Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 129, Number 7, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 16 February 2006 — Page 7

North Wood wins 19th sectional tide

By Anthony Godson Editor LIGONIER North Wood entered this sectional season tied with Ben Davis, Kokomo and Sullivan for third place in Indiana girls sectional titles. On Feb. 11, the Swish went from 18 sectional titles to 19. "It was probably one of our better coaching years," NorthWood coach Steve Neff said about himself and his staff. "The girls stuck to it, and they kept the faith all year long. Even when we weren't playing well in early January, and we slipped by a couple games, we gained a little confidence, and that led to a couple big wins." Neff's 19th sectional title came after a 41-34 win over the Angola Hornets at the West Noble Sectional. Even though it's NorthWood's third consecutive title, the 2005-2006 team is a little different than the one that took the court the last two years. "I think we were expected to win it last year - this year, we weren't," Neff said, claiming his 503rd win. "We lost three really good players (from) last year (Audrey Duncan, Carrie Egging and Lauren Zeltwanger). So it's a tribute for these girls to come out and do it, especially, the hard way. We had to come out and beat the three hardest teams

Black Swish qualify for finals with 44-25 win over Northridge

By Anthony Godson gJi* tcmor LIGONIER En route to their 19th sectional title, North* Wood first to do away with' two coherence opponents. After already defeating Wawasee, 40-36, in the opening round, the Swish then buried tire Northridge Raiders 44-25 on Feb. 10 to earn a spot in the championship game at the West Noble Sectional. "They have a nice team," Neff said about Northridge. "I congratulate Northridge, because they've really improved since the beginning of the year. They, along with us, stunk it up in the first round of the holiday tournament, then turned it around to play some quality games." The holiday tournament Neff refers to took place over holiday break, when North Wood lost to Goshen at The Pit. Since that Dec. 20 loss, the Swish won 12 straight games, including a spot in the sectional championship game. When North Wood defeated Northridge on Jan. 14, at Northridge High School, possessions were key, and at sectionals, it was no different. "Both of us probably like to play a slowdown game, more than an up-tempo game," Neff said. "Really the up-tempo game got us our lead early in the second quarter." In that second quarter, Northridge trailed 16-14 following a bucket by sophomore Ashley Hamilton with 4:22 left. From that moment on, Northridge didn't score the rest of the half, while North Wood used an 11-0 nm to close the half, entering tiie second half on top 2514. The scoring seemed to come to a standstill in the third quarter, when North Wood outscored Northridge 6-4, with senior Brittany Hall accounting for all of her team's points. "We were able to maintain that (lead) through the third quarter, then all of a sudden Brittany Hall comes alive, and puts us up for good," Neff said. The Swish opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run that put them in front 39-18 with only 4:47 remaining. From that moment on, it was evident that North Wood would be Dlavins for another tertinnal l J ■ * ■■ - - - • - -

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. DAT PHOTO Junior Amanda Bechtel takes it to the rack against Angola, while Hornets junior Lindsay Bienz tries to make a swipe at the ball.

out four that placed." North Wood did beat Wawasee and Northridge on the way to the title, but Angola put up quite a fight in the championship game. "It wasn't our best effort, but give Angola credit," Neff said. "They played inspired, and they did what they had to. Their

championship. "In this type of game, you're trying to feel each other out, trying to see what the other's trying to do/'jfcjeff said about ' thesime. "You go from there, and adjust. We rebounded pretty well and 1 don't think we had too many turnovers." North Wood finished with only 10 turnovers, half of Northridge's 20. "That's key," Neff said about keeping turnovers down and rebounds up. "When you have less turnovers than the other team, out-rebound and play good defense, you're going to win the game." North Wood did win the game, and Neff was even more pleased with the win, considering his top two offensive players were a bit under the weather. "Mandy (Yoder) and Amanda (Bechtel) were pretty sick," the coach said. "They didn't practice on Wednesday at all. They put in a gutty performance for not feeling well at all." Bechtel finished with a gamehigh 12 points, including three 3-pointers, while also collecting three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Yoder finished with 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals. •NORTHWOOD 44, NORTHRIDGE 25 At Ligonier Score by Quarter NW 8 17 6 13 —44 Nr 9 5 4 725 NW: Heather Stutsman 2 0-0 5; Amanda Bechtel 4 1-4 12; Mandy Yoder 4 3-4 11; Mackenzie Lechlitner 1 0-0 2; Casey Bough 0 2- 2; Brittany Hall 3 0-2 6; Laura Schiefer 3 04) 6. TOTALS: 17 6-12 44. Nr: Aimee Cingerich 2 0-0 4; Ashley Hamilton 3 3-5 9; Keia Miller 10-0 3; Leah MeyerO 1-2 1; Brittany Schmitz 2 0-1 4; Mandy Cripe 20-04. TOTALS: 10 4-8 25. 3- field gods: NW 4 (Bechtel 3, Stutsman); Nr 1 (Miller). Turnovers: NW 10, Nr 20. Tew fouls: NW 10 Nr 11. N-Wood Stats Assists: Lechlitner 5. Stutsman 2, Bechtel 2. "Yoder 2. Blocks: Hall, Kurtz. Rebounds: Yoder 4. Bechtel 3, Lechlitner 3. Steak: Stutsman 3, Yoder 3. Bechtel 2, Lechlitner 2. Records: North Wood 184, Northridge 11-11.

defense made us a little gun-shy in the second half, with what we wanted to do, offensively." North Wood actually lead Angola 34-21 with 2:33 left in the third quarter, but Angola slowly chipped away at the lead. Following a 3-point bucket by Angola junior Ashley Rust with 1:52 left in the game,

Opening round win is over familiar foe

By Anthony Godson Editor LIGONIER For the third season in a row, the Wawasee Warriors (11-10) saw their season end as the North Wood Black Swish (17-4) celebrated on a sectional court. After a slow beginning, the Warriors and Swish picked up the scoring in the fourth quarter at West Noble High School on Feb. 7, with the Swish claiming a 40-36 win. This was third consecutive year in which North Wood has knocked Wawasee out of the postseason, and each time the two teams meet, it's a battle. "We see each in the summer, and we see each other in the conference," North Wood coach Steve Neff said about the two teams familiarity with one another. "We know each other really well, and we were trying to stop (freshman Taylor) Goshert and they were trying to stop (junior) Mandy (Yoder)." While each team attempted to shut down the opposition's top scorer, they only did so to an extent. Yoder was still able to lead her team with 14 points, and Goshert also lead her team with 10, while senior Tiffany Fick also netted 10. During the early stages of the game, it wasn't apparent if either team was really all that interested in scoring at all. Following a Goshert bucket just one minute into the game, it looked as if there would be a lot of scoring in this one, but that wasn't exactly the case. Down 2-0, North Wood used a 7-0 run to take a 7-2 lead with 3:04 remaining. Wawasee didn't score again until Fick hit a free throw four min-

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DAT PHOTO Sophomore Mackenzie Lechtitner puts a shot up.

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DAT PHOTO Senior Heather Stutsman uses some hustle to nab a loose ball during the Sectional 21 championship game at West Noble.

Angola only trailed 37-34. From there, North Wood juniors Mandy Yoder and Amanda Bechtel each went 2-for-2 from the freethrow line, claiming the win. "What can you say? We won by seven," Neff said, also adding that he was happy with the win, but at the same time not happy. With an 11-point lead to open the fourth quarter, North Wood didn't even attempt its first field goal until there was 5:30 left in the final quarter. In that quarter, North Wood attempted only two field goals. "We were trying not to lose, rather than trying to win," Neff said. "Part of that might have been my fault, because I called an offense that is slower with

utes after Goshert's initial basket. When Wawasee junior Jessie Wolfe hit another shot a minute later, the Warriors trailed only 7-5, but Yoder extended the lead with a field goal to put her team on top 9-5 at the end of one. Being up 9-5 was good for Neff, but the lead could have been greater had a few easy buckets gone down. "I just thought, 'Hey, it's just nerves. It's the first game of sectionals, and it's against your ace rival.' These are high school kids,'' Neff said about his team's 4-for-ll shooting, which included two missed field goals from point-blank range. Sophomore Mackenzie Lechlitner opened the second quarter by extending NorthWood's lead to 13-5 following two consecutive buckets, which came two minutes apart . Wawasee didn't score its first second quarter point until Wolfe connected on two free throws six minutes into the quarter. The free throws drew Wawasee to within 13-7, and were Wawasee's first points in a quarter. Though the Warriors scored only three points in the second quarter, North Wood managed only six, taking a 15-8 lead into halftime. "It was just a battle of nerves in the first half," Neff said. "It was a game where you had to be patient, and take what they gave you. And they weren't going to give you much." Wawasee matched its second quarter scoring production one minute into the third quarter when sophomore Kalyn Lantz connected on a 3-pointer. From there, Wawasee reeled off four more consecutive points, tying the game at 15-15 with 5:51 remaining in the third. Wawasee got itself back into the game by forcing turnovers. Through the first two quarters, the Black Swish committed only two turnovers. During the first 1:25 of the

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DAT PHOTO Junior Mandy Yoder uses force to get to the bucket.

Advance News • Thursday, February 16, 2006 •

about four minutes left." The fourth quarter was a bit out of place for North Wood , who was much more aggressive through the first three quarters of play. "We were aggressive theh," Neff said about his team, which held a 13-point in the third quarter. "We got the ball, and took it to the hoop, especially on breaks. Then we went to a little too much zone, and that gave them a little momentum, because they were able to spot up, and finally hit those 3's. When we went back to the man (defense), it made them work a little more, and put a little more pressure on them." North Wood had many fast break points, forcing 20 Angola

turnovers, with Yoder picking up seven steals to go along with her game-high 12 points. Along with Yoder, Bechtel had nine points, junior Casey Bough had eight and sophomore Mackenzie Lechlitner put up seven points. • NORTHWOOD 41, ANGOLA 34 At Ligonier Score by Quarters N-Wood 15 9 11 6-41 Angola 8 711 8-34 NW: Heather Stutsman 0 0-10; Amanda Bechtel 2 3-4 9; Mandy Yoder 5 2-2 12; Mackenzie Lechlitner 3 1-3 7; Casey Bough 3 22 8; Laura Schiefer 1 0-2 2; Jen Kurtz 0 3-4 3. TOTALS: 14 11-18 41. Angola: Ashley Rust 30-07; Catrina Likes 3 0-0 7; Robyn Duke 0 2-2 2; Lindsay Bienz 1 0-0 3; Kristen Julian 2 4-6 8; Erin Hammel 0 4-6 4; Courtney Monroe 1 0-0 3. TOTALS: 10 10-14 34. 3-point field goals: NW 1 (Bechtel); Angola 4 (Rust, Likes, Bienz, Monroe). Turnovers: NW 13, Angola 20. Team fouls (fouled out): NW 14; Angola 17 (Duke). N-Wood Stats Assists: Lechlitner 2. Blocks: Kurtz. Rebounds: Stutsman 3, Kurtz 3, Yoder 2, Lechlitner 2, Kurtz 2. Steals: Yoder 7, Bechtel 2, Lechlitner 2. Records: North Wood 19-4, Angola 11-11.

second half, the Swish matched that total, committing a total of seven in the third. "We just got a little sloppy," Neff said. "We tried to get it into Mandy when she wasn't open, rather than when she was open. Then, on a couple of occasions, we'd catch the ball, then wait for (the defense) to come. When you do that, you're dead meat." North Wood junior Amanda Bechtel helped put her team back on top, scoring five points over the last three minutes of the third to put the Swish on top 24-17, but a Wolfe bucket with time expiring, cut the lead to 24-19 going into the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter seemed to be totally out of place with the rest of the game, as Wawasee scored 17 points in the quarter, while North Wood netted 16. Going into the quarter Wawasee had only scored 19 points, while North Wood had 24. The majority of the fourth quarter points came from the free-throw line, where Wawasee hit 9-of-ll free throws, and North Wood went 11-for-12 from the stripe. "Bechtel, Yoder and the whole bunch have shot well during the last month, especially toward the end of the game," Neff said. "Thank goodness they did (tonight)." The free throws sealed the victory, but it was a 3-pointer that put North Wood in a position to do so. After falling behind 30-29 with 2:30 remaining, Yoder took a pass from Lechlitner at the top of the arc. Without thinking, Yoder put the shot up and nailed it, giving North Wood a 32-30 lead with 1:42 remaining. From there, Wawasee couldn't regain the lead or tie the game. "Mandy's big 3 was a key," Neff said. "She stepped up and popped it, giving us some breathing room again. They had gone ahead before that, and it would have been easy to put your head down and say, 'Okay, it's over.', but these girls' aren't like that

right now." Instead, the girls won a close sectional game over a conference rival who gave them about all they could handle. "My haf's off to them," Neff said about Wawasee. "They played well tonight, and they played with excitement. They threw every defense in the world at us, and we somehow survived." •NORTHWOOD 40, WAWASEE 36 At Ligonier Score by Quarters N-Wood 9 6 9 16— 40 Wawasee 5 3 11 17 —36 NW: Amanda Bechtel 1 6-7 9; Mandy Yoder 4 5-6 14; Mackenzie Lechlitner 2 04) 4; Casey Bough 2 22 6; Brittany Hall 1 1-2 3; Laura Schiefer 1 04) 2; Jen Kuitz 1 0-0 2. TOTALS: 12 14-1740. Wawasee: Kalyn Lantz 1 2-2 5; Taylor Goshert 3 4-6 10; Shawn Knafel 2 0-0 4; Jessie Wolfe 2 34 7; Tiffany Fick 2 6-8 10. TOTALS: 10 15-20 36. 3-point field goafe: NW 2 (Bechtel, Yoder); Wawasee 1 (Lantz). Turnovers: NW 12; Wawasee 20. Team fouls: NW 16; Wawasee 15. N-Wood Stats Rebounds: Lechlitner 5, Schiefer 4, Yoder 3, Hall 3. A ants: Yoder 6, Lechlitner 3. Steals: Lechlitner 2, Bechtel. Yoder. Schiefer.

Records: NW 174; Wawasee 11-10.

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