GOSHEN - Warsaw got off to a great start. Elkhart Memorial, however, had a better finish. In a Class 4A girls basketball sectional semfinal at Goshen High School, the Warsaw Lady Tigers raced out to an 8-0 advantage and led for nearly two-and-a-half quarters. The Memorial Lady Crimson Chargers took their first lead of the game midway through the third quarter with a 13-2 run and never looked back, though, as they beat Warsaw 52-41. "In the first half we did the things we talked about, we did the things we needed to do to get a win," said Warsaw coach Michelle Harter, whose team also lost to Memorial 39-37 on Jan. 24 in the the Tiger Den. "In the second half, we missed some shots, and we played not to lose, rather than playing to win," added Harter. Memorial improved to 19-5 and advanced to tonight's 7:30 p.m. championship game against Northridge (19-5), a 59-21 winner over Concord in Friday's first semifinal game. Memorial is looking for its ninth-straight sectional championshp and 14th overall. The Lady Tigers haven't won a sectional title since 2004 and finished their season with a 16-5 record. Warsaw has lost 13-straight games to Memorial, including sectional losses the past five seasons. "It becomes mental," Harter said of the program's losing streak to Memorial. "You have to come out and play with confidence, and we did that in the first half. In the second half, we had mental breakdowns, and we didn't do the things we needed to do to win." Behind 11 first-quarter points from junior Lindsay Baker, the Lady Tigers led 15-11 after one quarter of play and 22-19 at halftime. Warsaw was effective on offense in the first half, while its defense held Memorial to 8-of-27 shooting. That all changed in the second half, as the Lady Tigers made just 7 of 24 shots after the intermission. Warsaw made more turnovers (8) than field goals (7) in the second half. Memorial led 35-29 at the end of the third quarter and outscored the Lady Tigers 33-19 overall in the final 16 minutes of play. Warsaw trailed 46-41 with 39 seconds remaining, and the Lady Crimson Chargers iced the game with free throws. Memorial was 0 of 4 at the charity stripe in the first half, but 13 of 17 in the third and fourth quarters. Sophomore Khadijah Moore led an athletic Memorial team with 16 points and 17 rebounds, while junior Monica Jones chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds and senior Brionna Barnett scored 11 points, despite lengthy rest because of foul trouble. For Warsaw, Baker led the way with 18 points and five rebounds, while senior Sarah Heagy added 10 points and six boards. Baker and Heagy were a combined 11 of 17 from the field. The rest of Warsaw's team made just 4 of 27 shot attempts. Junior Jennifer Walker-Crawford and sophomore Nikki Grose scored four points each in the loss, while senior Lauren Burish and sophomore Ashley ousley chipped in with three and two points, respectively.
ELKHART MEMORIAL 52, WARSAW 41 War 15 7 7 12 – 41 EM 11 8 16 17 – 52 Warsaw - Ashley Ousley 1-5 0-0 2, Sarah Ray 0-0 0-0 0, Madison Davis 0-1 0-0 0, Lauren Burish 0-2 3-4 3, Melanie Holladay 0-1 0-0 0, Eryn Leek 0-0 0-0 0, Jennifer Walker-Crawford 2-13 0-0 4, Lindsay Baker 6-12 2-2 18, Brooklyn Harrison 0-1 0-0 0, Sarah Heagy 5-5 0-2 10, Nikki Grose 1-4 2-3 4. Totals 15-44 7-11 41 Memorial – Paige Newvine 1-1 1-2 4, Victoria Kyle 1-4 2-4 5, Brionna Barnett 4-9 2-2 11, Monica Jones 5-16 1-2 12, Alyssa Wagner 1-3 1-3 4, Jenai Peoples 0-0 0-0 0, Cassidy Parsons 0-3 0-0 0, Tearra Holliday 0-0 0-0 0, Khadijah Moore 5-9 6-8 16, Alexandria Magnuson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-45 13-21 52 Three-pointers – Warsaw 4 (Baker 4), Memorial 5 (Newvine, Kyle, Barnett, Jones, Wagner); Rebounds – Warsaw 33 (Burish 6, Heagy 6), Memorial 32 (Moore 17); Turnovers – Warsaw 17, Memorial 9; Fouls – Warsaw 19, Memorial 17; Fouled out – none; Records: Warsaw 16-5, Memorial 19-5 Other semifinal: Northridge 59, Concord 21 Records: Northridge 19-5, Concord 6-17
