Having lost the previous two games to long-time rival Columbia City, the Warsaw girls basketball team came out with something to prove on Tuesday night, getting out to a fast start at the Tiger Den. Unfortunately for the Lady Tigers and their fans, it would be the Lady Eagles getting the last laugh, as the visitors used a big second half to win 61-48.
With an electric atmosphere on hand at the Tiger Den, the two teams wasted no time putting on a show. The story of the first quarter was that of the three-pointer, which was falling early and often for both teams. The visitors were able to use a couple of shots from deep to take an early lead before Warsaw returned the favor with some big shots of their own. The back-and-forth affair led to a very close and entertaining contest in the early minutes.
In the final minutes of the first quarter, the Lady Tigers made their move, going on a run to find some separation. One of the main factors of this run was junior Brooke Winchester, who was able to get anything she wanted on the offensive end of the floor, whether it was from the perimeter or the paint. Winchester scored nine points in the first while also serving as her team’s leading rebounder as Warsaw found itself in front by seven going into the second.
The good times didn’t stop there. The home side kept it rolling in the opening minutes of the second, using a pair of threes by Brooke Zartman to extend their lead to 13, the largest of the night. This spurt caused Columbia City to burn two timeouts in the span of minute, and made it look like Warsaw was well on its way to a big win.
But that would not be the case. Following the big spurt, things slowed down tremendously for the Lady Tigers, leading to a scoring drought that was exactly what the visitors needed. With the Warsaw shots no longer falling, the Lady Eagles were able to take advantage and go on a run of their own. The catalyst was junior Addison Baxter, who was a problem for Warsaw all night long.
Suddenly, the double digit lead for Warsaw had been trimmed down significantly, turning the contest into a one-possession game. Like the Lady Tigers had done in the first, Columbia City was dominant in the final minutes of the second, leading to Tessa Tonkel hitting a three at the buzzer to put the visitors in front by three at the half.

    Sophomore Alexis Neely of Warsaw squares up to the basket for a three-point shot during Tuesday night's home game against Columbia City. Photo by Gary Nieter

Things didn’t get much better to begin the third quarter, as the Lady Tigers continued to look out of sorts. Warsaw turned the ball over on three of its first four possessions and the Lady Eagles were able to take advantage, excelling in the transition game and extending their advantage up to nine after just two minutes of play.
Not long afterwards, Columbia City was able to take a double digit lead of its own as shots continued to fall for the visitors. Even after a layup and free throw by Alexis Neely temporarily shrunk the lead down back to nine, the home side was able to offer up little resistance to a Columbia City side that had caught fire. With everything going the way of the visitors, the Lady Eagles extended the lead to 13 at the end of the third on a buzzer beater by Baxter that was shot from nearly half court.
The Lady Tigers would not go down quietly. Down 15 early in the fourth, Warsaw was able to string together a run to get it down to seven with four minutes left. Sensing the pressure building, the visitors began taking their time offensively, burning a ton of clock on the following possession. After holding the ball for nearly a minute and a half, Columbia City hit two big free throws to get the lead back up to nine with time becoming a major factor.
Some clutch free throw shooting would allow the visitors to go up by double figures once more with a little over a minute and a half remaining, effectively putting the game on ice.
Winchester led Warsaw in scoring with 18 points while also grabbing eight rebounds. Zartman scored 13 and had three steals. Joslyn Bricker finished with 10 points and eight boards, while Neely scored seven. Baxter was the game-high scorer with 27.
Warsaw (7-4) will resume Northern Lakes Conference play on Saturday when the Lady Tigers take on Wawasee at the Hardwood Teepee.