Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 129, Number 7, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 16 February 2006 — Page 8

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• Advance News • Thursday, February 16, 2006

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Panther wrestling, past and present

Above: North Wood senior Kyle Witmer had his impressive postseason run come to a close on Saturday morning at the Fort Wayne semi-state. Witmer finished the season with a 23-13 record, which included a sectional championship in the 145pound weight class. Right: North Wood Athletic Director Jay Olson (right)

Bid for conference championship falls short

By Anthony Godson Editor It was like two boxers going for the belt, but the Elkhart Memorial Chargers (16-2) landed the two upper-cuts that the North Wood Panthers (13-3) just couldn't recover from. On Feb. 9 at The Pit, Memorial used 10-0 and 13-0 runs to open the third and fourth quarters, respectively, that put North Wood on the canvas, as they cruised to a Northern Lakes Conference title. Following the game, NorthWood coach Dan Gunn had the chance to sit back and look at stats, seeing his team shoot 21-of-54 from the field, including 3-of-19 from 3-point land. "We had some shots that we usually hit, that didn't go in," he said. "They kept the pressure on us, and I just can't compliment them enough." In a game with the winner claiming the conference crown, the Chargers just came out and showed they were the rightful champions, having also beaten North Wood 71-55 on Dec. 30. "Offensively, they just don't take many bad shots," Gunn said about Memorial, who shot 46 percent from the field. "They're very disciplined, and when you put that discipline with their athleticism they ARE tough.” Memorial features a line-up of tall, lanky players, with four that could take over a game at any given moment. Consistently this season, Memorial's go-to-guy has been senior Kevin Sindle, so that was Gunn's main concern, among a list of concerns.

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presents former North Wood wrestling coach Dennis Lewis a plaque for his contributions to the North Wood wrestling program during halftime of the North Wood Memorial boys basketball game on Feb. 9. Lewis retired from wrestling after last season with a record of 205-116-4. During his tenure. North Wood won six sectionals, four regionals and four conference titles.

"We tried to deny Sindle the ball as much as we could," he said. "And we put Zac (Lechlitner) on (Ryan) Strausborger, thinking that if we can keep him from getting 20, like he did the last time (we played), we can hold him down." Strausborger, the point guard of the Chargers, uses quickness, but also has a deadly outside shot. For the game, Strausborger finished with 17 points, while Sindle putting up 23 in front of two Indiana All-Star representatives. The all-star representatives were on hand to watch Sindle and North Wood senior Ryne Lightfoot play. "I didn't tell him they were here, but I'm sure he knew," Gunn said about Lightfoot's knowledge of who was watching. On top of all-star implications, Lightfoot also entered the game only 34 points away from tying North Wood's all-time scoring record (1,552), held by 1995 graduate Andy Hirschy. He also entered the game as the leading scorer on a team playing for a conference championship, so the pressure was on his young shoulders as he shot 8-of-27 from the field for 21 points. "He hit the back of the rim, he hit the front of the rim, and those are shots he hits often," Gunn said. The shots weren't falling, and when that happens, the senior usually drives to the hoop, resulting in trips to the foul line. For this championship game, the referees let the kids play, as North Wood shot only seven free throws, Lightfoot account-

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DAT PHOTO North Wood senior Zac Lechlitner looks for an open man, or space, against Elkhart Memorial’s Ryan Strausborger.

ing for four of those. The Panthers opened the game on a high note, entering the second quarter down only . 13-12. Junior Zach Troyer had a strong first quarter performance, nabbing six of his gamehigh 12 rebounds in the quarter. "He battled hard inside," Gunn said about Troyer. "All

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the kids played as hard as they could." Memorial opened the second quarter strong, reeling off five straight points, but North Wood didn't fall too far back, entering the second half down 30-24. On top by six, Memorial came out of the locker room clicking on all cylinders. While North Wood didn’t get its first second half point until a Lightfoot free throw halfway through the quarter, Memorial opened the half on a 10-0 run, extending its lead to 40-24. "We had fought back, and were right there with them," Gunn said. "Then they score 10 points, before we even scored. You find a good team, and when they come out of halftime, they come out and get the job done." The Panthers did rebound from the slow start, connecting

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DAT PHOTO Senior Ryne Lightfoot looks to power his way inside against the taller Phillip McCrary of Elkhart Memorial.

on its last five shots of the third quarter, cutting the lead to 47-39 going into the fourth quarter. Down by eight, North Wood may have felt some deja vous, as Memorial opened the fourth quarter with a 13-0 run, before North Wood's first point came from a free throw by senior Ben Bemiller halfway through the quarter. By the time Bemiller went to the free-throw line, with 4:11 left in the game, Memorial was in front 60-39, and the game was already out of reach. "It just didn't happen for us tonight," Gunn said. "I'm not upset with the effort, that's for sure. I'm just upset with the outcome." • KLKHART MEMORIAL 71, NORTHWOOD 53 At Nappanee Score bv Quarter EM 13 17 17 24 —7l

NW 12 12 15 14 —53 EM: Ryan Strausborger 6 2-2 17; Chris Kemp 1 3-4 5; Kevin Sindle 8 5-5 23; Kyle Lane 1 0-0 3; Phillip McCrary 6 0-0 14; Jamaal Pittman 3 1-2 7; Brent House 1 0-0 2. TOTALS: 26 11-13 71. NW: Zac Lechlitner 4 0-0 10; Ryne Lightfoot 8 4-421; Kelly Adams 1 00 2; Zach Troyer 3 0-0 7; Ben Bemiller 1 3-3 5; Kyle Yoder 1 0-0 2; Nate Brown 3 0-0 6. TOTALS: 21 77 53. 3-point field goals: EM 8 (Strausborger 3, Sindle 2, McCrary 2. Lane); NW 4 (Lechlitner 2, Lightfoot. Troyer). Turnovers: EM 7; NW 4. Team Fouls: EM 10; NW 14. N-Wood Stats Assists: Lechlitner 4. Blocks: Lightfoot. Bemiller. Rebounds: Troyer 12. Lightfoot 4. Steals: Lechlitner 2. Records: EM 16-2 (6-1 NLC); NW 13-3(5-2 NLC).

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