After dropping a gauntlet of games at the end of December against the likes of Huntington North, Brownsburg and Jeffersonville, the Warsaw girls basketball team found itself in a tight spot. Their next contest, and the first of the new year, would be a massive showdown against then 18-1 Northridge. A loss there would bring the team’s record to 8-8 on the season.
It didn’t happen.
The Lady Tigers won that game 65-52 and haven’t lost since, stringing together six straight wins to begin 2024 and end the regular season.The stretch also included victories over Mishawaka, Concord and Goshen, which wrapped up the third straight perfect season in the Northern Lakes Conference for Warsaw (14-7, 7-0).
Now, with the “second season” beginning, Warsaw will once again have to meet Northridge in the first round of IHSAA Section 4, hosted by the Lady Raiders.
“Northridge is always such a tough game for us. Coach SPringer runs a great program and always has his team prepared,” Warsaw head coach Lenny Krebs said. We will not change HOW we prepare, but we may change some things we do in order to be successful for a second time. The team that can make the best, not the most, adjustments is going to be successful this time around.”
Along with Warsaw vs. Northridge (21-3, 6-1 NLC), Penn (16-6, 9-2 NIC) will take on Concord (10-12, 2-5 NLC) in the second first-round game. Elkhart (12-9, 8-2 NIC) awaits the winner of the first contest in the semifinal, while Goshen (11-11, 2-5 NLC) has the first-round bye on the other side of the bracket.
While Warsaw’s record isn’t as impressive as it has been in recent years, it was all part of Coach Krebs’ plan. The Lady Tigers scheduled tough nonconference games against Ben Davis, Westfield, Columbia City, Homestead and the aforementioned Brownsburg with the hopes of being “battle tested” for the upcoming tournament.
“We’ve been punched in the mouth a couple of times this year by some really good teams. Everyone would love to see their team win 18-20 games and as coaches we can manipulate our schedule to get that,” Krebs said. “We decided this year we needed to toughen up our schedule and play some teams that may put a loss on our record, but would better prepare us for the state tournament. Our weaknesses have been exposed at times but that has made us better.”
The Lady Tigers boast three players that average more than 15 points a game, led by 16.8 PPG from the sharpshooting sophomore Brooke Zartman, who also leads the team with 2.4 steals per contest. Right behind her is sophomore point guard Joslyn Bricker and her 16.2 PPG. Bricker is another dangerous shooter who also shows no hesitation taking it to the rim and fighting through contact. Junior Brooke Winchester is another scorer that can get hers inside and out, as evidenced by her 15.1 PPG. Winchester is a beast on the boards as well, averaging a team-high nine rebounds a night. Alexis Neely serves as the team’s fourth scorer most nights, averaging just under eight a contest while leading the team with 3.5 assists per game.
“We are not only blessed to have [the two Brooke’s] who are incredible at what they do, but Joslyn and Alexis are capable of impacting the game in so many ways,” Krebs remarked. “With four kids that can score, we are constantly looking for the mismatch that we can exploit. In addition, we have kids that are stars in their role. It’s going to take a team effort if we want a chance.”
Those players include Braylie Chastain, Leila Knepp, Kelsey Wrenn and Warsaw’s lone senior, Dalaney Vilamaa. These players may not light it up on the scoreboard, but do the little things, such as rebounding and playing the hard nosed defense that Krebs loves.
“When you’re in the state tournament, players who have roles that don’t involve scoring are going to become very important. These kids are going to play a valuable role in our team being successful,” Krebs said. “Our kids know the pressure ramps up at tournament time and I think they’re well equipped to handle it this year.”
Warsaw takes on Northridge at 6 p.m. on Tuesday night to tip off what Krebs can only describe as an “exciting week of basketball.”
“This team has handled quite a bit of adversity this year. Kyra Kiser tore her ACL, Dalaney started the year on crutches and Joslyn broke her nose against Homestead,” Krebs pointed out. “I am proud of the girls and how they have gotten better at ‘handling hard.’ I’m looking forward to watching them perform and I’m blessed for the chance to coach them.”