One of coach Michelle Harter’s goals is for her Warsaw girls basketball team to shoot and make more free throws than the opposition. The Lady Tigers certainly did that Saturday night in their Northern Lakes Conference opener against U.S. 30 rival Plymouth. In its 51-41 win, Warsaw was 19 of 23 at the free throw line, including a 10-of-12 effort in the fourth quarter. Cashing in at the charity stripe helped the Lady Tigers improve to 6-0 on the season. The Lady Pilgrims, on the other hand, were 7 of 8 at the free throw line, and fell to 6-2 with their second-straight loss. “Free throws were huge tonight,” said Harter, whose team has won its last four meetings with Plymouth. “One of our goals is to make more free throws than our opponents. The girls did a nice job attacking the basket and getting to the line.” The majority of Warsaw’s points at the free throw line came from senior Lindsay Baker and junior Nikki Grose. En route to a game-high 17 points, Baker was 6 of 6 at the charity stripe with Indiana All-Stars game director Charlie Hall in attendance. Grose, who made 6 of 7 free throws, finished the game with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Grose scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half. “We know Nikki has that in her,” Harter said of her standout post player’s performance. “This is what she’s capable of. She stepped up tonight.” Seniors Melanie Holladay and Jennifer Walker-Crawford scored five points each for Warsaw, which allowed Plymouth to score 21 points in the fourth quarter after the Lady Pilgrims scored just 20 points in the first three stanzas combined. The Lady Tigers led 14-4 after one quarter of play, 22-9 at halftime and 33-20 at the end of the third quarter. Plymouth cut the deficit to five, 44-39, when sophomore Haley Harrell hit a three-pointer, but the Lady Tigers were able to pull away again down the stretch with free throws. “I like how we weathered the storm,” said Harter. “Plymouth is a great team, and we knew they would battle back. Our goal is to win the NLC championship. It’s a great conference, and I think it’s wide open this year. You have to be ready to play every night, and you have to take care of your home court. We did that tonight.” Saturday’s game opened a stretch in which Warsaw will play six out of seven games in the Tiger Den. The Lady Tigers will host Columbia City Tuesday, and then welcome county and conference rival Wawasee to town Saturday night. Plymouth, which has already won as many games as it did all of last season, will try to snap its two-game losing streak Tuesday at non-conference opponent Glenn. In Saturday’s loss, Harrell led Plymouth with 12 points, while classmate Hunter Stevens added 11 points and senior Lauren Tanner and sophomore Kaydon Fosler scored six points each. WARSAW 51, PLYMOUTH 41 Ply 4 5 11 21 – 41 War 14 8 11 18 – 51 Plymouth – Lauren Tanner 2-8 0-0 6, Andria Shook 1-1 0-0 2, Hunter Stevens 2-7 7-8 11, Kaydon Fosler 2-2 0-0 6, Haley Harrell 5-15 0-0 12, Allie Wright 0-0 0-0 0, Amber Redinger 2-4 0-0 4, Shannon Stephenson 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 14-39 7-8 41. Warsaw – Sarah Ray 0-3 1-2 1, Melanie Holiday 2-3 0-0 5, Eryn Leek 0-1 3-4 3, Jennifer Walker-Crawford 1-3 3-4 5, Lindsay Baker 4-11 6-6 17, Brooklyn Harrison 1-4 0-0 2, Pam Miller 1-1 0-0 2, Nikki Grose 5-8 6-7 16. Totals 14-34 19-23 51. Three-pointers – Plymouth 6 (Tanner 2, Fosler 2, Harrell 2), Warsaw 4 (Baker 3, Holliday); Rebounds – Plymouth 27 (Harrell 5), Warsaw 21 (Grose 11); Turnovers – Plymouth 19, Warsaw 12; Fouls – Plymouth 17, Warsaw 14; Fouled out – Redinger; Records: Plymouth 6-2 (0-1 NLC), Warsaw 6-0 (1-0 NLC) JV – Warsaw 35, Plymouth 14 Warsaw – Megan Kratzsch 8, Erin Clemens 7, Vicki Harris 6, Tennie Worrell 5, Courtney Farling 3, Jodie Carlson 2, Ericka Sutton 2, Pam Miller 2
