Lady Tigers Win Tourney TitleWarsaw senior Madi Graham was named the Most Valuable Player in Tuesday’s 37th annual Lady Tiger Tournament. In a pair of double-digit wins, Warsaw’s defensive effort was also MVP-like. After giving up just 12 points to Mishawaka in the first half of a 56-41 semifinal win, the Lady Tigers only surrendered 21 points to Chesterton through three quarters of a 47-31 victory in the championship game. Warsaw made 25 steals and forced 51 total turnovers in the two wins, which led to their 14th Lady Tiger Tournament title. While it may sound cliché, the Lady Tigers’ defense was hard-nosed. Freshman Kaylee Patton even played with a broken nose, which she suffered in the morning session when she was elbowed by teammate Kacy Bragg. Patton wore a protective mask in the championship game but quickly shed it. Her toughness was the epitome of Warsaw’s defensive effort. “That’s one really nice thing with our defense, the girls are really buying into what we want to do defensively,” said Warsaw coach Michelle Harter, whose team improved to 14-1 this season and extended its win streak to nine games. “We’re using our length to our advantage, and when we don’t communicate, that’s when we see teams take advantage of us. But, the girls have done such a tremendous job of sitting in their stance, being disciplined and allowing our defense to create some easy offense for us.” In the title tilt with Chesterton (9-5), Warsaw led 12-9 after one quarter of play, but turned up the pressure en route to a 27-14 advantage at halftime and a 37-21 cushion heading into the final frame. Of Chesterton’s 24 turnovers, 17 came in the middle two quarters, helping Warsaw pull away. Graham, who made five three-pointers and scored a game-high 18 points in the semifinal victory over Mishawaka, tallied a game-high 13 points in the evening session. In the two games, Graham made eight treys and scored 31 points. “It’s really nice to see Madi come out and play with such confidence, and have such a great tournament,” said Harter. “(Assistant) coach (Mindy) Stookey said Monday in practice, ‘Madi’s gonna have a great tournament, I can just feel it.’ “Madi stepped on the floor, and offensively, and even on the defensive end, you’re seeing her do some really great things for us. That helps take some pressure off Dayton (Groninger), and it helps the other girls relax and play. It’s good to see her have a good senior year.” Groninger tallied 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals in the semifinal game, but was held to two points in the finals. Bragg and senior Mariah Rivera picked up the slack against Chesterton, scoring 11 and nine points, respectively. Bragg and Groninger joined Graham on the all-tournament team, as did Chesterton’s Hailey Vale, Mishawaka’s Raegen Freitag and Perry Meridian’s Sadie Hill. Chesterton topped Perry Meridian 51-49 in the morning session with a pair of late free throws. Perry Meridian beat Mishawaka 50-45 in the consolation game. In their win over Mishawaka, the Lady Tigers trailed 4-3 early, but went on a 17-0 run. Warsaw led 28-12 at halftime and 38-27 at the end of the third quarter. The Lady Tigers’ next three games are on the road, as they travel to Wabash Jan. 4, followed by Northern Lakes Conference games at Northridge (Jan. 7) and Elkhart Memorial (Jan. 11).
Other semifinal: Chesterton 51, Perry Meridian 49 Consolation: Perry Meridian 45, Mishawaka 40 All-Tournament Team – Madi Graham (War, MVP), Dayton Groninger (War), Kacy Bragg (War), Hailey Vale (Che), Raegen Freitag (Mish), Sadie Hill (PM)
