By doing the little things, Warsaw's varsity girls basketball team scored arguably its biggest win in nearly a decade Wednesday night. In a thrilling 52-50 victory over Class 4A No. 2 and previously unbeaten Penn, the Lady Tigers were dominant on the boards, cashed in at the charity stripe and were active on defense. As a result, Warsaw improved to 13-3 on the season, while the Lady Kingsmen – last year's state runner-up – fell to 16-1. Penn entered Wednesday's contest having won 26 consecutive games in the regular season. It was arguably the Lady Tigers' biggest win since beating Valparaiso to win the semistate and advance to the 2004 state finals. "The big thing we talked about at halftime was doing the little things," said Warsaw coach Michelle Harter, whose team missed its first nine shots and trailed by 10 points in the first quarter. "I told the girls if they do the little things and are disciplined, we're gonna walk away with a win," added Harter. "In the second half, we did the little things." Bouncing back from Saturday's disappointing loss to Northern Lakes Conference foe Goshen, the Lady Tigers outrebounded Penn 33-18, an effort that led to 17 second-chance points. Warsaw made 15 of 20 free throws, including a pair by junior point guard Sarah Ray with 28 seconds remaining that gave the Lady Tigers a 52-48 lead. It also didn't hurt that Warsaw's held Penn to just two points in the third quarter and 18 in the second half. "This is a huge win for our confidence," said Harter. "The girls have bought in to what we're talking about." Junior Linsday Baker scored a game-high 17 points for the Lady Tigers and also pulled down seven rebounds. The University of Toledo-bound guard was 5 of 6 from the field and 5 of 5 at the free throw line. She made both three-pointers she attempted. Senior Sarah Heagy came through with a double-double of 13 points and 13 reounds. "Lindsay Baker and Sarah Heagy are great leaders on and off the court," said Harter. "They listen very well and they have that little extra something about them." Junior Jennifer Walker-Crawford and sophomore Nikki Grose chipped in with seven points each in the win, while Ray finished with four points. For Penn, sophomore Carolina Buhr scored 14 points, while junior Oliva Carlton added 13, junior Taylor Lutz chipped in with 10 and Tori Milliner finished with eight points. The Lady Kingsmen are 55-6 in Kristi Kaniewski's three-year tenure. Penn led 20-11 after one quarter of play and 32-29 at halftime. Outscoring the Lady Kingsmen 11-2 in the third quarter, Warsaw led 40-34 going into the final frame. A bucket by Baker gave the Lady Tigers a 47-45 lead with 2:42 remaining, and two minutes later she gave Warsaw a 50-45 advantage with a pair of free throws. Penn cut the deficit to two, 50-48, with a Carlton three-pointer with 33 seconds remaining. Ray's free throws gave the Lady Tigers a four-point advantage, and a bucket by Carlton accounted for the final points of the game. "This is a huge win for our program," said Harter. "Maybe we should thank Goshen for getting us ready to go tonight." Warsaw lost 62-58 at Goshen Saturday night, its first loss to the Lady Redskins since 1982. The Lady Tigers are in a five-way tie for first place in the NLC with a 3-1 record. Warsaw is in action again Saturday when it hosts conference foe Concord.
WARSAW 52, PENN 50 P 20 12 2 16 – 50 W 11 18 11 12 – 52 Penn – Taylor Lutz 4-11 0-1 10, Jennifer Mater 0-2 0-0 0, Maya Solomon 0-0 0-0 0, Jessica Alexander 0-0 0-0 0, Carolina Buhr 6-7 2-4 14, Alexandria Morton 2-9 1-2 5, Tori Milliner 2-5 4-5 8. Totals 19-42 7-14 50. Warsaw – Ashley Ousley 0-0 0-0 0, Sarah Ray 0-5 4-6 4, Madison Davis 1-1 0-0 3, Lauren Burish 0-2 0-0 0, Melanie Holladay 0-1 0-0 0, Eryn Leek 0-2 1-2 1, Jennifer Walker-Crawford 2-7 3-4 7, Lindsay Bake 5-6 5-5 17, Sarah Heagy 6-9 1-2 13, Nikki Grose 3-3 1-1 7. Totals 17-36 15-20 52. Three-pointers – Penn 5 (Carlton 3, Lutz 2), Warsaw 3 (Baker 2, Davis); Rebounds – Penn 18 (Milliner 6), Warsaw 33 (Heagy 13); Turnovers – Penn 8, Warsaw 15; Fouls – Penn 16, Warsaw 12; Fouled out – none; Records: Penn 16-1, Warsaw 13-3 JV – Penn 37, Warsaw 23 Warsaw – Vicki Harris 7, Pam Miller 5, Courtney Farling 5, Morgan Holsclaw 4
