know Coach Cepeda and have no doubt she will make some adjustments and have her team ready to play us again.
“It will make a difference that we have to go to their gym to play, as well. We are going to have to make sure we play our best basketball right from the tip on Wednesday. I have so much respect for Coach Cepeda and the job she has done. They are a well-coached team and they will be ready.”
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