Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
On a night meant to honor seniors, Warsaw's lone senior Rachael Franklin played her part to the hilt.
In Warsaw's 76-19 victory over Whitko Thursday night, Franklin scored 10 points, pulled down five rebounds and dished out one assist in her best game of the season.
"This meant a lot to me," said Franklin. "I have not been a big part of the offense this season, and this was a great way to end (my career at home)."
"I was really excited for Rachel," said Warsaw coach Will Wienhorst. "It was senior night, and she played really well. It was good to see her score in double figures."
The Tigers led from the opening basket until the end of the game. Rebekah Reichard hit the first basket of the game along with the ensuing free throw to make the score 3-0 in Warsaw's favor.
Whitko's Jennifer Wendel closed the gap with a baskt of her own, but at the 5:56 mark, Warsaw's offense kicked into gear.
Then Jaclyn Leininger hit a basket that started a 16-0 Tiger run that left the Wildcats in a 19-2 hole.
At the 1:21 mark, Wendel hit another basket for Whitko, making the score 19-4 going into the second quarter of play.
Whitko's Jolene Reed hit the first basket of the second frame, but the rest of the second quarter belonged to Warsaw.
The Tigers outscored the Wildcats 21-2 in the quarter and took a 40-6 lead into the lockers at halftime.
Franklin showed her senior leadership in the third quarter. She scored the first two Warsaw baskets of the quarter and helped the Tigers build a 61-12 lead going into the final quarter of play.
Tiger sophomore Kara Mayer opened the fourth frame with a three-pointer, sparking a 12-0 Warsaw run to open the quarter.
Whitko managed to score seven points in the final quarter of play, with five of those coming from the hands of junior Dana Sellers.
Sellers also scored the last basket of the game, but Warsaw still pulled out the 76-19 win.
All totalled, Warsaw saw five starters score in double figures. Jaclyn Leininger led all scorers with 22 points, while Julie Seiss added 12 points and Reichard had 11. Franklin and Michelle DeGeeter chipped in 10 points each.
Sellers led the Wildcats, scoring 11 of their 19 points. Wendel added six points, and Reed had two points.
The win ups Warsaw's record to 18-1 overall. It is the first time the Tigers had racked up 18 regular season wins since 1990 when Warsaw was ranked No. 7 in the nation by USA Today. Warsaw travels to NorthWood Saturday for a Northern Lakes Conference game.
Whitko falls to 2-16 on the season. The Wildcats host Oak Hill Saturday in a Three Rivers Conference matchup.
WARSAW 76, WHITKO 19
Whitko 4 2 6 7 - 19
Warsaw 19 21 21 15 - 76
Whitko FG FT R A S Pts.
Sellers 4-13 3-6 4 1 0 11
Reed 1-5 0-2 7 1 1 2
Wendel 2-2 2-3 2 1 1 6
Rowland 0-5 0-0 5 0 1 0
Jo. Begley 0-2 0-0 1 0 0 0
Herron 0-3 0-0 1 0 1 0
Juricak 0-0 0-0 2 0 1 0
Ja. Begley 0-3 0-0 1 1 1 0
Totals 7-33 5-11 25 4 6 19
Warsaw FG FT R A S Pts.
Franklin 5-8 0-1 5 1 0 10
Reichard 3-8 5-5 9 0 1 11
Seiss 5-12 1-1 3 5 2 12
Leininger 9-13 3-6 4 5 8 22
DeGeeter 3-4 4-4 6 2 4 10
Mayer 2-6 0-0 1 2 0 5
Braddock 1-4 0-0 1 1 2 2
Durcholz 0-2 2-2 3 0 0 2
Harman 0-3 0-0 1 0 0 0
Hepler 1-3 0-0 1 1 3 2
Sand 0-3 0-0 5 0 0 0
Heiman 0-1 0-0 3 0 0 0
Totals 29-67 15-19 45 17 20 76
Three-point goals - Whitko 0-2 (Herron 0-1, Sellers 0-1), Warsaw 3-13 (Mayer 1-2, Braddock 0-1, Seiss 1-3, Durcholz 0-1, Harman 0-2, Franklin 0-2, Leininger 1-1, Sand 0-1). Turnovers -ÊWhitko 27, Warsaw 9. Blocked shots -ÊWhitko 2 (Jo. Begley 2), Warsaw 4 (DeGeeter 2, Reichard 1, Leininger 1). Fouls - Whitko 17, Warsaw 15. Fouled out -Ênone.
JV -ÊWARSAW 49, WHITKO 14
