Junior Cora Frame went to the bank, while sophomore Kelsey Hollowell cashed in at the charity stripe.
Their big shots in the fourth quarter Saturday night led Huntington North's varsity girls basketball team to a 44-40 win over the Warsaw Lady Tigers in the season opener for both teams.With host Warsaw leading 34-32, Frame banked in a three-pointer to give the Lady Vikings a slim lead with 2:27 remaining in the game.
After the teams battled back and forth for much of the next two minutes of play, Frame banked in another three-pointer to give Huntington North a 40-38 advantage.
Hollowell scored the Lady Vikings' last four points of the game from the free throw line, including a pair of freebies with eight seconds left after Warsaw had cut the lead to two on a pair of charity tosses from sophomore Lindsay Baker.
Both Frame and Hollowell scored 10 points to lead Huntingon North, which had opened its previous two seasons with losses to the Lady Tigers.
After Saturday's four-point loss, third-year Warsaw coach Michelle Harter talked about the importance of free-throw shooting.
Hollowell was 6 of 6 at the line, all of in the fourth quarter, and as a team the Lady Vikings finished the game 12 of 16 at the stripe.
The Lady Tigers, on the other hand, were 13 of 24 at the free throw line.
"We did what we had to do, we got to the line, we just didn't hit our free throws," said Harter. "Free throws will win games for you. That definitely stands out as something we need to work on."
The Lady Vikings were 14 of 34 from the field overall, while the Lady Tigers were 13 of 34.
To go with its impressive performance at the charity stripe, Huntington North was 4 of 8 from three-point range, while Warsaw was 1 of 7.
Senior Kayla Schenkel chipped in with seven points for Huntington North, while classmates Jordan Parrot and Tajsha Shrock scored five points each.
Senior Kayla Stout led Warsaw with a game-high 12 points, while junior Madison Davis and Baker chipped in with eight points each and sophomore Jennifer Walker-Crawford added six points.
The Lady Tigers trailed 9-8 after the first quarter and later led 19-15 at halftime and 30-23 after three quarters of play.
After scoring a total of 23 points in the first three quarters of play, Huntington North scored 21 points in the fourth quarter alone.
"We had a five-point lead in the fourth quarter, and then we didn't get the ball inside to our senior (Stout)," said Harter. "We've got some things to work on, but there were some bright spots. We forced 27 turnovers, and we only gave up 23 points through three quarters. No. 14 banks in two threes in the fourth quarter, that's how it goes sometimes."
The teams combined for 51 turnovers and 35 fouls.
Not only was it the season opener, but for the majority of the Lady Tigers it was their first real varsity action.
Warsaw graduated eight players, including four starters, from last year's 16-6 team that won the Northern Lakes Conference championship.
"We had our chances," said Harter. "We just didn't hit our free throws and we got out-hustled on some plays. There were some bright spots, and we know what we need to work on. I know this group will come to practice ready to work hard."
The Lady Tigers are in action again Tuesday when they host Fort Wayne Bishop Luers.
HUNTINGTON NORTH 44, WARSAW 40
HN 9 6 8 21 - 44
W 8 11 11 10 - 40
H. North - Cora Fame 3-4 2-2 10, Kelsey Hollowell 2-3 6-6 10, Kayla Schenkel 2-5 3-5 7, Tajsha Schrock 2-5 0-0 5, Jordan Parrot 2-5 0-0 5, Taylor Pursifull 2-2 0-0 4, Liesl Davenport 1-9 1-3 3, Este Stoffel 0-1 0-0 0, Zsofi Abraham 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-34 12-16 44.
Warsaw - Kayla Stout 5-10 2-5 12, Madison Davis 3-7 1-4 8, Lindsay Baker 2-8 4-7 8, Jennifer Walker-Crawford 1-2 4-4 6, Brooklyn Harrison 1-2 1-2 3, Lauren Burish 1-4 0-0 2, Sarah Heagy 0-1 1-2 1. Totals 13-34 13-24 40.
Three-point goals - H. North 4 (Frame 2, Schrock, Parrot), Warsaw 1 (Davis). Rebounds - H. North 23 (Schock 7, Schenkel 6), Warsaw 21 (Baker 5). Turnovers - H. North 27, Warsaw 24. Fouls - H. North 19, Warsaw 16. Fouled out - none. Records: H. North 1-0, Warsaw 0-1.
