Lady Tigers Post Dominating Win Over Columbia City
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Dale Hubler-dhubler@timesuniononline.com
Much like the overall series has the past decade, Warsaw’s game with U.S. 30 rival Columbia City Tuesday turned into a dominating performance by the Lady Tigers. Led by the strong inside play of Jennifer Walker-Crawford and Nikki Grose, Warsaw turned an 11-10 lead after one quarter of play into a 60-29 win over the Lady Eagles. The Lady Tigers have now won 11 straight games against Columbia City and 12 of the last 13. Walker-Crawford was 8 of 12 from the field en route to a game-high 18 points. The 6-foot-1 senior also pulled down six rebounds. Grose, a 6-0 junior who had 16 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday’s win over Plymouth, was 7 of 7 from the field and finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. While Columbia City tallied 29 points and 19 rebounds as a team, the Lady Tigers got 29 points and 15 rebounds out of Walker-Crawford and Grose. “That was definitely huge,” Warsaw coach Michelle Harter said of her team’s inside presence. “Our post players are starting to play really well. That’s going to be a key for us. Good teams have a strong inside-outside combo, and that’s what we’re looking for.” Senior Lindsay Baker chipped in with 11 points, five rebounds and a pair steals, while senior Melanie Holladay added eight points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. With the win, Warsaw improved to 7-0 on the season, while Columbia City fell to 2-7 with its fourth-consecutive loss. “I’m pleased with the way we’re playing,” said Harter, whose team is giving up just 35 points per game and winning by an average of 19. “There’s things we can work on, but I like the effort the girls are giving every day in practice and in the games.” Tuesday’s 32-minute game was close for all of eight minutes. After trailing 5-2 early and leading 11-10 at the end of the first quarter, Warsaw outscored the Lady Eagles 49-19 the rest of the way. “The first quarter we didn’t come out with the same intensity we did against Plymouth (Saturday),” said Harter. “We were slow on our rotations. After that, we did a better job trapping them and not allowing them out of the trap. And we came up with some turnovers that created offense.” Columbia City committed 18 turnovers, which the Lady Tigers turned into 20 points. Warsaw also hurt the Lady Eagles with 15 second-chance points, as the Lady Tigers posted a 30-19 advantage on the boards. Six-foot-2 senior frontliner Emily Whiteleather led Columbia City with eight points and eight rebounds, while junior Alyssa Hansen scored seven points and senior Hannah Schnorr and sophomore Aubrey Wright added six points each. Warsaw will be in action Saturday when it hosts rival Wawasee. Columbia City travels to Kendallville Saturday to play East Noble.
WARSAW 60, COLUMBIA CITY 29 CC 10 5 8 6 – 29 War 11 17 16 16 – 60 CC – Aubrey Wright 2-7 0-0 6, Brittney Renninger 0-1 0-0 0, Alyssa Hansen 3-8 0-0 7, Megan Deutsch 0-1 2-2 2, Bailey Rentschler 0-0 0-0 0, Macie Hine 0-6 0-1 0, Hannah Schnorr 3-7 0-0 6, Emily Whiteleather 4-6 0-0 8. Totals 12-36 2-3 29. Warsaw – Sarah Ray 0-1 1-2 1, Courtney Farling 0-0 0-0 0, Vicki Harris 1-1 0-1 2, Melanie Holladay 2-4 4-5 8, Eryn Leek 1-2 0-0 3, Jennifer Walker-Crawford 8-12 1-5 18, Lindsay Baker 4-9 3-3 11, Brooklyn Harrison 1-4 0-0 2, Pam Miller 0-1 0-0 0, Nikki Grose 7-7 1-3 15, Gabby Monroy 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-41 10-19 60. Three-pointers – Col. City 3 (Wright 2, Hansen), Warsaw 2 (Leek, Walker-Crawford); Rebounds – Col. City 19 (Whiteleather 8), Warsaw 30 (Grose 9); Turnovers – Col. City 18, Warsaw 10; Fouls – Col. City 16, Warsaw 12; Fouled out – none; Records: Col. City 2-7, Warsaw 7-0 JV – Warsaw 33, Col. City 12 Warsaw (7-0) – Megan Kratsch 9, Courtney Farling 8, Vicki Harris 4, Erin Clemens 4, Tennie Worrell 2, Haley June 2, Jodie Carlson 2, Pam Miller 2
