Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SYRACUSE - With obvious holes to be filled, 5-foot-10 sophomore Tiffany Fick was a good fit for Wawasee's varsity girls basketball team Friday night.
A game otherwise darkened by turnovers, numerous missed layups and poor free throw shooting, Fick was the bright spot as Wawasee posted a 48-43 win over visiting Westview in the season opener for both teams.
Making her first varsity start - and trying fill the offensive holes left by the graduation of five seniors, including 6-footers Jocelyn Higginbotham and Jessica Leach - Fick shot 10 of 15 from the field to lead all scorers with 23 points.
She converted her first five shot attempts, was 7 of 9 from the floor in the first half, and finished the game with 10 rebounds.
"She did a nice job in the post," said sixth-year Wawasee coach Kem Zolman of Fick. "She's a very strong young lady, she played well tonight."
With Wawasee clinging to a three-point lead, Fick converted a pair of free throws with 14.8 seconds remaining in the game, accounting for the final score.
Westview led just once in the game, taking a 2-0 lead when senior Megan Kreider made good on a field goal attempt with 7:14 left in the opening quarter, but the visiting Warriors made it interesting for the host Warriors, cutting Wawasee's 11-point third-quarter lead to three heading into the fourth quarter and to two, 44-42, with 1:14 left in regulation.
But as was the case throughout the majority of the game, Westview's opportunities to turn the tide and make something happen went to the wayside via turnovers and sloppy play.
"We didn't get beat by Wawasee, we got beat by ourselves," said Westview coach Randy Yoder. "There was a lot of missed layups and turnovers. We just didn't execute, that's what it all boils down to. We worked hard and made a nice comeback, we got within two, we just couldn't tie it."
After freshman Emily Lamkin's bucket cut Wawasee's advantage to 44-42, Rachel Canen converted two free throws for the winners with 50.8 seconds remaining.
With 22.9 seconds left, Kreider hit the second of two free throws to cut the Wawasee lead to 46-43, and then Fick put the finishing touches on her double-double performance as well as Westview with her two crucial charity tosses.
A team that opened the season a year ago with a win over a talented senior-laden Wawasee squad, Westview had to play Friday night without starting guard Jamie Gallmeyer, who sat the bench in street clothes with an ankle injury.
A 5-6 junior, Gallmeyer led Westview in scoring, steals and assists last year en route to a 17-4 record.
Though it was a varsity contest, the rosters read more like a junior varsity game Friday night, with only three seniors combined on both teams.
Three freshmen and two sophomores started the contest, and for the majority of the game youth showed as the teams combined for 48 turnovers and a subpar 14-of-32 effort from the free throw line.
Westview finished the contest 16 of 45 from the field overall, 5 of 13 from three-point range, while Wawasee was 18 of 41 overall and 4 of 9 behind the arc.
"That's youth," said Zolman. "This is not the first time we've had a go-round with youth. We know what to expect, and how hard to push the girls and how much to encourage them."
While there were sloppy moments of play, there were bright spots for Wawasee as well.
To go with Fick's strong inside play, Wawasee got 15 points from outside shooter Canen, who finished the contest 3 of 6 from the three-point line.
Senior Mistie Hershberger scored four points before fouling out, while freshman Megan Walker added a crucial three-pointer for Wawasee, freshman Jessie Wolf two points and four rebounds, and freshman Elizabeth Olson a free throw.
Westview's balanced attack was led by the 10 points from Lamkin. Freshman Michelle Haney scored nine for Westview, all behind the arc, while Kreider added eight, junior Allyse Fisher six, freshman Cheri Borkholder four, and junior Kristin Yoder and senior Gretchen Mishler three each.
Wawasee is in action again Tuesday when it hosts Lakeland.
WAWASEE 48, WESTVIEW 43
Westview (0-1) 8 6 16 13 - 43
Wawasee (1-0) 13 6 14 15 - 48
Westview FG FT R S Pts.
* Haney 3-6 0-1 4 1 9
* Mishler 1-7 0-0 4 1 3
* Fisher 2-8 1-4 5 7 6
* Lamkin 4-7 2-2 5 0 10
* Kreider 3-8 2-6 6 4 8
Borkholder 2-8 0-0 6 2 4
Yoder 1-1 1-2 0 0 3
Totals 16-45 6-15 30 15 43
Wawasee FG FT R S Pts.
* Rensberger 0-4 0-0 1 0 0
* Canen 4-7 4-8 3 2 15
* Hershberger 2-7 0-0 3 4 4
* Wolf 1-3 0-0 4 1 2
* Fick 10-15 3-5 10 3 23
Walker 1-4 0-2 2 1 3
Olson 0-1 1-2 1 1 1
Totals 18-41 8-17 24 12 48
Three-point goals - Westview 5-13 (Haney 3-4, Mishler 1-3, Fisher 1-1, Kreider 0-3, Borkholder 0-2), Wawasee 4-9 (Canen 3-6, Walker 1-2, Rensberger 0-1). Fouls - Westview 13, Wawasee 17. Fouled out - Hershberger, Wolf. Turnovers - Westview 22, Wawasee 26.
JV - Westview 40, Wawasee 12
Wawasee JV scoring - Ryan Smith 4, Katie Owen 4, Laura Thompson 2, Elizabeth Olson 2
