MIDDLEBURY – Played on a holiday centered around love and happiness, the outcome of Friday night’s Class 4A Sectional 4 semifinal at Northridge High School was heartbreaking for Warsaw’s varsity girls basketball team. In a roller-coaster of a game against the host Lady Raiders, the Lady Tigers overcame a double-digit halftime deficit with a dominating third-quarter performance, only to give up an eight-point advantage over the final 1:17 and fall 42-41. “That was one of the most emotional, gut-wrenching games I’ve been in,” said Warsaw coach Michelle Harter, whose team won just two of its first nine games but finished the season with a 10-10 record. “If you look how we started the season, you’d never think we’d be in a game like this in the sectional. I’m proud of my players. They hung in there and battled.” Warsaw trailed 9-6 after one quarter of play Friday and 21-10 at halftime. After a first half in which they had more turnovers (11) than points, the Lady Tigers played like a completely different team in the third quarter. Warsaw opened the second half on a 17-2 run and outscored Northridge 25-5 in the third quarter all together. With 1:17 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Lady Tigers appeared to be in control, leading 39-31 and doing its best to run the clock out when the Lady Raiders called a timeout. Northridge, playing on its home floor and in search of its first sectional title in program history, had other ideas, however. Trailing 41-34 with 38 seconds remaining, the Lady Raiders got a clutch three-pointer from senior Mikaela Zook. With 20 seconds left, junior Taylor Miller drained a shot from the arc, cutting the deficit to 41-40. Northridge stole the ball on Warsaw’s ensuing possession, and with 13 seconds to play, sophomore Ellie Lengacher made two free throws, accounting for the final score. The Lady Tigers had a chance at the buzzer, but senior Nikki Grose’s mid-range jumper bounced off the rim, sending Northridge’s players, coaching staff and fans into a frenzied celebration. “The way things were going, I thought that shot was going in,” Northridge coach Doug Springer said of Grose’s game-winning attempt. “I had my head buried in my hands. “I’m just so proud of my girls,” he added. “They’re so resilient, and this feels so good. Warsaw has had our number for so many years.” Entering Friday’s game, the Lady Tigers held a 28-2 advantage in the all-time series against Northridge, including a 30-28 win a month ago in Warsaw. After making just enough plays down the stretch, however, the Lady Raiders improved to 17-4 and advanced to tonight’s 7 p.m. sectional championship game against Elkhart County and Northern Lakes Conference rival Goshen. Goshen beat Concord 49-41 in Friday’s second semifinal game. Northridge beat Goshen 50-32 during the regular season. “We’ve been building for this, but we haven’t won anything yet,” said Springer. “We have to come out and win again Saturday.” The Lady Raiders, who were 9 of 32 from the field overall, 5 of 12 from the arc and 19 of 27 from the free throw line, got 11 points from Morgan Miller, while Zook and Taylor Miller scored eight points each and sophomore Baleigh Carithers chipped in with six. The Lady Tigers were led by seniors Brooklyn Harrison and Grose. Harrison scored a game-high 15 points, 10 of which came in the third quarter, and made five steals. Grose scored 13 points, 11 in the third quarter, and grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out four assists and made three steals. “It’s difficult because our girls came out in the second half and played with such passion and energy,” said Harter. “They wanted this game. I’m hurting for our seniors. All season we’ve talked about their leadership, and they helped turn our season around. This really hurts for them. We didn’t make free throws when we need to, and they made theirs. That was a big difference in the game.” Warsaw finished the game 13 of 34 from the field overall, 4 of 13 from the arc, and 11 of 19 from the charity stripe. The Lady Tigers were just 4 of 10 at the free throw line in the fourth quarter. Junior Pam Miller chipped in with eight points and five rebounds in the loss. Along with Grose and Harrison, Warsaw will also lose starting guard Eryn Leek and reserve Courtney Farling to graduation.
