The Mail-Journal, Volume 20, Number 8, Milford, Kosciusko County, 9 March 1983 — Page 8

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THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed., March 9,1983

Sports

WAWASEE ADULT BASKETBALL LEAGUE

February 28 — Tourney Team Score Record High Point Player Topeka Implement vs 85 10-0 Kevin Kropf 32 Fairmont Homes 44 0-10 Dave Moody 20 Love Furniture vs 9-1 none Rouch Construction 2-8 none Love Furn. winner by torfeit Merchants vs 50 4-6 Mark Wagner 17 Stichter & Sons 90 8-2 Kent Stichter 20 Worth Packer 20 February 28,1983 Team Score Record High Point Player Syracuse Rubber vs J 6 none Hot Shots 1-8 none Syr. Rubber winner by torteit

Athlete of the week

This week’s Mail-Journal “Athlete of the Week’’ is a member of coach Kim Conrad’s sectional championship squad. She won the Wawasee Sectional floor exercise competition, finishing in a tie with a teammate. A team captain and a senior, Meek is a three-year performer on the Wawasee gymnastics squad. She is the daughter of Sue Meek, Syracuse.

Wawasee's second-half rally falls short

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: WARSAW — Warsaw’s talented Tigers finally proved their worth this season when it counted the most, blasting out to a 12-point lead at the half and hanging on at the end for a 53-50 win. It was the 21st sectional championship for Warsaw since 1921, but this one took all the effort the Tigers could muster. After a terrible showing on defense in the first half and muffed shots inside, Wawasee staged a furious comeback in the second half of play, limiting Warsaw to 17 points while scoring 26 in the final two quarters. Wawasee never led in the contest, but the Warriors managed to pull to a 49-49 tie with two minutes left in the game. The Tigers sank four crucial free throws in the final 1:35 to assure the win. Forward Jon Vitaniemi sank both ends of an one-and-one and Kim Zurcher sank a technical free throw to tie the score at 49. The technical was charged to Warsaw’s Marty Lehmann who protested his fifth foul on an offensive rebound attempt. Wawasee completely dominated the second half after trailing 36-24 at the end of the first two quarters of play. The Mail-Journal “Area Player of the Year,” sophomore Jeff Grose, scored 19 on sharp 9-of-16 shooting and Lehmann, a junior, had 12 rebounds to lead Warsaw’s punishing inside game. Six-foot-seven senior John Snyder also gave Wawasee difficulty in the fateful first half scoring all of his nine points and grabbing five rebounds. Wawasee had the shots inside, but they wouldn’t fall for the frustrated defending sectional champions. But the Warriors slowly started to improve after the intermission, working the ball more carefully, and boarding upon Warsaw. With the score knotted at 4949, reserve Herb Bailey gave Warsaw the lead at 51-49 with a pair of free throws. Ron Spunar Jhen made one of his two tosses for Wawasee with 1:09 showing on the clock. Protecting their one-point lead, Warsaw stalled for about 30 seconds until Kim Zurcher fouled Grose with :35 seconds remaining in the contest. Grose connected on his first of two attempts, giving Warsaw a 52-50 lead. Wawasee came charging back, led by senior guard Brian Walls, whose eight points in the final two quarters of play kept Wawasee alive. In attempt chive the lane, Walls was called for an offensive foul. Warsaw connected on one of the ensuing free throws and with :05 left, Walls was fouled. He went to the line but his, bonus shot was off, and three Wawasee tip-in attempts were no good as the ball rolled around the rim. Kevin Smith continued his outstanding sectional play with 14, matching Walls who also tallied 14. Vitaniemi scored 10 and Spunar scored seven, grabbing 12 rebounds. WAWASEE (50) — Smith 512 4-4 1, Walls 6-14 2-5 3, Zurcher 0-21-12, Atwood 0-2 45 1, Vitaniemi 4-12 2-3 3, Spunar 3-101-44.

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DRAWS A CROWD — Wawasee’s Brian Walls is surrounded by Warsaw’s swarming defense Warsaw’s Jeff Grose (43), Ron Randels (33), and John Snyder (53) contest Walls attempt at a shot. Wawasee senior center Ron Spunar looks on. (Photoby Gary Lewis)

WARSAW (53) — Fishbach 1-1 0-0 0, Ritchison 1-10 1-2 1, .Cook 0-1 0-0 2, Randels 2-3 0-0 3, Grose 9-15 1-2 2, Lehmann 413 2-6 3, Bailey 2-4 2-3 2, Snyder 4-111-25. Wawasee 12 12 15 11-50 Warsaw 17 19 9 8-53 Shooting: Warsaw, 23 of 58 for 40 per cent, Wawasee 18 of 52 for 35 per cent. Free throws: Warsaw 7 of 15, Wawasee 14 of 22. Rebounds: Wawasee 27 (Smith 3, Atwood 3, Vitaniemi 10, Spunar 11). Warsaw 31 (Ritchison 1, Randels 4, Grose 6, Lehmann 12, Bailey 3, Snyder 5). Turnovers: Wawasee 15, Warsaw 10. Records: Warsaw 13-9, Wawasee 17-6. ONE MINUTE SPORTS QUIZ 1. Name the college junior who recently signed to play pro football for the USFL. 2. Who won the LPGA Tucson Conquistadores Open? 3. Maurice Cheeks plays pro basketball for what team? 4. Who won the DoralEastern Open Golf Tournament? Answers To Sports Quiz •qooyj Areg > sj99£ uiqdppupqd f uosuoqdajs uup jaifPM PM3SJ9H I

Dahlstrom makes all-star team Wawasee running back and defensive back Ross Dahlstrom has been named to the North AllStar team, it was announced last week. Dahlstrom was selected as a defensive back for the North in the annual all-star football game scheduled for this summer. Dahlstrom is 5-11 and 178 pounds and joins Tippecanoe Valley’s Craig Kantner on the team. Golf tickets big bargain for golfers Area golfers can now enjoy a round of golf, 72 holes, at a low cost thanks to a special offer by football-baseball coach Myron Dickerson. Dickerson and his football and baseball players are selling the tickets at bargain prices. One ticket is good for four people at three area golf Courses — South Shore, Wawasee and Maxwelton —for four rounds of golf. All three courses must be used, and the fourth course is the purchaser’s choice. The baseball and football players are soliciting the tickets throughout the area. All proceeds will be used by the football and baseball programs.

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LISTEN — Coach John Wysong’s face is a study on concentration as he carefully instructs his team during a time out in last week’s sectional championship game at Triton. < Photo by Gary Lewis)

Warrior gymnasts win 4th sectional

By SHARON STUCKMAN If the third time’s a charm, then number four must be even better. Wawasee’s gymnastic’s team secured its fourth consecutive sectional title Thursday in the Warrior gym. The Lady Warriors won the competition with an optional team score of 83.6. Elkhart Central was the closest competition with a score of 73.5. Wawasee has seven girls who qualified for advancement to regional competition, but only six will be able to compete. Heidi Beer, who placed second on optional balance beam Thursday, was injured on her dismount. She was unable to compete in the .optional floor exercises. Heidi underwent an operation on Saturday, March 5, for a tom ligament. She is getting along well, but has a full leg cast. Coach Kim Conrad expressed her regret that Heidi will be unable to compete at regionals. Sue Ellen Free of Wawasee placed first on optional beam with a score of 8.6. Beer scored 8.55 and another Warrior gymnast. Angie Graff, placed third with 8.1. Free also received a first place in the optional floor exercise, but shared the championship place with her teammate Angie Meek. Both Meek and Free scored 8.4 in optional floor competition and no second place was awarded. Lori Parks of North Wood placed third with 7.7. Kristy Vance was the other optional sectional qualifier. She placed third Monday evening in optional vaulting. Gretchen Huffman of Wawasee finished first in intermediate floor exercises Thursday and Warrior Raeni Rinker placed first on the intermediate bars Monday evening. Other Warrior girls placing at sectional were: Angie Rich, fourth on optional bars, and Michelle Leffler, fourth on intermediate beam. This is the first time in many years that Wawasee has had any intermediate sectional champions, according to coach Kim Conrad. The entire optional team, along with all the gymnasts who placed in the top three, will travel to Valparaiso Friday, where the meet will begin at 7 p.m.

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VITO JUMPS — Wawasee junior Jon Vitaniemi gets a shot off as Warsaw’s Rob Randels defends. Vitaniemi scored 10 points in Saturday night's championship clash with Warsaw. (Photo by Ron Baumgartner)

Warriors zip Zebras 83-49

GAME TWO: ROCHESTER — The Warriors ended any thoughts of a Rochester upset in the Friday night game of the Triton Sectional early in the contest, shutting down the Zebras attack for an 83-49 win. Rochester was in the same position as Wawasee was last season, poised for an upset by greeting the winners of game one in the second round. It was Rochester with the outstanding record then instead of Wawasee but the Zebras never had the chance to claim revenge. The defending champions came back from a quick 6-0 Rochester lead, cutting the margin to three before reeling off 16 more points. Senior guard Kevin Smith led the decisive first stanza surge, scoring four straight baskets. After the Wawasee 21-8 lead in the quarter, the closest Rochester could get was within 10 midway in the second quarter of play. Wawasee scored eight of the next 10 in the stanza to put the game away. Smith scored 19, connecting on 8-of-13 from the floor and 3-of-5 from the free throw line. Guard Brian Walls and forward Joel Rhoades each had

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GYMNASTS WIN SECTIONAL — Wawasee’s optional gymnastics team is shown with the trophy they received Thursday for winning the sectional. The entire team will compete in regionals on March IL Left to right are Angie Graff, who placed third on optional beam: Angie Rich: Sue Ellen Free, who placed first on optional beam and tied for first place on optional floor exercises: Rhonda Amsden: and Angie Meek, who tied for first on optional floor exercises. Not pictured is Heidi Beer, who placed second on optional beam, but was injured on her dismount and will be unable to compete in regionals. (Photo by Sharon Stuckman)

14, followed by junior Jon Vitaniemi’s 10. Kim Zurcher scored nine after coming off the bench. For Rochester, 6-0 center John Paulik tallied 18. WAWASEE (83) — Koble 2-3 00 0, Smith. B-13 3-5 2, Zurcher 36 3-3 3, Doll 0-0 1-2 1, Atwood 01 0-0 2, Walls 4-13 6-7 2, Evans 1- 6-7 2, Vitaniemi 4-8 2-4 3, Hare 1-11-2 0, Spunar 3-7 0-2 3, Rhoades 4-7 6-8 0. ROCHESTER (49) — Johnson 2- 0-1 1, Grube 0-3 0-0 1, Coursey 1-10-0 1, Timmons 0-3 0-1 1, Triplett 2-4 2-3 0, Williams 2-9 0-0 3, Becker 0-3 22 1, J. Zent 2-6 3-3 5, S. Zent 3-5 0-0 3, Paulik 9-15 0-1 3, Murhling 0-3 0-0 4. Shooting: Wawasee 30 of 60 for 50 per cent, Rochester 21 of 57 for 36 per cent. Free throws: Wawasee 23 of 35, Rochester 7 of 11. Technical fouls: Rochester two (Triplett, S. Zent). Rebounds: Wawasee 22 (Smith 3, Zurcher 1, Atwood 4, Walls 1, Vitaniemi 3, Hare 1, Spunar 9), Rochester 21 (Johnson 2, Cousey 1, Timmons 1, Triplett 8, Williams 3, Becker 2, J. Zent 3, Murhling 1). Records: Wawasee 17-5, Rochester 10-11.

Warriors whip Valley 78-65

GAME ONE: TIPPECANOE VALLEY - Wawasee captured the first game of the Triton Sectional by 13 points, but the firstround win was by no means an easy one for coach John Wysong’screw. Just as he expected, the Vikings came out battling from the opening tip-off and although the Warriors never trailed, Tippe was close enough to keep most Wawasee fans edgy throughout the 78-65 affair. From the outset, it looked as if this one would be decided from the charity stripe as the Vikings fouled on the first trip down the floor for the first of 48 whistles. After a 39-30 halftime lead, junior Jon Vitaniemi exploded, scoring 12 of the Warriors 18 points in the third quarter. Vitaniemi grabbed 17 rebounds for the night in his best inside game of the season. Senior center Ron Spunar was saddled with his third foiH in the third stanza and was constantly pressured by the physical Vikings. A collapsing double-team man-to-man prevented Spunar from getting into his game. With the Vikings doubleteaming Spunar underneath, junior Kim Zurcher came off the bench and canned four of five shots from outside to keep the 10 to 11 point Wawasee advantage. The Vikings pulled within eight in the second half, but senior forward Kevin Smith connected on 5-of-7 shots from the free throw line to keep the desperate Vikings distant going into the final stretch. Just as Wysong expected, the Vikings employed a bullcourt press the entire game. Wawasee was patient in handling the pressure, keeping turnovers to a minimum, but the Vikings did take Wawasee’s running game away with the press. Both Smith and Vitaniemi ended the night with 21, followed by Spunar’s nine. In the first half, senior Brian Walls led the Warriors in taking control of the contest. Walls scored 12 points, six from the free throw line, in the first two quarters helping to

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build the Warriors commanding lead. A major question of the contest was the status of the Vikings’ senior guard Jeff Webb. Webb played the entire contest despite being bothered by a painful knee injury. “Webb was an inspiration to them,’’ commented Wysong, who had plenty of praises for his opponent. “They are a gutsy team,” he said earlier. Tippe’s starting forwards tied for team scoring honors, senior Andy Alspaugh and Greg Vandewater with 17 points each. Webb scored 12 in the losing effort. WAWASEE (78) — Smith 7-16 73, Zurcher 5-6 0-0 4, Atwood 1-3 4-7 3, Walls 3-8 6-6 4, Vitaniemi 9-11 3-7 3, Spunar 2-4 4- 4, Rhoades 0-0 0-0 0. VALLEY (65) — Webb 2-8 8-8 5, Flenar 0-2 0-0 1, McConkey 5- 0-1 3, Vandewater 7-12 3-5 4, Lafferty 1-4 0-0 4, Alspaugh 8- 1-5 4, Tucker 0-1 1-3 3, Utter 1-54-4 2. Shooting: Wawasee 27 of 43 for 43 per cent. Valley 24 of 58 for 41 per cent. Free throws: Wawasee 24 of 36, Valley 17 of 26. Turnovers: Wawasee 13. Valley 13. Rebounds. Wawasee 35 (-Zurcher 1, Atwood 4, Vitaniemi 17, Spunar 10, Rhoades 3), Valley 26 (Webb 2, Flener 2, McConkey 3, Vandewater 5, Alspaugh 12, Utter 2) r Season records: Wawasee 16-5, Valley 7-14. Granddaughter of Syracuse woman basketball standout V. Dana Burson, granddaughter of Lucile Burson. Papakeechie Lake. Syracuse, finished the ninth grade basketball season at Walcott Junior High School, Walcott, lowa, as a forward and averaged 36 points per game. The Panther Team, where Dana plays, finished the season with a 13-1 record and won the Davenport, lowa, city tournament. Dana is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ted Burson of Walcott, lowa. Ted was a basketball player at Syracuse High School and also at William Penn College inOshaloosa. lowa.