Experience, it’s been said, is the best teacher. Warsaw’s varsity girls basketball team has plenty of experience, and the Lady Tigers have the talent to teach their opponents a few lessons this season. Coach Michelle Harter’s team was 16-5 overall and 5-2 in the Northern Lakes Conference last year. The fifth-year skipper would like to do even better this time around. “I think we have a good opportunity to improve on what we did last year,” said Harter. “Our No. 1 goal is to be a really good defensive team. No. 2, we want to get to the free throw line. We got to the line last year, but we didn’t make a high percentage of our free throws.” Headlining Warsaw’s long list of returning players is 5-foot-11 guard Lindsay Baker, who will play on a Division I scholarship at University of Toledo. Baker averaged 14 points, five rebounds and four assists en route to Times-Union Area Player of the Year honors. She made 43 percent of her field goals, 45 percent of her three-point attempts and shot 84 percent at the free throw line. “Lindsay Baker is going to be a great leader for us,” said Harter. “She’s been on the varsity team since she was a freshman, and she leads by example. She does so much for us. She’s like an extension of the coaching staff out on the court.” Other’s returning for the Lady Tigers include seniors Jennifer Walker-Crawford, Sarah Ray, Melanie Holladay and Gabby Monroy, and juniors Eryn Leek, Nikki Grose and Gabby Monroy. The remainder of the roster includes sophomores Vicki Harris and Pam Miller. “We have a team with a lot of experience coming back,” said Harter. “The players know what we expect of them, and they know how to handle themselves. I think our experience is definitely going to be a plus for us.” The Lady Tigers open the season Saturday when they host Huntington North. Warsaw will then host Fort Wayne Luers on Nov. 13 and Tippecanoe Valley on Nov. 16. Of the the Lady Tigers’ first eight games, six of them will be in the Tiger Den. “I think this group has the experience and the talent to be very good,” said Harter. “We get to play a lot of home games right out of the gate, and I think that will help the girls relax. I think that’s an advantage for us, and we’ll be able to get off to a good start.”
