Elkhart Memorial has ended Warsaw’s season the past four years. Their paths will likely cross again Friday in the semifinals of Class 4A Sectional 4 at Goshen High School. The Lady Tigers drew a bye and will play at 7:30 p.m. Friday against the winner of Tuesday’s game between city rivals Central and Memorial. Memorial beat Central by 32 points on Jan. 4 “The kids are excited we got the bye, first of all,” said Warsaw coach Michelle Harter, whose team finished the regular season with an overall record of 16-4 and with a 5-2 mark in the Northern Lakes Conference. “We get to watch a little bit and see the other teams play,” she added. “We’re excited about the opportunity of probably playing Memorial again.” Northridge and the host Lady Redskins open sectional play Tuesday at 6 p.m., followed by Central and Memorial. Concord will play the winner of Game 1 Friday at 6 p.m., followed by Warsaw and the winner of Game 2. The championship game is slated for 7:30 p.m. Saturday. “This year it’s wide open,” Harter said of the sectional. “There’s four really strong teams. Any team can win on any night. You have to be ready to play each game, or your season could be over.” Between conference games and sectional matchups, Warsaw has lost 12-straight games to Memorial. Only four of those losses have been by fewer than 10 points. In a home game on Jan. 24, the Lady Tigers were just 15 of 51 from the field but only lost 39-37 to Memorial. Harter knows her team can play better, and expects that to happen – no matter who the Lady Tigers face Friday. “We watched the film (from the Memorial game), and we know what we need to improve on,” said Harter. “We need to tighten our defense up a little, block out and rebound. Those are things we can fix.” Memorial has won eight-straight sectional championships, though they haven’t always been in the same sectional as Warsaw. On the flipside, the Lady Tigers are looking for their first sectional title since advancing to the state finals in 2004. With a number of underclassmen playing a lot of varsity minutes, Warsaw went into last season’s state tournament with a 10-9 record and advanced to the sectional championship. Now a year older, and with another season of experience under their belt, Harter and the Lady Tigers believe they can win the sectional championship. “The experience we gained from last year, and the schedule we played this year, I think is really going to help us,” said Harter. “It’s about being confident at the right time, and the girls really believe in themselves and each other right now.” Following the disappointing loss to Memorial, Warsaw bounced back with an 11-point win over Class 3A No. 3 NorthWood. The Lady Tigers’ resume this season also includes a win over Class 4A No. 2 Penn – the Lady Kingsmen’s only loss of the season – and a six-point loss to 4A No. 1 Hamilton Southeastern. Junior Lindsay Baker leads Warsaw in scoring with 14 points per game, while senior Sarah Heagy and junior Jennifer Walker-Crawford add 11 and seven points, respectively.
