ANGOLA - Brennan McAdams went 6 of 6 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter to lift Wawasee's girls basketball team past Northern Lakes Conference foe Northridge 36-30 Saturday in the championship game of the Angola Sectional.
The Class 3A No. 8 Warriors held off a late charge by the Raiders to win their first sectional title since 2001.
"We have been practicing our free throws every morning," said McAdams, a Wawasee sophomore. "We would shoot 50 to 100 free throws everyday. When I went to the line tonight, I just concentrated and hit the shots."
McAdams finished the night with a game-high 11 points. She was 8 of 8 from the free throw line.
"I am really proud of Brennan, she hit some big free throws," said Wawasee coach Kem Zolman. "If you look at earlier, her free throw shooting at the first half of the season, I believe she was only shooting around 30 percent from the line."
After leading 19-17 at halftime, the Warriors came out in the third quarter and held Northridge to two points in the third quarter. Wawasee increased its lead to seven, 26-19, after three periods of play.
"I am proud of the way the girls met every challenge this year that the have faced," said Zolman. "We did a great job defensively. I believe this is our tenth or eleventh win in a row. During that stretch we have held our opponents to 30 points or less."
Zolman continued with a smile, "I wish every once in a while we could score around 50 points or more. I just always wish the ball would go in the other round hole when I want it to."
Despite hitting a three-point basket to open up a five-point lead Warrior sophomore Taylor Goshert picked up her fourth foul early in the fourth quarter. She came out of the game to be ready for the stretch. Goshert finished with seven points.
"I congratulate Wawasee on their win tonight," said Northridge coach Mike Starrett. "They did a good job against us defensively. I wish them luck next week."
With 1:08 left to play in the game, Ashley Hamilton of Northridge hit a three-point basket to pull within two at 30-28. Hamilton finished with eight points to lead the Raiders in scoring.
"Our girls were upset with the loss and that is good, it will make them want to improve next year and work hard," said Starrett. "We will miss our seniors Aimee Ginerich and MaryBeth McMillan. They were a big part of our tem this year."
Northridge finished the year with a school-record 14 wins.
Kayln Lantz and Megan Walker each hit two free throws in the fourth quarter for the Warriors. Wawasee was 0 of 1 from the field in the fourth.
"We wanted to win this game for our seniors Megan Walker, Shawn Knafel and Jessie Wolf," said McAdams. "They have been through four years of hard work."
Wawasee advanced to the Peru Regional to take on Elwood (18-5) at 10 a.m.. Tippecanoe Valley (14-8) takes on Concordia (15-7) in the second second semifinal game, with the winners meeting later that night in the championship game.
"Right now in a close game my money is on our kids," said Zolman. "They just continue to come together when the chips are down."
Lantz went 2 of 3 from the three-point arc and finished with 10 points. Knafel contributed six points and led all players with nine rebounds.
Leah Meyer of Northridge finished with seven points. Chanel Wengerd contributed six points and MaryBeth McMillan finished with five.
The win improved Wawasee to 19-3 on the season.
'When you get into tournament play you have to hit your free throws," said Zolman. "Those are the kind of ingredients you need to win championships. All it takes is concentration to hit the shots. We went the hard road to win this sectional. We played three games in four nights. On Monday we will go back to work and prepare for the next step."
