The Mail-Journal, Volume 20, Number 6, Milford, Kosciusko County, 23 February 1983 — Page 26

Warriors Take Satisfying Look At Sectional

By GARY LEWIS For coach John Wysong, the 1982-83 season has to be one of the most satisfying in his coaching years. Taking a group of boys with little varsity experience and very little proven talent, he has molded Wawasee into one of the major surprises in the area. Going into the final game of the season with a sparkling 14-5 record, Wawasee finds itself in strong contention for a piece of the Northern Lakes Conference crown. Wawasee had its finest performance of the year in a crucial NLC game with North Wood, dominating the Panthers 8555. Regardless of the outcome in the season finale,

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against league-leading Bremen, Wawasee may be going into the sectional battle at peak performance. For the Triton Sectional defending champions, though, getting hot at the end of the season means little. “I used to think so, but after last year I sure never will again. It was the worst game we played all year and then we won the sectional,” said coach John Wysong. Bremen bombed Wawasee in the last regular game of the season, 74-64, last year. Wysong s crew finished the season at 13-10 a year ago, and the sectional championship was a bright spot in an otherwise uneventful season. With the Warriors season record, most would pick

Wawasee as a favorite in this season’s sectional. Warsaw coach Al Rhodes, who beat the Warriors 59-55 in a December contest, is picking Wawasee as the favorite. Wysong doesn’t see things that way, however. “I don’t have a favorite because we don’t play the best of seven. We play one time, it’s a one shot thing. So anybody could have a shot at bumping anyone. It’s more of a matter who survives it,” he said. The key to Wawasee’s survival lies in 6-10 center Ron Spunar and 6-3 forward Jon Vitaniemi. Spunar, a senior, has improved considerably from last season and in Wawasee’s most recent outings has played extremely well. Vitaniemi averages 14.9 points per contest and is the Warriors best all-around performer. Another key for Wawasee is the play of starting guards Kevin Smith and Brian Walls. When those two are on, the inside game opens up for Spunar and Vitaniemi. Both seniors, Smith averages about 12.9 points per game and Walls 14. Wawasee has virtually the same game plan every contest, and Wysong likes it that way. “We don’t have many hesitations. There’s not very much doubt to what we’re going to do.” “We know if we’re not able to stop people with what we’re doing defensively, we’re just going to have to bear down and work harder because we’re not going to change our defense,” he said. Bearing down and working harder has been the Warriors trademark all season long and Wysong is happy with his team’s efforts. Wawasee plays a basic motion offense and man-to-man op defense almost all the time. “Just because we don’t do a lot of things, that doesn’t mean we're not versatile. We have proved we can run, and we’ve proved we can control the ball.” So don’t look for a lot of major changes out of

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Wawasee once sectional action begins. The Warriors will stick with what they do best, said Wysong, and that means more of the same for theWarrtbrs. A far as the Warriors’ opponents go, coach Wysong believes Warsaw will be a team to be reckoned with. “I feel Warsaw can beat anybody, and the Tigers proved it by beating Memorial. You can certainly prove that they can score like crazy (the Tigers scored 101 points against the Chargers). I think this year, when they beat us, their defense was tough.' ’ Wysong believes his team’s loss to Warsaw will be a factor in the sectional. “It should make us aware, and get our attention, and certainly make us respect a good team which we'll have to do,” he said. The four-point loss could be a motivator for his t earn if the Warriors get a re-match with the Tigers. “It might make us bear down more and work harder to prepare for them,” said Wysong. Wysong isn’t quick to predict a two-team race in this season’s sectional. “We certainly greatly respect Warsaw’s talent. I think you have to say that size-wise, Warsaw has a lot of things to come at you with. Looking at our game at Rochester, we got out of there with our lives. Valley, we don’t know what they are going to do. If (Jeff) Webb gets back, that’s going to be a key.” What makes the situation difficult in Wysong’s mind about Tippecanoe Valley is that “I don’t think they’re a bad team right now. They can trap you, disrupt you. They play aggressive. (Shad) McConkey. (Greg) Vandewater shoot extremely well,” said Wysong. The Warriors defeated all of the three other schools, pounding Triton. But Wysong knows that when the hosts take to the floor in the sectional, they’ll be an entirely different team. “Triton is much, much improved as compared to when we played them. ”

Coming back into this sectional as the defending champions means little to Wysong. Most of the players on last year’s squad either were on the bench or played on the junior-varsity. “Their roles on that team have incredibly changed,” be said. “Sectionals are so topsyturvey When you talk about upsets, you’re talking about sectionals. There will be more upsets in the sectional than in the regional and in the state. “I really believe that makes for exciting

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basketball. Two years ago, when Warsaw went down to the state, one of the best games they had to play was against Triton in the final of the sectional. They only won by *fbur. It was a helterskelter game.” The Warriors will probably keep the same philosophy they’ve had all season long — worry more about self-improvement rather than the other team “We’ll have to assess what we’re doing and we ll have to do as well as we can,” said Wysong