22-0 Hole Just Too Much

The matchup did materialize like everybody thought, it just took a little bit longer than expected. In the big school-small school sectional matchup everybody was looking forward to, Warsaw jumped out to 22-0 lead on Triton and then held off the hard-charging Trojans for a 60-50 win Thursday in the semifinals of the Warsaw Sectional. This was the battle between two good teams, no matter the size of their respective schools.It was one that Hoosier Hysteria is all about and some say a multi-class system would destroy. "I have watched this Triton team 10 times either in person or on film, and I really appreciate the character of the Triton players," Warsaw coach Al Rhodes said."They care about each other, and they were a very good basketball team.They knew what they were doing.

On The Court Basketball Previews

Whitko Falls To Knox

PLYMOUTH -ÊThe Whitko Wildcats were not ready for their season to end Friday night, but they could not have gone out of the sectional with a better game. The Wildcats went into the sectional semifinal with a 12-9 record, facing a 19-4 Knox team.While the Redskins slipped away with a 44-39 victory, the Whitko squad gave them a run for their money. The first point of the defensive battle did not come until the 5:22 mark, when Whitko's Brad Walpole hit a free throw to put the Wildcats on the board 1-0.Then John Woods made the score 2-0 by hitting a free throw at the 4:53 mark. The first basket of the game came from the hands of Whitko's Mark Walter at the 3:07 mark, and the Wildcats held a 6-0 advantage. Knox's Josh Lawrence netted a three just 20 seconds later to ut the Redskins right back in the thick of things. However, Whitko's Noah Shepherd and Walter hit the last two baskets of the quarter to put Whitko up 8-3 at the end of the first frame.

Tigers Finish Regular Season With Ugly Win

Putting it in baseball terms, Doug Ogle said he was looking for base hits Friday night.His Warsaw boys basketball team, however, went for the home run and nearly struck out. Three nights after an impressive come-from-behind win at Kokomo, the Tigers played what Ogle called selfish basketball, and a 15-point lead late in the third quarter turned into shooting free throws to pull out a 50-46 win. "We weren't patient enough on offense, we had too many miscues by several players," Ogle said."We had too many guys going for home runs when we should have been looking for singles and doubles.We took some bad shots, I didn't think our shot selection was that good in the first half.We had too many players that instead of making the routine play tried to thread the needle and make a spectacular pass." This threading the needle, as Ogle called it, tore Warsaw's offense apart at the seams and was responsible for a majority of the Tiger's 20 turnovers.

Tigers Smiling About Season

The way Troy Akers figures it, he has 52 reasons to be optimistic about the upcoming track and field season. That's because he has 52 boys on his track team.The Tigers, who went 6-2 and finished third in the Northern Lakes Conference last year, graduated just one key athlete, P.J.Wiley. "I believe you build a team by finding people to compete in the toughest events, the 400, 300 hurdles and 800," Akers said."I think we picked up about 10 kids over last year.With 52 kids, we have a large group of kids who fit that mold." Back are David Hoffert and Scott Sheperd.Hoffert, who will run the 800, 1600 and relays, was the Northern Lakes Conference cross-country champion last fall.Sheperd was the NLC long jump champion a year ago. Then there is Derrick Duncan (relays, sprints).And Jose Esquivel (sprints, hurdles, relays).And Greg Patrick (distances). And, yes, Jon Hill.

Warsaw Boys Win Sectional Title

KENDALLVILLE - Rather than a student in the school's cheering section, maybe the players on Warsaw's boys basketball team should have worn hard hats Saturday evening. After all, it was the Tigers who went to work and turned in the blue-collar performance, knocking off rival Columbia City 40-32 in the championship game of the Class 4A East Noble Sectional. Using a 2-3 zone defense that took 6-foot-9 senior Zach Coverstone out of the flow of the game for Columbia City, the Tigers avenged a 50-44 loss they suffered to the Eagles in the second game of the regular season. Entering Saturday's sectional championship game, Columbia City had won five of the previous six games against Warsaw and eliminated the Tigers from the state tournament in 2003 and 2004, albeit by a combined five points.

Jay County Topples Tippecanoe Valley

HARTFORD CITY - Jay County began its run at a semistate appearance with a 63-57 win over Tippecanoe Valley in the opening game of the Blackford Regional. The Vikings looked lethargic at times and rattled by the scrappy play of a Patriot squad that was delibrate on offense and swarming on defense. "We didn't shoot the ball well," said Viking coach Bill Patrick."We committed a couple of turnovers at the wrong time.We just didn't hit the big shots and didn't get to the free throw line enough." Patrick was right as his team shot 11 of 15 from the charity stripe while Jay County was 28 of 32. Many of those Patriot free throws came in the fourth quarter as Valley was forced to foul playing from behind. Senior Bryce Kelley played one of his best games of the year as he scored 16 points, including three three-pointers, and pulled down five rebounds to help keep his team in the contest.

Double Trouble In The Pivot

The Tigers found the perfect formula to replace Trester Award winner Matt Taylor at center this year. It includes one part defender and rebounder (Luke Reed) and one part offense and power (Chris Hill).The combination has provided big dividends for the Tigers this season. The two juniors, who have played almost the same number of minutes this season, have combined to give Warsaw 12.2 points and 9.1 rebounds a game, while shooting 71 percent from the floor.The duo have combined to be the second-best player on the team as far as the numbers go. The 6-foot-6 Reed starts and scores 5.7 points, grabs 5.4 rebounds a contest and shoots 64 percent from the field.The 6-2 Hill is the spark off the bench, and is at 6.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and shoots an outstanding 78 percent from the field.

Valley Tennis Edges Whitko 3-2

AKRON -ÊAs the tennis match between Whitko and Tippecanoe Valley came down to the third set of the final match to break a 2-all tie, the coaches jokingly compared stress-related ailments. "I'm losing my hair," said Whitko coach Larry Schuh. "I've got ulcers," said Tippecanoe Valley coach Jack Shambaugh. While Whitko swept the doubles competition early to take a 2-0 lead in the team competition, Valley fought back to win the No.1 and No.3 singles matched to knot the at score at 2. The fate of the match came down to the No.3 singles match between Whitko's Brooke Workman and Valley's Linda Weller. Weller won the first set of the match 6-4, but Workman clawed back to win the second set 7-5 to force a tiebreaking set. Weller took the lead early in the third set, winning the first game.Weller continued to chip away, taking a 4-1 lead, but Workman was not ready to give in.

Panthers Bank On Home Court

NAPPANEE -ÊIt's always nice to play in front of a friendly home crowd.The NorthWood boys basketball team can attest to that fact this year. "I'm certainly glad the games are here at home," said NorthWood coach Dan Gunn."If you want a point value, I can't give you that, but it is definitely a plus for us.It is a mental edge not to have to get on the bus and ride somewhere. "We are also playing pretty well at home." That might be the understatement of the year. After going 8-0 in the Panther Pit through the regular season, the NorthWood squad upped that total to 11-0 after winning games against Lakeland, Angola and Northridge to capture its first sectional title since 1995. Now the 18-5 Panthers will try to extend their streak to 12-0 tonight when they host the 12-10 Columbia City Eagles in the NorthWood 3A Regional.

No Question: Triton Was Team Of Destiny

"This is the team of destiny.We have such unity as a team.No one can break us."-ÊTriton junior guard Shelly Miller, one week before the state finals, after Triton's 64-38 semistate championship win over Lapel Hogwash.Rubbish.Bunk.Gobbledy-gook. A crock, if you will. These are words you may use if you are one who does not buy into the often-used "team of destiny" line. Maybe there are too many teams that fall back on the phrase. But in Triton's case, you should buy into it. Miller said it, and Triton coach Mark Heeter agreed.So did Rising Sun coach Mark Fette.So did Rising Sun's two most talented players, twins Jessica and Jennifer Brock.So did Triton senior forward Missy Nifong.And so did WRSW's Rita Price-Simpson, the voice of Indiana high school girls basketball for all 25 years. Unranked Triton, 20-7, was destined to beat No.4 Rising Sun (25-3) 57-54 in overtime in Saturday's Class A state finals at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Triton Pulls Off Sectional Stunner

Triton, who started the season by winning only four times in its first 16 games, won its fifth straight game with a 48-47 decision over South Central in the Triton Boys Basketball A Sectional Wednesday at Triton. South Central entered the matchup with the best record in the sectional field at 14-6.It was a big win for a Triton team that lost all five starters from a year ago. "For the most part, this is the first sectional appearance for our kids," O'Rourke said."They stepped up and did an exceptional job.

Double OT Thriller

The best part about Warsaw's 76-73 double-overtime win over Elkhart Central Friday is that the two teams could get to do it all over again a week later. The Tigers, who face Concord Tuesday in the first game of the Elkhart Sectional, could match up with the Blazers (who drew the bye) in the second round next Friday. "Now we are in the weird position of having to earn the right to play them again - at their place," Warsaw coach Al Rhodes said."As close as this game was, looking at next week, we certainly have our work cut out for us.This game gives them all the incentive in the world should we earn the right to play them again.It makes for a real challenge as we go into the sectional." Maybe the Tigers will win and face Elkhart Central, and maybe they won't.And even if they do, the game might not come close to matching this Senior Night affair at the Tiger Den, but it certainly is interesting speculation.

Tigers Win Semistate Thriller, Head To State Championship Game

The name of the band whose hit song came blaring through the speakers Saturday, Warsaw's varsity girls basketball team knows about being a survivor. Playing with the eye of the tiger and the heart of a champion, second-ranked Warsaw came from eight points down with four minutes left in regulation and then got two clutch free throws with 9.8 seconds remaining in overtime from Miss Basketball candidate Jaclyn Leininger to knock off Valparaiso 53-51 and win the Warsaw 4A Semistate championship. The thrilling two-point overtime win advanced the Tigers to the state championship game Saturday against fifth-ranked Indianapolis North Central, a 60-44 winner over Mooresville in the Southport Semistate.The Tigers and Panthers square off at approximately 8:30 p.m.Saturday at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Squires, Warriors Split

NORTH MANCHESTER -ÊOn a rainy Saturday afternoon, Manchester and Wawasee faced off in a doubleheader and each team came out with a win. Manchester won the first game 6-4, while Wawasee won the second 9-6. The Squires took 1-0 lead after the first inning, but Wawasee came back to score two runs in the top of the second to take a 2-1 lead. That one-run lead would not last for long as Lee Shafer knocked in two runs in the bottom of the second to help the Squires regain a one-run advantage. However, Wawasee would not allow Manchester to hold the lead for long as the Warriors scored two more runs on one hit in the third to take another lead, 4-3. The Squires battled back and scored one more run in the fourth to tie the game at four, and the game would remain scoreless until the bottom of the sixth, when Manchester's Mitch Eads, Lee Shafer and Marcus Olson each got hits to help the team score two runs to break the tie.

Burkhart Faces Two-Fold Task

MENTONE -ÊDuane Burkhart calls losing Mike Walters as girls basketball coach and Gregg Sciarra as boys basketball coach the toughest thing he's had to deal with in his three years as Tippecanoe Valley athletic director. "Definitely," he said."I consider Gregg and Mike friends, so it's tough to deal with a situation like this.You want to see good things happen to good people.You want to see coaches be successful. "When you talk to basketball officials, you talk to other coaches around, there's been a lot of positive things said about both men.I respect the effort they put in.Both represented Tippecanoe Valley in a professional manner." Burkhart was attending an athletic directors' conference in Indianapolis on Monday and Tuesday and could not be reached for comment on the changes.Board members contacted preferred that he answer questions concerning reasons Sciarra's contract was not renewed.

Warriors Seek Fourth Straight Title

SYRACUSE -ÊSome teams win all kinds of games during the regular season but collapse when the postseason starts. This is not Wawasee's softball team. Other teams may not put together the best regular season record, but they win games when they count most - when the postseason starts. This is Wawasee's softball team. Wawasee's Bo O'Dell is entering his fourth year as coach.The Warriors have won the last three sectionals. Take last year.Wawasee lost 11 games during the regular season and finished fourth in the Northern Lakes Conference with a 6-6 record. But then the Warriors went out and won the Warsaw Sectional.

Plymouth, Warsaw Set For Another Battle

Rival, defined by Webster, is "one who tries to get or do the same thing as another or to equal or surpass another." A rivalry could be defined, especially recently, as "Plymouth vs.Warsaw." These two Northern Lakes Conference rivals have hooked up in some memorable battles and when it comes to the postseason, things only get better. Warsaw leads the all-time series between the two teams, dating back to 1922, 65-41.The Pilgrims have the upper hand in the postseason, leading 4-3 since 1970.

Joe Tiller Addresses Purdue Club Of Kosciusko County

Last season, Purdue football coach Joe Tiller said he wanted to look over the crowd at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette and witness a sea of gold. It wasn't Ross-Ade Stadium, but Tiller looked out over a sea of black and gold Thursday evening in Warsaw's Center Lake Pavilion as he spoke to the Purdue Club of Kosciusko County.Proceeds from the dinner will be used to fund scholarships for area students. Approximately 155 members of the newly-formed club converged on Center Lake Pavilion sporting their black and gold to hear Tiller's speech. Tiller spoke about growing up in Toledo and playing football in college. "I wasn't good enough to play in the Big Ten, so I went out west and played at Montana State," said Tiller. But during his freshman year at Montana State, he broke his wrist and tried to come back to the midwest.However, coaches were not interested in giving him a scholarship after seeing him in a full-arm cast, so he had to stay at Montana State.

Ozone, Ellen And Big, Big Money

Another installment in the never-ending saga of things that bug me. The Ozone I don't get this whole global warming thing. Now don't get me wrong.I don't think it's beyond the realm of probability that the greenhouse effect is real. It is quite conceivable that the earth is heating up because we are surrounding ourselves with ozone depleting gases. I won't argue the science. And, if it is true that the globe is warming, then lots of people will eventually be affected. Everybody who lives near a coastline, (which, by the way, is almost half the population in the U.S.,) would need some major flood insurance if the polar ice melts and the oceans rise. So let's assume that global warming is at least a possibility.We should probably do something about it. That's where I have the problem.They talk about longer-lasting, more efficient light bulbs.They talk about limiting aerosol spray cans.They talk about two-cycle lawnmowers.