Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SYRACUSE - Northridge and Wawasee's girls basketball teams both wore green and white uniforms in Friday night's Wawasee 3A Sectional semifinal round game. That's the only category where the Raiders came close to the undefeated No. 2 Warriors.
Wawasee jumped out to a 14-0 lead 3-1/2 minutes into the game, and five-foot-10 University of Tennessee recruit and 2002 Miss Basketball front-runner Shanna Zolman hadn't even taken a shot yet.
Wawasee went on to win 77-57, upping its record to 22-0 and setting up Saturday's sectional title game with 19-3 No. 5 NorthWood, a team the Warriors have topped in the last three meetings.
Northridge, a team that Wawasee dismantled 86-51 just a few weeks ago, finishes its season with a 9-12 mark.
Folks in the Wawasee cheering section made a pact they would stand up until the Warriors scored their first basket. Those fans stood a mere eight seconds. And that was the story of the game in the first quarter, as the Warriors scored early and often and went to the second stanza with a 22-11 lead. Zolman had just two points in the first eight minutes.
It didn't matter though. She made up for it by assisting her teammates, pulling down rebounds and making steals.
Sophomore frontliners Jessica Leach and Jocelyn Higginbotham scored eight points each for the Warriors in the opening quarter. Leach pulled down six rebounds in the first quarter.
"I thought we came out very focused at the beginning of the game," third-year Wawasee coach Kem Zolman said.
Zolman scored the first seven points of the second stanza, hitting a field goal then stealing Northridge's inbounds pass and laying it in and then drilling a three-pointer on Wawasee's next possession.
Zolman scored 13 in the second quarter and finished the evening with a game-high 28. Leach finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Higginbotham added 12 points.
Wawasee went into halftime with a 43-17 lead. The Raiders outscored the Warriors in the second half, but it was too little too late, and the Wawasee/NorthWood matchup was set.
"What happened in the past is over," Kem Zolman said of this year's two meetings with NorthWood, the last of which Wawasee won by 17.
"I told the girls congratulations because they put themselves in position to win a sectional title. NorthWood is next. They're the next team on our schedule, that's how we're approaching it. Am I scared, are the kids fearful? Not at all.
"I want them to come with their 'A' game, that way they can't leave with any excuses. I hope we come with our 'A' game, and that the loser roots for the winner the rest of the way through the tournament. I have a lot of respect for the program they've built over the years. I would never say anything bad about their players or their program."
The Raiders got as close as 17, 60-43, in the final frame when junior Gretchen Herto hit a basket with 7:15 remaining.
Junior guard Laura Carlson led Northridge with 13 points, while classmate Lindsey Schrock added 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Tonight's sectional championship game is set to tip off at 7:30 p.m.
No. 2 WAWASEE 77
NORTHRIDGE 57
Wawasee (22-0) 22 21 17 17 - 77
Northridge (9-12) 11 6 24 16 - 57
Wawasee FG FT R S Pts.
Zolman (G) 11-22 2-2 8 2 28
Fawley (G) 2-4 2-2 1 0 6
Wallen (F) 2-13 0-0 3 0 7
Leach (F) 7-8 5-8 11 2 19
Higginbotham (C) 6-7 0-2 6 0 12
Sorenson 0-1 1-3 0 0 1
Bender 0-0 2-2 1 0 2
Auer 1-2 0-0 2 0 2
Henderson 0-4 0-0 3 3 0
Bradford 0-3 0-0 0 0 0
Lamb 0-0 0-0 1 1 0
Totals 30-64 12-19 36 8 77
Northridge FG FT R S Pts.
Carlson (G) 5-14 0-0 3 1 13
Herto (F) 2-5 1-2 2 0 5
Schrock (G) 5-15 1-1 13 0 11
Warlick (F) 2-6 2-2 1 1 6
Charette (C) 2-4 0-4 4 0 4
Ramey 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
Moses 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
Hufnagle 3-7 2-2 1 0 8
Adams 3-5 0-0 1 0 6
Totals 24-57 6-13 26 2 57
Three-point goals - Wawasee 5-14 (Zolman 4-9, Wallen 1-2, Henderson 0-2, Fawley 0-1), Northridge 3-13 (Carlson 3-11, Schrock 0-1, Charette 0-1). Turnovers - Wawasee 10, Northridge 15. Fouls - Wawasee 14, Northridge 16. Fouled out - Warlick.
Wawasee 3A Sectional
Tuesday's Games
NorthWood 60, Angola 42
West Noble 52, Lakeland 33
Friday's Games
NorthWood 50, West Noble 41
Wawasee 77, Northridge 57
Today
7:30 p.m. championship - No. 2 Wawasee (22-0) vs. NorthWood (19-3)
