The Mail-Journal, Volume 22, Number 6, Milford, Kosciusko County, 6 February 1985 — Page 8
• i THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed., February 6,1985
8
Sports
Fifth-straight crown Lady Warriors rally to win Warsaw sectional
By MARK WEINSTEIN Sports Editor For three quarters, Warsaw’s Lady Tigers were in command of the Warsaw Sectional championship contest. All Warsaw had to do was play the third-ranked Lady Warriors even throughout the fin r '. eight minutes, and it would auvance into this weeks regional action. Instead, Christy Speicher came alive, as did Wawasee, in the final eight minutes to score 11 of her 15 points to spark a 39-35 come-from-behind victory over the Lady Tigers. Wawasee, 18-1, faced an uphill
'W a| a . a 1 afcatoo-.g JWI , Ilf j* J W Hl' I ? j BBBHT****T dh PARTY BEGINS — Dale Brannock and his Wawasee girls’ basketball team jump for joy seconds after the Lady Warriors turned back Warsaw 39-35 for the Warsaw Sectional championship. (Photo by Mark Weinstein)
Wysong gets 1 OOth with Rochester rout
By MARK WEINSTEIN Sports Editor John Wysong reached two coaching milestone last week. First, his Over-achieving Warrior basketball team ripped Rochester 74-46 to give the fourthyear coach his 100th coaching victory. Then, in an impressive defensive effort, the Warriors routed Whitko last evening, 62-47, giving Wysong his first victory over a Bill Patrick-coached team. “I am just proud of the way the kids played tonight,” said Wysong minutes after his team defeated the Wildcats. ‘‘We played a very solid floor game against a good team.” The contest was decided in the opening period as Wawasee raced out to 13-4 lead after the initial period, and then were never threatened. In the pivotal first quarter, Wawasee played exceptional defense along with executing its offense to near perfection. Brooks Koble led the offensive surge for the Warriors with nine of his game-high 24 points. With Whitko trailing by as many as 15 points throughout the second period, Patrick ordered his team to tighten up its defense and work the ball around at the offense end of the court. The Wildcats tried valiently to carry out Patrick's orders, but, Wawasee’s defense shut down Whitko’s rusting machine, and the Warriors’ offense could not be stopped. “I don’t know what the problem was with us,” said Patrick. “Maybe the two week layoff hurt us. Whatever, we did not play well at all.” Wawasee, clinging to a nine point halftime lead, broke the game wide open in the third period. During that eight minuted stretch, the Warriors outscored the Wildcats 16-8, and held a commanding 39-22 advanatage entering the final period. Whitko, trying to catch up in the fourth quarter, put together a mild rally midway through the period. The Wildcats used an aggressive full court press to slice Wawasee’s largest lead of the game of 21 points, 49-28, with 5:22 remaining to 15 at the final buzzer. “We just got outplayed and outhustled,” said Patrick. “Wawasee has a fine team, they play together arid get the job
battle all game long against Warsaw, now 15-5. But when Speicher sank a pair of charity tosses with 6:13 remaining in regulation, the Lady Warriors had the upper hand. With the score deadlocked at 31-all, following the two freebies by Speicher, Sandy Payne came up with the key defensive play of the game. As the host Lady Tigers attempted to bring the ball up court against a tenacious full-court press, Payne stepped in front of a Warsaw pass and picked off the ball. Payne, with great instinct, hit teammate Anita Swope, who was
done.” Wysong felt the same way. “We knew what we had to do going into this game,” said Wysong. ->‘They are a very talented and well coached team. Because of that, we had to play a good game, which we did.” For the game, Koble’s 24 points paced the winning effort. But the senior received plenty of help from the rest of the team. Tim Mangas came off Wysong’s bench to score 13 points, while Seth Swihart added 12 points, eight from the charity stripe. Ironically, it was Wawasee’s attempts from the foul line that disturbed Patrick more than anything. “I/thought that was the mostr horrendous officiating I’ve s>genV’ added the Whitko mentor. “li’s high school ofto come to that level.” What Patrick was referring to was an edge, he felt, Wawasee gained from the officiating. “I’m not taking anything away from Wawasee, but we played bad, the officials were bad, and if you put those two together what do you nave,” asked Patrick. “A bad ball game.” Officially, Wawasee shot 18 additional free throws than Whitko. Still, 14 of those shots were taken in the final period when Whitko was fouling to get back into the contest. Whitko was led in scoring by Mike Ebbinghouse and Ty Smith’s 10 points. - Rout Rochester Wysong’s 100th coaching victory was never in doubt. The Warriors raced out to a 17-12 first quarter lead at Rochester, and then coasted the rest of the contest. The key series of plays in the contest happened throughout the second period when the visiting Warriors scored the first 14 points of the second quarter. Koble keyed the scoring onslaught with 17 first half points. He concluded the evening with 31 points. “One of the things that we wanted to do after the long ride here was play with intensity,” said Wysong. “And we did that for the most part. We executed our offense well, and had people talking on the court.” Wawasee’s intensity was never more evident than the middle two quarters. During that 16 minutes , time Span, Wawasee outscored Rochester 38-16, causing a great
streaking down court, with a perfect pass near halfcourt and Swope converted the theft into Wawasee’s first lead of the contest. With Wawasee’s fans going into a frenzy, the Lady Warriors padded their advantage to four points at a couple different occasions in the final minutes. Wawasee had a couple of additional opportunities to increase its margin, but several missed charity tosses kept the game close. According to Dale Brannock, the victory was due, in part, to a
Wrestling regional on hold
By JO STURGIS Staff Writer Who won the Fort Wayne Carroll wrestling regional. This question mark is still unanswered as the wrestling regional, which was scheduled for last Saturday, was indefinitely postponed last Friday after the IHSAA was ordered by Allen Circuit Court to let Scott A. Kern, a Concordia High School wrestler, participate in the regionals at Carroll. Kern earned his chance to wrestle in the regional at the North Side Sectional when he won the 112-pound division championship. Kern was earlier declared ineligible to wrestle at the regional level by the Indiana Hoosier State Athletic Association because of scholastic reasons. Kern was enrolled in four classes, the minimum as outlined in IHSAA Rule C-18-1, but later dropped business accounting, falling below the minimum requirement. The family is now trying to have Kern reinstated in the tournament legally, a process which may take an indefinite period of time. Wawasee wrestling coach. Rich Welborn, is looking at the whole thing positively. He said, “the delay will show which team has the most self-discipline and purpose. If the other teams don’t have these things, it’s to our advantage.” . Welborn agrees with the postponement of regionals.
K* 1 • Ik W Ji K 100th WIN — Wawasee’s John Wysong enjoys watching his team rout Rochester, 74-46, last weekend. The victory over Rochester gave ’ Wysong his 100th coaching victory in his career. (Photo by Mark Weinstein)
combination of factors. “We changed our defense in the fourth quarter,” said Brannock. “We had pressed earlier, which we called a blue press. In the fourth quarter we switched to a red press, a more intense press. It worked.” Prior to the switch in presses, Wawasee was content in playing even with the Lady Tigers. “We knew what we were doing.” said Brannock. “We knew that when we caught Warsaw, we would be able to win.”
“They should take their time in deciding this case, you don’t want to eliminate a student who has a chance to wrestle at state.” As of Tuesday afternoon, Welborn hadn’t heard anything from the IHSAA on when the meet would be take place. He said they may call him Wednes-
Wawasee downs Dekalb
By JO STURGIS Sports Writer A team effort helped the Wawasee gymnastics team capture the intermediate meet at DeK&lb last Thursday, Jan. 31. The optional team suffered its third loss of the season and are still hampered with injuries. Three intermediate performers received top honors for Wawasee to lead the team to their 81.9-71.9 victory. Steph Crow received a first on the vault with 7.5, Nicole Iwanowitsch placed first on the uneven bars with a 6.0 and Steph Jamiel received a first on the balance beam with a 7.5. Picking up seconds in the intermediate meet were Stacy Osendorf, 7.4 in the vault; Jamiel, 6.6 in the uneven bars and 7.8 in the floor exercise. Thirds went to Becky Gibson, 7.3 in the vault; Osendorf, 6.0 on the uneven bars; and Gretchen Huffman, 7.6 on the floor and 5.3 on the balance beam. The optional team lost 88.725-82.225. Suellen Free and
In addition to the aggressive press, Wawasee stayed close to the Lady Tigers by its outside shooting. Payne and Michelle Harter, in particular, kept the Lady Warriors close throughout the first three periods. After that, Speicher took over. Warsaw In Command The Lady Tigers, 15-5, took charge of the contest early with a sagging zone defense and some spectacular shooting by Kristy Cole and Stacy Grow. The pair connected for four points each
day morning and say they will wrestle Wednesday and Thursday nights. Welborn doesn’t see this as a disadvantage because he said his wrestlers are used to wrestling on Thursday nightstand then going into tournaments on Saturdays and at this point in the season the kids would rather wrestle than practice.
Tressa Littleton led the Warriors with first place finishes. Free scored a 6.6 on the balance beam and Littleton followed with a 7.95 on the floor exercise. Raeni Rinker placed second on the vault with an 8.4 and second on the uneven bars with an 8.0. Free received third on the floor with a 7.55. The optional team did not compete at the Merrillville Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 2, as earlier planned. Coach Barb Trobaugh said she decided not to make the trip to Merrillville because of the injuries on the team. “Sure, the invitationals are important, but the only way you can get to regionals is to win sectionals,” said Trobaugh. “I just want to get my girls healthy again in time for sectionals.” The optional team will not compete in the Highland Invitational, which is an all-around competition, scheduled for Feb. 9, either. Both teams are back in action Feb. 7 in an away meet against Elkhart Central.
amount of concern for Rochester’s Tom Brovont. “I thought we started out alright against them, but we stopped moving the ball in the second quarter,” said the first year coach. “In the second and third quarters we just fell apart.” Picture and autograph day planned at WHS Wawasee High School Athletic Director Hal Traviolia announced that Friday’s home boys’ basketball game against North Wood is picture and autograph day. Anyone attending the contest will be welcome to remain after the game and take pictures and get autographs of their favorite Wawasee basketball players. Following the contest, the basketball team will exit the playing so that coach John Wysong can conduct final business in the lockerroom. After the team meeting, the team will return for the special activity. Five records broken by swim club Five Wawasee Swim Club records were broken against Kendallville Saturday, Jan. 19. Andy Kreider broke the 25-yard butterfly record for boys in the 9 and 10 age group. The new record stands at 37.370. Danielle Laub broke the eight and under age group record in the 50-yard butterfly with a time of 21.936. Meanwhile, Scott Berkey smashed a pair of records. In the 100-yard butterfly for boys between 11 and 12 years old, Berkey’s 1:21.659 clocking gave him the new record. He also broke the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:25.986. Finally, Vince Koser smashed the 100-yard backstroke for boys in the 13 and 14 age division. He finished the event in a time of 1:21.328.
during the first eight minutes. But it was Warsaw’s zone defense was the eye catcher. Forcing the Lady Warriors out of their inside game, the Lady Tigers built a 13-8 lead after one period. Both teams played evenly throughout the second period, scoring only four points, until Payne connected on a 27-foot jumper at the buzzer. Although Warsaw netted just four points in the period, it was not due to Wawasee’s defense. Instead, Warsaw’s Mary Hurley ordered the Lady Tigers to hold to ball. The strategy seemed to work, although Brannock differs on that opinion. “I think their stall backfired on
Km t ’■k *■ Bi F K El r W rtW* Jr i ► ■ ' < - m SO 8 " " ■ KM.3 ... s gL- 1 r r A 1 • SURROUNDED — Wawasee’s Christy Speicher drives towards the paint during first half action in the Warsaw Sectional championship. Speicher, surrounded by Rachel Jeffreys, Tina Manns, Stacey Grow, reaching for the ball; and Angie Ryman, scored 15 points, 11 in the final period to rally „ Wawasee past Warsaw 39-35. (Photo by Mark Weinstein)
Sports comment — - Calling the shots jk
ALTHOUGH WAWASEE DEFEATED WARSAW IN THE sectional final last weekend, it was good to see the class which Warsaw High School showed following the heart-breaking loss. To be more exact, it was three representatives that showed Warsaw’s true colors. At Wawasee’s pep session, following Wawasee’s emotional victory, Warsaw’s head coach, Mary Hurley, along with Tina Manns and Angie Ryman made an appearance at the activity. Hurley, after receiving a standing ovation from the partisian Wawasee crowd, made a few positive comments concerning Wawasee High School and its athletic program. More to the point. Hurley gave the Lady Warriors her support as Dale Brannock’s squad advances into this weeks regional. This gesture merely shows Hurley’s class as a coach and individual, as well as the class athletic program at WCHS. For Manns and Ryman, well, they also are class individuals. Both seniors are a credit to their parents, school and friends. Both are quality players and fine individuals. Although their high school careers have come to a close, I know there are many more good days ahead for these two players. I don’t know where Tina will be attending college, but wherever she plays, she will definitely add to that schools program. For Angie, well, I know she will fit into the college of her choice. And as a Grace alumnus, I know she will add greatly to the Lancer athletic program. SPEAKING OF CLASS, BILL PATRICK SHOWED NO signs of this during last night’s basketball game at Wawasee. Instead, he was an insulting example of poor sportsmanship, as was his basketball followers. My heart goes out to those young athletes who are learning from Patrick that it is okay to be a poor sport. Winning seems to be the most important thing in Patrick’s life. That’s too bad. Granted, he is a winning coach, but the way he conducted himself last night leaves a lot of room for improvement. ROUNDBALL ROUNDUP Last week’s winners in high school basketball were Wawasee, Warsaw and North Wood. Winners at the college level included Indiana, Purdue and Michigan. At the Warsaw Sectional, the Lady Warriors defeated Warsaw for the championship. Big Ten. games on tap for this week include Indiana at Wisconsin, Purdue at (lO)Michigan, Purdue at Michigan State, (s)lllinois at Michigan, and Goshen at Grace. In high school action, North Wood plays at Wawasee, Rochester is at Peru, Concord meets Whitko, E. Chicago Washington plays at Warsaw, and Goshen travels to Plymouth. After pleading his case of knowing more about basketball than the Mail-Journal sports
them,” said Brannock. “It kept us from scoring, but it also took the momentum away from them. It was just a matter of time before we caught up.” For the Lady Warriors, Speicher led the offensive attack with 15 points and eight rebou Still, it was Payne’s 10 points, all from perimeter shooting, and Harter’s six points that proved to be a key factor in the outcome. Another key factor was Swope’s defensive pressure and assists. The senior caused several Warsaw mistakes along with dishing out six assists. Grow was the leading scorer for the Lady Tigers. The sophomore guard netted 11
staff, Homer Miller has been given his chance to try his fortunes as this week’s guest picker. Miller, an employee at The Papers Incorporated, has never played basketball in his life, although he says he is as knowledgable as some of the members on this panel.
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points. Tina Manns, Warsaw’s leading scorer all season, was held to eight points before fouling out in the fourth quarter. The Lady Warriors now seek to defend their 1984 regional title when they go up against Caston, 18-3, Thursday evening. Caston turned back Rochester 50-43 at the Rochester Sectional. “They have a very nice ballclub,” said Brannock. “It is a typical Floyd Henson coachedteam. They like to get the ball up the court, and then shoot quickly.” The winner of the WawaseeCaston matchup will face the winner from the Columbia City-East Noble clash.
Weinstein, after defeating Tom Charles, now has his sights on his first, and probably last, championship in this column. Weinstein’s winners include Wawasee, Peru, Whitko, E. Chicago Wash., Plymouth, Indiana. Michigan (2x), Purdue, and Grace.
Miller is hoping to keep the guest picker close to the top. With this in mind, Miller predicts wins for Wawasee. Rochester, Concord, Warsaw. Plymouth, Indiana, Michigan (2x). Michigan State, and Grace.
Derk Kuhn, trying to move up in the standings is giving the nod to Wawasee, Peru. Concord, Warsaw, and Plymouth to win at the high school level while Indiana, Purdue (2x), Michigan and Grace gain Kuhn’s confidence in college ball.
Jo Sturgis is just one game behind Kuhn, and with these picks, she could climb into third place. Sturgis is banking on North Wood, Peru, Whitko, Warsaw, Goshen, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, and Grace to move her into second place.
Rhodes enjoyed his best week and hopes to continue his swing upwards. The darkroom technician is going with Wawasee, Peru, Whitko, E. Chicago Wash., Plymouth, Wisconsin, Michigan (2x), Michigan State, and Goshen