Warsaw girls relish opportunity to play semistate game in Tiger Den
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Dale Hubler-dhubler@timesuniononline.com
Coach Michelle Harter and her players aren’t exactly sure how big of an advantage they’ll have playing Saturday’s Class 4A semistate championship game on their home floor. One thing Harter and the No. 8 Warsaw Lady Tigers do know, however, is that they’re more than excited about the opportunity. “A gym is a gym, but you’re not going to be more comfortable than being on your home floor,” said senior Lindsay Baker, who in Warsaw’s last game in the Tiger Den tied a school record with eight three-pointers. “There’s definitely a comfort aspect to playing here, and that just gives us more confidence for Saturday.” Following a Class 2A semistate final between Fort Wayne Luers and Eastern (Greentown) at 4 p.m., Warsaw will play Fort Wayne South Side at approximately 6:15 p.m. The Lady Tigers enter the game with a 24-1 record, while the Lady Archers are 23-3. The two teams have never met on the hardwood, and their game Saturday couldn’t be any bigger. The winner advances to next week’s state championship game in Terre Haute to play either No. 2 Bedford North Lawrence (26-0) or No. 5 Indianapolis Roncalli (24-3). “If we don’t come out and play well Saturday, it doesn’t matter where the game is,” said Harter, whose team is 11-0 in the Tiger Den this season, winning all of those games by at least 10 points. “We still have to come out and play well and do the little things we’ve done all season.” Warsaw is trying to win the program’s fifth semistate title and first since 2004. South Side is making just its second semistate appearance – the other was in 2008 – and is looking for its first state finals berth. “They’re similar to Merrillville, but they have better outside shooters than Merrillville,” Harter said of South Side. “We have to come out and do the little things we’ve done all season. The tempo of the game will be huge. We can’t let them make us speed ourselves up.” The atmosphere for Saturday’s game may be unlike anything the current Lady Tigers have experienced before. Warsaw sold its allotment of tickets in just a few hours. There is a buzz in the hallways at the high school and in the community. A large and noisy crowd is expected Saturday. Playing on their home floor, however, will provide a routine feeling for the Lady Tigers. “We’re familiar with the floor and the baskets here,” said senior Melanie Holladay, who scored the game-winner in last week’s 42-41 win over Merrillville in the regional final at Valparaiso High School. “It’ll be nice to be in our locker room and run out of our tunnel and onto our floor,” added Holladay. “We’re going to be in familiar surroundings. We have a lot of great memories here, and I can’t put into words how great it would be to win here Saturday.” Senior Jennifer Walker-Crawford, who had 19 points and 11 rebounds in the regional final, leads Warsaw in scoring with 14 points per game. Baker and junior Nikki Grose average just under 12 points per game each. In the regional, Grose had 22 points and 12 rebounds against Penn and 13 points and 16 rebounds against Merrillville. “Both Jennifer and Nikki have been big for us all season,” said Harter. “We need to establish our inside game early and make sure we take smart shots. The big key for us is playing solid defense and rebounding. South scores a lot of points on offensive rebounds.” The Lady Tigers score 53 points per game, while giving up just 35. No team has scored 50 points against Warsaw this season, and only one has scored more than 45. Marion put up 49 points against the Lady Tigers, but lost by 27. South Side is 8-3 on the road this season, with those losses coming at Homestead (81-80) on Dec. 11, at Columbus North (57-35) on Dec. 22 and at Bedford North Lawrence (63-39) on Jan. 26. Those three teams have a combined record of 72-5. Senior Ariana Simmons leads the Lady Archers in scoring with 14 points per game, while senior DeJoyah Johnson and junior Brittni Clopton score 10 points per game each. Junior Lakyn Gulley and senior Lynnia Noel add seven and six points per game, respectively. South Side averages 64 points per game, while giving up 46.
