AKRON – Though known more for her defense, Madison Davis showed off her offensive skills Friday night. The 5-foot-6 senior was 6 of 8 from the field, including a 3-of-4 effort from three-point range, and 3 of 5 from the charity stripe as she scored a team-high 18 points in the Warsaw Lady Tigers' 62-42 win at Kosciusko County rival Tippecanoe Valley. "This was a good night for Madison," fourth-year Warsaw coach Michelle Harter said of Davis, who scored 14 points in the second half. "She's been struggling with her shot in practice, but she came out tonight and hit some shots in the flow of the offense. Madison is a great defensive player, and it was geat to see her break out offensively." The Lady Tigers, who improved to 2-1 on the season, also got 13 points and six rebounds from junior Jennifer Walker-Crawford and 11 points and seven rebounds from junior Lindsay Baker. Senior Sarah Heagy added eight points and five rebounds in the 20-point victory, while sophomore Ashley Ouseley contributed seven points and four rebounds. "Warsaw is a good team," said second-year Valley coach Chris Kindig, whose Lady Vikings fell to 1-1. "They're going to win a lot of games." In their season opener last week at Huntington, the Lady Tigers dominated the paint, as Heagy and sophomore Nikki Grose combined for 29 points and 16 rebounds. Kindig's defensive gameplan was centered around taking away Warsaw's post presence, forcing the Lady Tigers to shoot from the outside. Davis and Baker made Valley pay, as they each made three treys. Warsaw was just 1 of 10 from the arc in the first half, but made 6 of 11 three-point attempts while pulling away in the third and fourth quarters. "We wanted to take away their inside game and make them shoot outside," Kindig said of the Lady Tigers. "They made us pay in the second half. Warsaw is a good team. You just pick your poison." Turning the ball over 22 times didn't help the Lady Vikings either, as Warsaw scored 20 points off Valley turnovers and also scored 19 second-chance points. Warsaw led 13-6 after one quarter of play, 20-12 at halftime and 43-27 at the end of the third quarter. Valley went on a 10-0 run the fourth quarter, but by that points Warsaw held a 24-point advantage. "I'm proud of the girls for hanging in there," said Kindig. "Warsaw did a good job with their pressure. When you're down 18 or 20 points it's hard, but our girls kept battling." Senior Staci Groom led Valley with a game-high 19 points, while classmate Tory Keirn added 13 points. Neither team shot the ball well in the first half – Warsaw was just 8 of 30 (27 percent) from the field, while Valley was 3 of 13 (23 percent). Both teams were better in the third and fourth quarters, as the Lady Tigers were 12 of 22 after the intermission and Valley was 9 of 19. "That's something we talked about at halftime, the difference between rushing a shot and taking a good shot," said Harter. "In the second half, we took good shots. We settled down offensively and were able to pull away. We got into the flow of the offense." Warsaw has won its last five meetings with Valley and now owns a 44-3 record in the overall series. The Lady Tigers are in action again Friday when they host Whitko, while Valley hosts Knox in the annual four-team Thanksgiving Classic Saturday. Munster and Noblesville will also participate in the tournament.
WARSAW 62, T. VALLEY 42 W 13 7 23 19 – 62 TV 6 6 15 15 – 42 Warsaw – Ashley Ousley 3-6 0-0 7, Sarah Ray 0-4 2-2 2, Madison Davis 6-8 3-4 18, Lauren Burish 0-2 0-0 0, Melanie Holladay 0-1 0-2 0, Eryn Leek 0-2 0-0 0, Jennifer Walker-Crawford 4-9 5-7 13, Lindsay Baker 3-12 2-2 11, Brooklyn Harrison 0-2 1-2 1, Sarah Heagy 3-3 2-4 8, Nikki Grose 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 20-52 15-23 62. Valley – Taylor Trippiedi 0-0 0-0 0, Staci Groom 6-14 4-5 19, Danielle Bussard 0-1 2-2 2, Megan Bibler 1-1 1-2 3, Caylie Teel 0-1 0-0 0, Brooke O'Connor 0-0 0-0 0, Kelsey Ball 0-3 1-2 1, Tory Keirn 4-10 4-7 13, Courtney Newsome 0-0 0-0 0, Conner Fraser 1-2 2-2 4. Totals 12-32 14-20 42. Three-point goals – Warsaw 7 (Davis 3, Baker 3, Ousley), Valley 4 (Groom 3, Keirn); Rebounds - Warsaw 33 (Baker 7), Valley 29 (Groom 5); Turnovers – Warsaw 12, Valley 22; Records: Warsaw 2-1, Valley 1-1. JV – Warsaw 26, Valley 20 Warsaw – Gabby Monroy 7, Pam Miller 6, Vicki Harris 5, Jackie Ferguson 4, Courtney Farling 4 Valley – Cara Hoffman 11, Caylie Teel 4, Robyn Dunnuck 3, Taylor Trippiedi 2
