Letters to the Editor 05-26-2000

Times-Union All-Area Team

Last-Second Shot Sinks Vikings' Ship

AKRON - Winamac girls basketball head coach Jim Swaney picked up his 300th and perhaps most memorable win with a 63-62 buzzer-beating win over Valley Tuesday night. Winamac came into the contest ranked first in the most recent 2A poll and a 9-0 record. On the other end, Valley had reeled off three straight wins after a rough start to the season. Despite no full moon outside, there were plenty of strange occurences that occured inside the Valley gym Tuesday night. The tone of the game was set at the 5:22 mark of the second quarter when Kara Kramer looked to complete a three-point play.Kramer's free throw attempt bounced on the rim three times before coming to rest on the back of the rim. At that point, the Vikings trailed 27-16 and continued to trail by double digits for most of the game.Valley made its push in the fourth quarter and took its first lead at 57-55 with 2:33 left in the game on three Holli Jackson free throws.

Barons Shoot Down Tigers

WATERLOO - The Warsaw Tigers hit the road Friday night for the first time this season to take on unbeaten DeKalb. The hour-plus bus drive to Waterloo showed as the Tigers came out cold in the first quarter and fell 65-41 to the Barons. While Warsaw struggled from the field, DeKalb was red hot from just about everywhere on the floor. Dakota Smith served as the proverbial thorn in Warsaw's side as he came out of the blocks quick and scored 15 first half points. "DeKalb was really good tonight," said fifth-year Warsaw coach Doug Ogle."I thought Dakota Smith played as well as you can play.He was perfect from the field and had some well-timed shots for them at key points of the game." Smith was perfect from behind the three-point arc in the first 16 minutes going 4 of 4. For the game Smith was 7 of 7 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line for a game-high 22 points.

Squire Girls Still Undefeated

At North Manchester, Katie Parker scored 24 points and added seven steals, four rebounds and three assists and Manchester defeated Wabash 66-49. Jodie Peden helped out with 15 points, seven assists, eight steals and a blocked shot.Megan Eckert had seven points and eight rebounds. Manchester (4-0) will be at Whitko on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. MANCHESTER 66, WABASH 49 Manchester - Markstahler 4-6 1-2 9, Parker 11-17 2-2 24, Wagoner 1-1 0-0 2, Jester 1-2 0-0 2, Peden 4-12 7-12 15, Hicks 1-2 0-0 2, Seagert 2-5 1-2 5, White 0-2 0-0 0, Ruppel 0-2 0-0 0, Eckert 3-7 1-2 7, Total 27-55 12-20 66. NorthWood 96, South Bend Adams 37 At South Bend, NorthWood had six players score in double figures led by Amy Zercher's 19 points as the Panthers won in a romp for the second game in a row.

Letters to the Editor 06-15-2000

Valley Throws Scare Into No. 1 Triton

AKRON - If a game ever had upset written all over it, Wednesday's girls basketball game between Tippecanoe Valley and Triton may have been it. Valley, a 3A school, had motivation to knock off Triton, the No.1 school in Class A. Triton entered the game perfect with a 7-0 record. And it was Valley and Triton. "Every year," Triton coach Mark Heeter said."Every year, except for two years ago, this seems to be a close game." This year was no exception as Valley forced Triton into overtime, only to lose 64-61.Triton moves to 8-0, while Valley falls to 2-4. Even the overtime came down to the final buzzer as Valley's Tabitha Pratt heaved a half-court three-point shot that hit the back of the rim, allowing Triton to escape with the win. Before this game, the closest any team had gotten to Triton was nine points - North Judson and Knox each lost by nine.Triton has beaten five teams by 21 points or more.

Whitko Makes 28-Point Rally

SOUTH WHITLEY - For three quarters, it looked as if the Whitko Wildcats were headed for their third loss in as many games to start the season.Then Zach Henson and the rest of the Wildcats woke up. Trailing by 28 points midway through the third period and by 16 heading into the fourth, Whitko capped off a furious comeback with a Henson jumper with three seconds to play to defeat the Northfield Norsemen, 68-66, Friday. For 20 minutes, Whitko was beaten everywhere.They had 17 turnovers, shot 40 percent from the field, and were outrebounded 20-13 through the first two and a half periods.Consequently, it trailed 52-24.Over the final 12 minutes, Whitko outscored the Norsemen 44-14 with just two turnovers and shot 54 percent from the floor.

Strong First Half Fuels Tiger Win

In the world of sports, coaches often say what looks lopsided according to the scoreboard was actually closer on the playing surface itself. For Warsaw's varsity boys basketball team, Saturday's home game with Gary Wirt may have been just the opposite. A late run by the visiting Troopers turned an otherwise dominating Tiger performance into a 56-47 Warsaw win. The nine-point win improves Warsaw to 2-1 on the season, while Gary Wirt falls to 1-2. In Warsaw's first two games of the year - a five point loss at Columbia City in overtime and a five-point win at Fort Wayne South - poor first-half performances were overshadowed by fourth-quarter rallies.Saturday's game saw the Tigers play their best first half of the season, only to let a double-digit lead dwindle to five with under a minute remaining.

Big 3-Pointers Lead Plymouth Over Triton

BOURBON - A battle of Marshall County rivals, Plymouth kept pulling the trigger and finally left Triton struggling to get back up. A game in which the Pilgrims fired up 23 three-pointers, perhaps none were as important as the two that juniors Kyle Plumlee and Kyle Benge drilled in the fourth quarter as Plymouth pulled away for a 76-65 win Tuesday evening. With Plymouth clinging to a 58-54 lead, Plumlee stepped up and drilled a three-pointer with 5:46 remaining, and then Benge came back with one of his own less than a minute later to put the visiting Pilgrims up 64-54. Up to that point, Plymouth's biggest lead of the game was six, but the back-to-back three-pointers seemed to break Triton's back as the Pilgrims turned an otherwise back and forth game into a 14-point lead with under 43 seconds left.

Letters to the Editor 04-15-2004

Warsaw Delivers Worst Performance At Lake Central Tournament

The Tiger wrestlers had a disappointing Saturday at Lake Central. Although five wrestlers placed, none took a championship, and the team finished ninth with 104 points.Lake Central dominated the double-elimination tournament with 193.5 points and three champions. "We have always finished in the top four or better, and we've taken home the third-place trophy before," said Warsaw coach Tony Boley, "I thought we would do better." Warsaw's Kris Hueber (215 pounds) took second place after a strong showing in earlier rounds.He scored two pins and a major decision to advance to the finals.There Hueber was handed his only defeat of the season. Hueber spent much of the match chasing his opponent, who was finally called for stalling to give Hueber a penalty point, but he still came out on the short end, losing in 5-4 decision. Warsaw's Richard Wolfe (171), who worked hard to improve in the off-season by involvement in freestyle, also settled for second place.

Depleted Tigers Lose First

After his team defeated Northridge 70-43 Tuesday, Warsaw coach Will Wienhorst said of his next opponent, Huntington North, they would be the best team he would face all year that had a losing record. The Vikings came in with a 1-3 record while the Tigers came in unblemished at 4-0, not having played in a relatively closely contested game yet.Huntington came in with three of their five starters standing 5-feet-9 or taller, and the Tigers had two.The Vikings took advantage of Warsaw down low to post a 65-57 win at the Tiger Den. What might have been key in the loss for Warsaw was the loss they suffered before the game started.

Letters to the Editor 06-20-2000

- Softball Clinic - Stamp Out Hunger - No-Brainer Softball Clinic Editor, Times-Union: On June 3, Warsaw Girls Softball League sponsored a softball clinic.The morning session consisted of batting and fielding.The afternoon session was for pitching.We couldn't have had a better day, excellent weather and a great location. At this time I would like to thank Stephen Liebsch, Brook Carey and the Grace College player who put this clinic on.They did an excellent job.They had the opportunity to work one-on-one with each girl.They explained every little detail thoroughly so, no matter what age participated, everyone understood.

Letters to the Editor 06-13-2000

Letters to the Editor 04-13-2004

- Church History - Gay Marriage - Learning About Others - Misrepresented - Benefit - Personal Liberty - Slap In The Face - Smith For Treasurer - Deadline For Political Letters Church History Editor, Times-Union: In response to Kathy Kurosky's recent letter asserting that the Roman Catholic Church constitutes the one Church and one Christian faith, a quick review of the history of Christianity is probably in order.

Letters to the Editor 07-18-2003

- Importance Of Writing - Storm Thanks - Lakeview Triathlon - Half-Cocked Importance Of Writing Editor, Times-Union: I noticed a recent news report that Indiana students had difficulty with writing exams in the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress tests. It has been my pleasure over the years as U.S.Senator to read many well-written letters from young Hoosiers.Often it was apparent that the letters were written as school assignments and were probably graded by teachers, but I have found them to be a helpful window into the minds and opinions of young citizens.

Letters to the Editor 11-26-2004

- Tiger Says 'Go Warriors' - Spirit Of Giving - Wal-Mart Says Thanks - Election Problem - Christmas Child Tiger Says 'Go Warriors' Editor, Times-Union: I am a transplanted Tiger, meaning that I'm a WCHS grad and former athlete, living in Syracuse.Not only do I live in Syracuse, but I also live in asub division next door to Wawasee High School.Some would say adding insult to injury would have to include that my in-laws, who live across the road from us, also work for Wawasee High School.

And Now It's Time For Me To Go

On April 6, 1987, I walked into the Times-Union for my first day on the job.I was a very scared young lady.If I remember correctly, I was even relatively quiet and shy during my early days here.Nobody who works with me now would ever believe it. In the 16-plus years of reporting since I graduated college, I believe I have developed a confidence that surprises a lot of people - sometimes even myself.Like I said, I used to be quiet and shy.But "used to be" doesn't count anymore. The Times-Union provided an opportunity for me to exercise my new self that I discovered in college in Louisiana - a long way from my hometown of Hammond, where my introverted self grew up.I wrote for my college newspaper and gained experience during an internship in my senior year, but it was at the Times-Union that I fell into a comfortable niche with myself and I learned how to talk to people.

Letters to the Editor 07-24-2003

- Nostalgia - Bad Review - Whitko School Board Nostalgia Editor, Times-Union: First, I just want to say that I realize the fact that the young don't care for nostalgia, nor comparing likes and dislikes of another era with what individuals accept or reject today, which is what this piece is all about.Anyhow, I write mainly for the enjoyment of the elderly.So many older people tell me (their peer) that they enjoy what I write because they don't experience nostalgia from any other source; however, lately I have been thinking about books - mainly novels - and how much the style of literary creativity has changed throughout the years.