Lady Tigers Open Season With WinDayton Groninger didn’t get off to a great start Saturday night. The way the talented senior finished the game, however, helped the Lady Tigers open their season with a 63-50 win over the visiting Fort Wayne Bishop Luers Knights. Groninger sat out most of the first half after being whistled for two fouls in the first two minutes of the contest. She made up for it by scoring 18 of her game-high 20 points in the second half, including 13 in the fourth quarter. “She could have been upset that she didn’t get to play much in the first half because she was in foul trouble,” Warsaw coach Michelle Harter said of Groninger, who also tallied nine rebounds and three steals. “She put it out of her head, she came in and gave us what we needed. Everybody else picked it up in the first half, and battled and did the little things that last year we weren’t doing. It’s everybody on the team stepping up and making the plays we need.” Sophomore Kacy Bragg chipped in with 12 points, five boards and a pair of assists, while senior Madi Graham scored 11 points – all in the first half – and made two steals. Senior Page Desenberg and freshman Kaylee Patton grabbed eight rebounds each, as the Lady Tigers beat Luers 38-20 on the boards, including 19-6 on the offensive glass. “We got better as the game went on. Early on we weren’t boxing out and being as strong as we needed to,” said Harter. “As the game went on we made sure we were boxing out and being strong with the basketball. That’s going to be a big key for us. We’re not big, but you don’t have to be big to rebound. It’s all about positioning and doing your work, and the girls did that.” The Lady Tigers trailed 12-11 after one quarter of play, but led 27-20 at halftime. Trailing 35-25, Luers went on a 10-0 run that tied the game when Lydia Reimbold made a three-pointer with 46 seconds left in the third quarter. Another Luers trey early in the final frame cut Warsaw’s lead to three, 41-38, but the Lady Tigers responded with a 19-6 run that put the game away. Saturday’s game was a victory in many ways for the Lady Tigers, more than just on the scoreboard. Luers topped Warsaw in five of the previous six meetings. And the Lady Tigers wanted to get off to a better start than last season, when they lost their first nine games. Mission accomplished. “It’s huge for us to come out and win, especially after they went on that 10-0 run and tied the game up,” said Harter. “We could have very easily said ‘oh my gosh, here we go again.’ The girls put it out of their head, and we built a 16-point lead after that and just put the game away. That’s learning from that experience last year of having to deal with so much adversity.” Reimbold led Luers with 15 points, while Kathryn Knapke and Taylor Bradley scored eight points each. Warsaw won the JV game 47-20, and beat Luers 32-30 in the freshman contest. The Lady Tigers are in action again Wednesday at Manchester.
