Over the years, the high school girls basketball rivalry between Warsaw and Columbia City has produced some memorable games. Tuesday’s contest, the 50th meeting between the two tradition-rich programs, was certainly worth remembering for the Lady Tigers and their fans. Bouncing back from Saturday's disappointing 15-point loss to conference rival Plymouth, Warsaw rode an impressive defensive effort to a 43-36 win over the visiting Lady Eagles. Improving to 5-5 on the season, the Lady Tigers limited Columbia City to just one point in the third quarter and held the Lady Eagles 19 points below their season scoring average. After winning its first eight games of the season, Columbia City is now 8-2 after losses to Norwell and Warsaw. “This is a very big win for us against an excellent Columbia City team,” said Warsaw coach Michelle Harter. “We played solid defense tonight. I wondered how we would respond to Saturday's loss, and we came out and played well against a really good Columbia City team.” Tuesday’s game featured 11 lead changes and five ties. The Lady Tigers led 12-11 after one quarter of play, the teams were tied 22-22 at halftime, and Warsaw held a 27-23 advantage at the end of the third quarter. “When you're a young team, sometimes it's hard to close the game and make shots down the stretch,” said Harter, whose team features seven sophomores. “The girls listened, and they were strong with the ball. They stepped up after we were disappointed in our performance Saturday (in a 41-26 loss to Plymouth).” The Lady Tigers were 12 of 28 (43 percent) from the field overall and 19 of 27 from the charity stripe. Columbia City, on the other hand, was 12 of 35 (34 percent) from the field and 12 of 22 from the free throw line. Neither team made a three-pointer Tuesday, as the Lady Eagles were 0 of 5 from the arc and the Lady Tigers were 0 of 6. Senior Vicki Harris and sophomore Dayton Groninger scored 12 points each for Warsaw, while sophomore Mariah Rivera added eight points and senior Erin Clemens chipped in with five. Rivera's eight points came after she scored just seven points in the first nine games of the season. For Columbia City, Chelsea Pettigrew led the way with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Elise Cormany scored seven points and Macie Hinen and Aubrey Wright chipped in with six points each. The Lady Tigers, who now own a 31-19 record in the all-time series with Columbia City, are in action again Saturday when they host Wawasee.
WARSAW 43, COLUMBIA CITY 36 CC 11 11 1 13 – 36 War 12 10 5 16 – 43 Col. City – Darian Farber 1-3 2-2 4, Aubrey Wright 3-8 0-0 6, Chelsea Pettigrew 4-6 3-6 11, Elise Cormany 1-5 5-10 7, Regan Decker 0-2 0-0 0, Bailey Rentschler 0-2 0-2 0, Macie Hinen 2-7 2-2 6, Morgan Bales 0-1 0-0 0, Natalia Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Bella Krieg 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 12-35 12-22 36. Warsaw – Page Desenberg 0-2 1-2 1, Mariah Rivera 2-4 4-4 8, Vicki Harris 4-8 4-5 12, Jodie Carlson 0-1 1-2 1, Dayton Groninger 3-5 6-7 12, Pam Miller 1-3 0-1 2, Madi Graham 1-3 0-2 2, Erin Clemens 1-3 3-4 5, Lauren Shaffner 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-28 19-27 43. Three-pointers – Col. City 0, Warsaw 0; Rebounds – Col. City 25 (Pettigrew 7), Warsaw 24 (Desenberg 5); Turnovers – Col. City 14, Warsaw 11; Fouls – Col. City 22, Warsaw 19; Fouled out – Farber; Records: Col. City 8-2, Warsaw 5-5 JV – Warsaw 33, Col. City 29 Warsaw (10-0) – Jessie Kersey 10, Kenzie Welk 7, Maryann Marandet 7, Maddy Martz 6, Lauren Shaffner 3
