A quick start was all the Warsaw Lady Tigers needed to put the finishing touches on South Bend Riley Thursday night. In what was more of a tuneup for Tuesday’s sectional showdown with Elkhart Memorial than it was a competitive game, Class 4A No. 9 Warsaw cruised to a 77-23 win over the visiting Lady Wildcats on senior night. The Lady Tigers, who improved to 19-1 on the season, scored the first 15 points of the game, led 34-3 at halftime and held a 51-11 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. So dominating were the Lady Tigers, they scored more points in the fourth quarter (26) than Riley did the entire game. “The key tonight was coming out and worrying about what we do,” said Warsaw coach Michelle Harter, whose team responded to Saturday’s loss at NorthWood in a big way. “We wanted to make sure we were patient and executed on offense. We hit some shots early and got on a roll. I thought that was a big key. We got our feet set and knocked down some shots. We didn’t do those things against NorthWood.” As impressive as they were offensively, defense has been the Lady Tigers’ calling card, and they got the job done again Thursday. The Lady Wildcats, who fell to 4-16, turned the ball over 20 times – 14 of which were steals by Warsaw. Riley finished the game just 8 of 36 from the field overall and 3 of 15 from the arc. “Defensively, we got our hands up,” said Harter. “We played together, played like a team. Doing the little things is how we won our first 18 games. After the way we played at NorthWood, it was nice to see us get back to what makes us good.” Lindsay Baker led Warsaw’s offense with 24 points – all of which came from the arc. Her eight treys tied the single-game school record Kelci Freds set against Wawasee three years ago. “It was definitely in the back of my mind,” said Baker, who could have broke the record in the fourth quarter when her final three-point attempt rimmed out. “As a shooter, it’s cool to have your name on a school record. Once I got to five, I thought I’d at least have a chance to tie it. My teammates kept getting me the ball. They believe in me and trust me. That’s quite a compliment, for your teammates to trust you.” Baker also added six rebounds and five assists to her stat line. Jennifer Walker-Crawford chipped in with 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals. “It’s awesome to be a part of this team and get to see these girls every day,” said Walker-Crawford. “We work hard every day, and I couldn’t ask for better teammates.” Melanie Holladay added 11 points, five boards and four assists, while junior Nikki Grose scored 11 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Sarah Ray scored seven points for the Lady Tigers, who were 27 of 58 from the field overall, 13 of 24 from the arc, and 10 of 15 at the charity stripe. In recognition of senior night, all five of Warsaw’s seniors – Baker, Holladay, Gabby Monroy, Ray and Walker-Crawford – were in the starting lineup. Playing their last regular season game in the Tiger Den, they certainly went out in style. “I can’t say enough about this group of seniors,” said Harter. “They’re a very special group. They’ve helped turn the program back around. They’ve done every thing I’ve asked of them. They come to practice every day and work hard. I can’t say enough about their leadership, or their heart and desire. I have a great group of seniors.” Quadira Smith led Riley with nine points, while Jessica Rife chipped in with five points.
