SYRACUSE - It's only fitting that Warsaw senior Kelci Freds' jersey number is three.
In a 62-40 win at Northern Lakes Conference and Kosciusko County rival Wawasee Saturday night, Freds made a school-record eight three-pointers, helping the Lady Tigers remain undefeated."Kelci is a great shooter," said Warsaw coach Michelle Harter. "Credit her teammates, too, for finding her. Kelci is also a good passer, she didn't force any shots."
Freds, who broke her own school record of seven three-pointers, finished 8 of 13 from the field - all of her attempts were from three-point range - and was 2 of 3 at the free throw line en route to a game-high 26 points.
Senior Sarah Shilling added 11 points in the win, while senior Kaelee Sands and junior Kayla Stout chipped in with eight points each.
"They're a very good team," Wawasee coach Kem Zolman said of Warsaw. "They're undefeated. We weren't guarding people, but give Warsaw credit, they still had to hit those shots."
Warsaw finished the game 20 of 39 (51 percent) from the field overall and 10 of 16 (63 percent) from three-point range.
The Lady Warriors, on the other hand, were 14 of 34 (41 percent) from the field overall and 5 of 13 (39 percent) from three-point range.
With the 22-point win, Warsaw improved to 8-0 overall and 1-0 in the NLC. But for the first two quarters of play, the game was anything but a blowout.
The host Lady Warriors, who fell to 6-3 overall and 0-1 in the NLC, raced out to an 8-0 lead and held a 20-13 advantage heading into the second quarter.
Wawasee trailed by just two, 28-26, at halftime, but after scoring 20 points in the first quarter, the Lady Warriors only scored 20 points in the final three frames.
"We're up to two quarters," said Zolman. "But we've got to play more than two quarters. We've got to be more agressive."
After trailing 20-13 at the end of the first quarter, the Lady Tigers were certainly the aggressor.
Warsaw outscored the Lady Warriors 15-6 in the second stanza and opened the third quarter with a 19-2 run.
"That's something we talked about, that teams are going to come out and play their best game against us," said Harter. "We have to match teams' intensity when they do that. We didn't get off to a great start, but we fought back, and I'm proud of the kids for that. I told the kids at halftime if they do the small things, good things will happen."
Good things certainly happened for the Lady Tigers, who opened the second half with three-pointers from Sands and Freds.
Wawasee responded with a bucket of its own, but Warsaw rattled off the game's next 13 points and bew the game wide open.
"I wish I could tell you I know this team like the back of my hand, but I don't," Zolman said of his team. "If I would have told you we'd come out the way we did tonight, you'd think I was nuts. We came out aggressive tonight, we just didn't sustain it."
Senior Amy Walker led Wawasee with 12 points, while freshman KiLee Knafel added nine points and senior Kaytie Woodard chipped in with five points.
Wawasee is in action again Jan. 2 in the Plymouth Shootout, while Warsaw hosts the Lady Tiger Tournament on Dec. 29.
