Wawasee Keeping Positive Outlook Heading Into Sectional
Posted
Mark Howe-mhowe@timesuniononline.com
SYRACUSE – Heading into sectional play, it would be easy to think Wawasee would be struggling more than a little bit with attitude. Having won just twice all season, it’s been a tough road for the Warriors. But head coach Steve Wiktorowski said his underclassmen-dominated ballclub is keeping a positive attitude in spite of its circumstances. “I’m not sure I could ask for any more of them with their morale right now,” he said. “I think if you watch us play, especially the last several games, that we’ve been more and more competitive for longer stretches of time. We play extremely hard, we don’t give up, and that doesn’t happen if you have morale or chemistry problems. “I think a lot of that credit goes to our seniors, who aren’t on a team with a great record, and are on a team with a lot of really young kids getting playing time. And yet they haven’t quit and they’ve been leaders trying to help, and I’m really proud of our seniors and I hope we can sent them out right.” Leadership roles have been taken by senior captains Jayce Boatwright and Chase Rookstool. “Jayce has set an incredible example for our players of commitment to basketball,” Wiktorowski said. “Nobody’s put in more time than he has, and all the players are very well aware of that. And I think he’s done a good job, through frustration, of telling them to stay committed and to stay dedicated to their cause. “Chase is our other captain and plays incredibly hard. He sets the tone and never gives up. He’s not the most skilled basketball player, but he outworks people and finds ways to contribute every single game in some manner. I think those two kids have done a tremendous job of setting the example for the whole team, especially the younger players. Despite the win-loss record, Wiktorowski said he’s seen his team improve this season. “Most importantly I think our young kids have taken steps forward to be more competitive than they were as sophomores,” he said. “We’ve really developed some roles, and I think a great example of that is Tyler Smith. He missed all of last year and has really carved out a role for himself. I think several of our guards have done that, and I think that’s the biggest thing; that some of our kids have gotten a lot of experience under their belt and are now able to define what their role on this team is a lot better.” Sophomore Trevon Coleman, who wasn’t on the varsity roster when the season started, has provided firepower from time to time for Wawasee. “He started right after Christmas, and he’s working to become a more consistent player. There are times when he can go on a streak and score in double figures, and there are times when he struggles with the rhythm or intensity of the game,” Wiktorowski said. “He’s a really talented player, and he’s somebody we need to play well for us to do anything in the sectional.” Wiktorowski understands his team will be an underdog in each game Wawasee plays in the sectional, and what it will take for the Warriors to have any kind of success. “We have to be a team that can stay in games offensively, that’s been our biggest struggle this year,” he said. “At times we’ve been pretty decent defensively, but we’ll go though long periods of time where we struggle to score. That and turnovers, because we sometimes can get into a situation where turnovers can really snowball on us and put us in a position where maybe we have one bad quarter and not be able to recover from that. We can’t let tought times snowball into something we can’t recover from. Wawasee will face Tippecanoe Valley in the opening round of the NorthWood Sectional at 7:30 Tuesday night. The winner will take on Fairfield in the semifinals at 7:30 Friday night. The championship game will be at 7 p.m. Saturday.
