The Mail-Journal, Volume 21, Number 3, Milford, Kosciusko County, 1 February 1984 — Page 9

Sports

Whitko charities spell doom for Warriors

By MARK WEINSTEIN Sports Writer lisee’s boys’ basketball showed its true colors y evening. Rebounding i emotional loss the night at Whitko, the Warriors jack 24 hours later to Cast Noble, 55-48. i glad we played East No»me,” said Wawasee head ohn Wysong. “We didn’t ell, and at times I was rith our mental decision . But it’s a win, and any good one ’’ jly feeling the woes from ;h 56-52 loss at Whitko, ie opened the contest Somewhat sluggishly. Wawasee, holding a slim 10-8 lead after the initial period seemed to gain some momentum during the following eight minutes. From there, Wysong took his pygmies into the locker room with a 23-18 advantage and set the stage for a hard fought conclusion The Warriors then went to work defensively. Putting pressure on the ball with their half court man-, to-man defense, Wawasee opened the spread to 10 points, 38-28. entering the final frame. With Wawasee appatently gaining control of the contest late in the game, the visiting Knights scrapped back with some key buckets in the final eight minutes. Aided by a few W'awasee turnovers, as well as some breakdowns defensively. East Noble cut the hosts 10 point lead throughout the fourth quarter. But just when the Knights were making a final run at the Warriors. senior Jon Vitaniemi took charge of the contest at both ends of the court Sinking five straight free “ throws in the fourth period, Vitaniemi also dominated at the defensive end with key rebounds and steals. ‘ “The East Noble game is probably the fifth time this year that Vitaniemi totally took charge of a game,” praised Wysong of his senior standout. "He scored at one end. and then came back and had a rebound or made a steal He did everything " As Vitaniemi took charge in the waning minutes, so did the Warriors With the Knights closing the gap slightly. Vitaniemi slammed the door on the opponent as the Warriors held on for the win. Wysong. who was pleased with Vitaniemi s performance, alsos had high praise for forward Joel Rhoades and his guards. Rhoades, who spent more time on the bench at Whitko the night before than he’s used to, helped "Vito" inside to stop the Knights. "Joel really had a fine game against ECast Noble,” conceeded Wysong. “That’s real important for us. and for him.’’ Joining in the teamwork were the steady guard play of Kim Zurcher and inside play of reserve Kyle Swartz. Zurcher, who finished the evening with 12 points continued his consistent play in leading the Wawasee offense Swartz aided - the Warrior’s defense as he helped clog up ECast Noble’s offense Vitaniemi, who provided Q Wawasee with most of its offensive firepower with his 19 points, also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. The night before, Wawasee played one of its finest games of the year against Whitko, but at the end, lost 56-52. With much attention focused on Whitko’s Jeff Peters, Wawasee figured to have its work cut out. But the War Hors received a splendid defensive effort from Jeff Atwood. With tremendous pressure put on Peters, the Warriors limited the high scoring senior to 13 points, 12 in the first half. Entering the contest as the TAMM - BOOICKf IIIB" Services — Systems Reasonable BUSINESS ADVISORS Os MICHIANA 311 River Vista. Goshen 533 7667

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underdog, Wawasee played the Wildcats even throughout the entire contest. As both teams matched buckets, the lead changed hands 10 times. There were also 18 ties. With the Warriors leading by a bucket after the initial period, Whitko erased the deficit before the half while forcing a 28-28 deadlock. As was the case earlier in the game. Wawasee forged out in front after the next stop before the Wildcats mounted their comeback attempt. V. Still it was easy. With the Warriors enjoying the slim lead with momentum, Wawasee methodically expanded its lead to five, 45-40. late in the game But that’s when the complexion of the ball game changed. After a Whitko time out, the Wildcats dumped the ball inside the paint to Reid who successfully, sank three fielders. Reid’s inside dominance, along with Wawasee’s inability to connect on its free throws, turned the tide for the ’Cats. The Warriors, who never trailed in the second half, lost their lead with 35 seconds remaining when Reid’s rebound bucket gave the hosts a 52-50 advantage. Still the Warriors had some life in them But Zurcher. who played an outstanding game, saw his baseline jumper blocked by Peters. Whitko’s Mike Ebbinghouse immediately was fouled following the blocked shot and converted one of the two charity tosses The Warriors made an valiant attempt to get back into the game as Koble found the range from 15 feet, but it was too late. Koble paced the tremendous effort with a team high 19 points.

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SANDWICHED — Wawasee’s Jon Vitaniemi slices between Whitko’s Jeff Reid, left, and Jeff Peters, right, during the Wildcats’ victory over the Warriors. (Photo by Mark Weinstein)

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I CAN’T BELIEVE IT — Wawasee basketball players, along with coach John Wysong seem to watch in disbelief as the Warriors lost their lead, and eventually dropped a 56-52 decision at Whitko. Pictured above from left are Troy Reith, David Kistler, Tim Mangas, John Hapner, Joel Rhoades and Coach Wysong. (Photo by Mark Weinstein)

Zurcher finished with 16 points, while Vitaniemi chipped in with 10 points and eight rebounds. Reid captured game honors as the 6’4” senior muscled his way for 22 points and nine rebounds. Peters fell 14 points shy of his average as the senior standout netted 13. Duane Shepherd closed out the evening with 11. Junior Varsity In the preliminaries. Wawasee dealt Whitko its first loss of the year, 44-36 Freshman Tim Mangas paced the productive evening for Galen Hershberger’s squad with 22 points. The Warriors continued their winning ways the following evening when it trounced East Noble 47-28. Rochester Next Wawasee will be looking to create more depth with its players when it goes up against the Rochester Zebras Friday evening. Wysong, who has worked Swartz into more of a productive role on the team, will be looking to create more bench strenght at the guard slot. “We need more depth,” said Wysong “Kyle has been playing more, but now' we ween more assistance at guard.” Rochester, on the other hand, has suffered through a difficult season and will present Wysong and his squad with a unique» situation. Even though their record would indicate the Zebras could be a pushover, Wysong is leary of coach Mike Jones' team. “Rochester is a dangerous team," said Wysong. “They have some talent, and have beaten some good teams. We will have to be ready to play.”

Family Swim slated for Monday at Wawasee

A Family Swim night will begin next Monday at the Wawasee High School pool from 7 until 8:30 p.m. and continue on consecutive Mondays through February and March. There is a small charge for all swimmers and all students must be accompanied by an adult. Adults who accompany ~ "tents but choose not to swim will not be charged, announced Donn Kesler.

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A REASON TO CELEBRATE — Senior guard Dee Stump had two reasons to celebrate by cutting down one of the nets after the Lady Warriors nipped Bremen, 54-53, last Thursday night. The win clinched Wawasee’s first NLC title in girls’ basketball. Stump, who was playing in her final home game, made the night more special for herself as she tossed in a team-high 17 points. (Photo by Tom Charles)

Sports Calendar Week Os February 1 To February 8 THURSDAY Milford Junior High Girls’ Basketball BK 4:30 p.m., at home vs Nappanee North Webster Girls’ Basketball 6:00 p.m., at home vs Warsaw iMk Wawasee Varsity Girls' Basketball 8:00 p.m., sectional at Warsaw ’ Wawasee Boys’ Swimming 6:30 p.m., at Culver Military /Tj l W Wawasee Gymnastics H 6:30 p.m., at home vs DeKalb Freshmen Boys’ Basketball 6:30 p.m , at home vs Elkhart West Side FRIDAY Wawasee Boys’ JV and Varsity Basketball 6:15 p.m., at home vs Rochester SATURDAY- ‘ Wrestling Regional ' 9:30 am., at Carroll High School 1 Wawasee Varsity Girls’ Basketball ' \- 7:30 p.m., sectional championship at Warsaw Wawasee Gymnastics 12 noon, at Merrillville Invitational J. - TUESDAY Junior High Basketball Second round of Camelot Tourney

The night is designed to encourage families to become involved in group activities. Aussie's year 1983 proved to be a year in which Australia enjoyed a bounty of success on the international sports scene. Athletes from down under captured the prestigious America’s Cup and Davis Cup trophies.

Tigers splosh IVowossee swimmers, 102-66

By MARK WEINSTEIN Sports Writer Warsaw’s Tigers swam dries around Wawasee Tuesday evening, capturing nine first place spots enroute to their 102-66 victory over the Warriors. Although Wawasee, 8-7 overall and 3-4 in the Northern Lakes Conference, lost the meet, coach Tim Caldwell’s squad witnessed several personal best times and scores. Rob Jewson started the barrage of personal bests in the 200-yard freestyle. In the event, Jewson finished second behind Warsaw’s Tim Clark. Benj Reed continued to improve his time, although finishing third and Gary turned in his best performance of the year as he captured third place in diving. “We did alright tonight,” said Caldwell in his weekly telephone press conference. “We had several personal best times, and the kids worked bard.” With Warsaw capturing the majority of the events, the Tigers were able to build a comfortable lead. But two Warriors gave it their all in winning the 100-yard backstroke and diving competition. Phil Zachary provided the host Warriors with their first triumph of the evening with a 255.9 score from the board.

Reed capped off the top honors for Wawasee as the consistent swimmer easily eaptured the 100 backstroke with his 1:02.6 clocking. Wawasee, although it won only two events, placed second in a

Lady Warriors nip Bremen

By TOM CHARLES Sports Editor Despite a brilliant comeback effort from the Bremen Lady Lions, the Lady Warriors hung on down the stretch to capture a 54-53 win and the Northern Lakes Conference title at Wawasee last Thursday night. The victory, which secured Wawasee’s first title in the history of the sport, raised the team’s season record to 17-1. The Lady Warriors were a perfect 7-0 in NLC loop play. However, that perfect record was put in jeopardy by Bremen’s furious second-half rally. Trailing by 16 at the end of the firstquarter and 13 at the half, the Lady Lions brought back memories of last year’s upset win as they got on track in the final three periods. “I try and instill a ‘never-say-die’ attitude in my players,” said Bremen coach Martin Huber. “They showed a lot of character with their play.” With Anita Swope on the bench due to a thigh bruise, Bremen gained steam in the second period. The momentum carried over into the second half as well as the Lady Lions climbed to within four, 43-39, at the end of the third quarter. The guests converted a threepoint play to open the final stanza, and completed the comeback when junior Katie DeSantis hit a jumper to make it 45-43 with 5:49 left. Bremen held onto the lead until a Michelle Harter threepoint play, off an assist from Sandy Payne, gave Wawasee the lead for good. “When Swope was hurt, it affected the players,” commented Brannock in reference to the tempo of the game. “The kids just seemed to lose their selfconfidence. However, Bremen did a nice job. They made a nice run at the game.” Swope finished the night with an unusually low output of five points. But senior Dee Stump, playing her final game on the Wawasee hardwood, had a brilliant night at her guard spot. The 5’5” sparkplug pumped in 17 points, 14 of them in the first half. She finished the night shooting 8-17 from the floor in addition to her three steals and

Jr. high and elementary roundup —

Webster eighth bows out of tourney

Despite a comeback effort in the second half, the North Webster eighth grade boys lost a 38-33 decision to Wakarusa in the opening round of the Camelot Tourney. Wakarusa jumped out to a 22-11 lead at the half. However, Milford cut the lead the three in the fourth quarter. Waky managed to hold off the charge and take the win. Dan Warren had nine points and eight rebounds for Mike Hall’s 5-5 squad. Darrin Atwood added eight tallies. Mark Risser

few. Jewson’s personal best in the 200-yard freestyle gave the Warriors some much needed points, while Todd Smith was the runner-up in the 100-yard breaststroke. Wawasee hopes to get back on the winning track tomorrow night when it travels to Culver Military for a 6:00 p.m. meet Summary 200 Medley Relay — Warsaw, (Vaccaro, Cerny, Mahue,

UP _ SEE YOU LATER — Wa waste'sßrent At wood gets a head start in the 200 Medley relay against Bremen, Thursday, Jan. 26. The Warriors relay team easily won the event, and then proceeded to trounce the visiting Lions Pictured above, right, h Coach Tim Caldwell checking the time of Benj Reed, bi water. (Photo by Mark Weinstein) ' >• T» <

Wed., February 1,1984 - THE MAIL-JOURNAL

three assists. “Stump did a nice job for us,” noted Brannock. “She shot a little bit more than she usually does. But when you have you’re leading scorer (Swope) out, someone has to pick up the slack.” Marcia Sorensen, the other senior on the squad, capped off her home career with a frustrating night. The 6’o” senior notched two points and one rebound while battling foul trouble most of the game. However, Sorensen received help inside from Harter and Christy Speicher. The duo combiner for nine points in the closing period to keep Wawasee in the contest. On the night, Speicher had 11 points and 15 rebounds. Harter chipped in with seven markers and seven rebounds. “The kids that were in the game at the end really hung tough,” noted Brannock. “Harter is one of those players who is not going to be denied. She had some important baskets. Speicher also hung tough.” Bremen was led by Katie Desantis and freshman center Beth Feldman who each sank 14 points. DeSantis hit the majority of her points from the baseline — a spot on Wawaee’s zone defense

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STUCK IN THE MIDDLE — Dawn Coy found herself in the middle of a sandwich at one point during last Thursday’s junior varsity game with Bremen. Coy and her teammates were able to stage a late comeback and win the game 31-30. The junior varsity finished at 13-5. (Photo by Tom Charles)

led Wakarusa with 17 points. The eighth grade girls dropped a 14-13 game to Wakarusa. Michelle White tallied five points and Jenni Gilmore had four. Milford Girls The Milford sixth grade girls’ team edged North Webster, 29-28, in a come-from-behind win on January 23. Ten of the 17 team members scored points. Kristin Robbins was the highpoint player with nine points. B. J. Mollotte chipped in four points in the victory. The same night, the seventh

Twombly), 1:53.1; Warsaw; Wawasee 200 yard freestyle — Clark, 1:59.5; Jewson; Cerny 200 Intermediate Relay — Doyle, 2:11.3; Garrard; Smith 50 yard freestyle — Cummins, 24.6; Twombly ; Reed Diving — Zachary, 255.9; Cummings; Miller 100 yard butterfly — Hoskins, 54.9; Mahue; Roach 100 yard freestyle — Hoppas,

which the Lady Lions consistently attacked. “The main reason we went to the baseline is that we beat them last year from that spot,” said Huber. “That is the weakest spot on the 1-2-2.” “It was stupidity on our part that we gave them the baseline so much,” said Brannock. “We tried to correct that in the second half.” However, Bremen provided the best defense against its own attack. The Lady Lions were a woeful 29 percent from the floor for the contest. “We got a big win," concluded • Brannock. “I think it built a lot of confidence in the kids. They showed a lot of character.” Wawasee will open post-season play at 8:00 p.m. Thursday night , against Warsaw in the Warsaw sectional. The Tigers are currently 15-3. Wawasee sports a 17-1 mark. Junior Varsity Jama Roose hit a free throw with :04 left in the contest to seal a 31-30 comeback win for the JV. Bremen had a chance to tie or win the game, but a final free throw failed to find its mark. The win gave Barb Brouwer’s squad a final record of 13-5.

and eighth grade girls were defeated by Fairfield. The final score in the seventh grade game was 18-16, while the eighth grade dropped a 35-26 decision. Leading scorers for the seventh grade were Chris Warmoth and Bobi Stookey who each tallied six points. The eighth grade was led by Shelly Bushong who compiled seven points, eight rebounds and five steals in a fine all around performance. Kim Newcomer added six points and nine rebounds.

57.0; Sadenwater; Ensinger 500 yard freestyle — Clark, 5:21.0; Cerny; Jewson 100 yard backstroke — Reed, 1:02.6; Vaccaro; Rouch 100 yard breastroke — G. Cerny, 1:09.3; Smith; Gephart 400 yard freestyle relay — Warsaw (Cumming, Garrard, Doyle, Hoskins), 3:30.3; Warsaw; Wawasee

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