The Mail-Journal, Volume 23, Number 52, Milford, Kosciusko County, 24 December 1986 — Page 8

THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed., December 24,1986

8

Sports

Concord and Kemp too strong for Wawasee

>By MARK WEINSTEIN Sports Editor DUNLAP — For Concord’s Minutemen boys’ basketball ‘ team, one play set the tone in its convincing 80-58 Northern Lakes

m*-— . ,-fr — ...rf* '*V *VL4BBBBB '’x.'-* *r /'Ji?*** '-Nt J '^ T <» j B *’■ a * tY dQ| - anr. * fcgpf I C«. JAOwmRiI * i 1 jllm l&T-o — yTTdi Fzlj Mb it is Bb Bf ' I a i l«jr BBBBb*** st *w i "** * ? B- ■ I ■k] 1 -<1 / X ■■ • *»- JTflB V '■L ’ J HL X 1 ■Bk'i .. w NO CONTEST — Concord’s Shawn Kemp, lays in two of his game-high 34 points amidst four Wawasee defenders during fourth quarter action Saturday evening at Concord. Wawasee’s John Erasure, next to Kemp, attempts to stop the Minutemen’s 6-10 Kemp, but was unsuccessful. Watching Kemp’s basket are Darrin Atwood, left, Tim Mangas. 22. and Fred Steffen, right. Steve Larken looks on for the Minutemen. (Photo bv Mark Weinstein).

Warriors remain unbeaten

SYRACUSE — Wawasee’s wrestling team remained unbeaten in the Northern Lakes Conference Thursday, Dec. 18, with a 64-7 romp over Concord. The contest, from the beginning, belonged to the Warriors. The host team captured the first 11 events, including the first three by forfeit. Concord’s lone

A Merry Christmas — wrapped up in Maize and Blue

Christmas should be the most enjoyable time of the year. However, that’s not always the case. It seems that too many people associate Christmas with giving gifts, and of course, receiving some. But, that’s not the intent of the holiday. Christmas is the foundation to the Christian belief. We should honor Christ’s birth — remembering what was purchased with his life. I wonder why those who do not believe still celebrate this holiday. Anyway, since retailers have helped us focus on ourselves at this time of the year, let me share my 1986 Christmas list. You can be assured that I’ve checked it twice, and was good all year — just ask my wife. Looking over the list, I see only three items that I want... desperately. However, I realize I might not get everything on my list, but it is still worth the effort. Topping my list this December is a University of Michigan victory in the January 1, 1987, Rose Bowl. This victory over Arizona State will set the tone for a wonderful and prosperous new year. But I am not a greedy person. If I was, I would have asked for the

Conference romp past previously undefeated Wawasee Saturday evening. Unfortunately for Wawasee, it was in the Warriors’ first offensive series of the game. On the tone-setting play, Wawasee’s Fred Steffen tried to take the ball right at the

victories came in the final two events. But, by then, the contest was over. Concord, on the season, fell to 1-3 and 1-2 in the Northern Lakes Conference. After Wawasee charged out to the early lead, compliments of Concord’s three forfeits, the War-

Rose Bowl package to be wrapped with Maize and Blue paper, and a national championship included with the win. Scarlet and gray paper, however, will suffice — the colors serve as a good reminder that the Wolverines won the Big Ten championship in the seasonending victory over Ohio State. But. that’s only the beginning. A 1987 subscription to the Detroit News would look very appealing under the Christmas tree. But, the paper is not the important gift, it is the news of Lance Parrish signing with the Detroit Tigers for the rest of his baseball career. A smaller gift, if you can’t come up with Parrish’s signing, would be to package a trade with Larry Herndon, Chet Lemon and Willie Hernandez going to Cleveland for Cory Snyder and Joe Carter. My final gift wish is to see a Northern Lakes Conference championship banner hanging from the rafters at Wawasee High School. To go even further, the gift could be tied together with a nice Triton Sectional crown. I realize the championship drive was hurt Saturday when Concord defeated the Warriors. But I am not giving up —if

Minutemen’s premier player, 6-10, Shawn Kemp. It didn’t work. Kemp, probably playing his best basketball game of the season, rejected Steffen’s shot with ease, thus, triggering an explosive Concord offensive attack enroute to the team’s eighth win

riors increased their margin over the Minutement with four consecutive pins. Elisea Roa started the ball rolling with his : 55 second pin of Clinton Veatch. Then, Tom Mangas, making his first appearance this season, kept the the Minutmen on f their backs when he pinned Brad . Mix.

nothing else, I believe in miracles. With those gifts, basically, my Christmas is complete. But Christmas is supposed to be a giving time. A time that we think about others more than we think of ourselves. I wouldn’t feel right if I did not give some gifts. Let me take some time and hand out my gifts. To Grace College basketball coach Jim Kessler, I want to provide you a gift that will help your team play better defense. With this in mind, I am giving you, and every team member, Robert Schuler’s book “How To Defend Against The Opponent With Positive Thoughts.” This book should stimulate the Lancers to another Mid Central Conference championship, and hopefully, a NCCAA national title. Since I gave Kessler and his team something, I probably should do the same for Grace’s athletic director, Phil Dick. Dick, in all sincerity, is one of the nicest individuals I know. Because of -his generosity to me the past five years, I want him to have a lifetime supply of Cherry Coke. What a practical gift to the AD, who seldom goes anywhere without a soft drink in his hand. For Wawasee High School, my gift to you this holiday season is a crowd gauge that mounts on a

in nine tries. The Warriors fall to 7-1 on the campaign and 1-1 in the NLC. “I think that play set the tone of things to come,” insisted Concord head coach, Jim Hahn, referring to Kemp’s first of four block shots in the game. “They took it straight to our big man, and he stopped them.” But it wasn’t just on defense that Kemp stopped the Warriors’ seven game winning streak — he did it offensively and lyComing off Friday night’s win at North Wood, Kemp, who played sparingly, gave his team an emotional lift by starting against the Warriors. However, the emotional factor paled in comparison to his 34 points, 19 rebounds, four blocked shots and four assist performance. Still, the game didn’t rest solely on Kemp’s shoulders. Troy Myers Steve Larkin and Pete Raventos all played key roles for the Minutemen. Myers, a 6-3 senior scored 19 points for Concord, while Larkin turned in the defensive game of his» career, shutting down Wawasee’s offensive leader, Tim Mangas. The Wawasee star finished with 18 points, but only four in the first half as Concord

GAME SUMMARY WAWASEE (58) FG FT TP CONCORD (80) FG FT TP Mike Eastmano-2 0-0 0 Randy Nisenl-4 2-3 4 Fred Steffen 4-14 3-8 11 Steve Larkin2-8 1-1 5 Nathan Rhoades3-8 2-2 8 Shawn Kempl3-14 8-12 34 Brian Rensbergero-1 1-2 1 Troy Myers 4-8 7-8 1» Darrin Atwood 4-20 2-2 10 Pete Raventos4-5 0-2 8 Tim Mangasß-20 2-5 18 Don Deboneo-1 0-2 0 John Frasure3-4 0-0 6 Duane Wickeyo-0 0-0 0 Matt Dicko-0 2-2 2 James Loewen3-3 0-0 6 Brett Hartero-0 0-2 0 George Clemensl-1 2-3 4 James Braggsl-3 0-0 2 Totals 30-40 20-31 80 Totals 23-72 12-23 58 Team Fouls: 22 Team Fouls: 21 Team rebounds: 21 (Steffen —6) Team Rebounds: 45 (Kemp— 1») Quarter Scoring Wawaseel2 8 19 19 -58 Concordls 26 15 24 -80 Officials: Dale Blosser, Elkhart; Herb Pruitt, Anderson. Preliminary Score: Concords 4-42.

Northridge trips Warriors, 29-27

SYRACUSE - Usually, in basketball, coaches believe that a teams offense is only as good as its defense. A good defensive team, generally, will win more games than a good offensive unit. However, that was not the case Saturday afternoon when the Wawasee girls’ basketball team played a solid defensive game, but its offense failed to show up in the Warriors’ 29-27 loss to Northridge. With the loss, the Warriors failed to climb above the .500 mark, while resting at Christmas break with a 4-5 record. In the contest, neither team showed many signs of an offensive threat. The closest, however, was Wawasee’s Amy Barton. The

Mangas' pin appeared to be the deciding blow to the Minutemen. Bob Doerr, who has lost only once this season, continued Wawasee’s dominance with 1:04 pin of Scott McDowell, then Brett Traviolia ran his record to 3-0 with a 3:28 pin of Jeff Cripe. From there, Wawasee took advantage of two technical falls.

On The Mark MARK WEINSTEIN wall inside the gymnasium — nearest to the student body. With this gift, Gary Goshert will be able to tell if the ‘sixth man’ is doing its job. To Arch Baumgartner, I give you a dictionary filled with athletic terms. With this gift, you should be able to tell the difference between a punter and kicker. This will come in handy since you write occasional athletic-related stories. In wrapping up my gift list, I feel it only fitting that I give Hal Traviolia one ticket to the 1987 Indiana wrestling tournament in Indianapolis. I’m sure he will want to watch Wawasee wrestle in the event, especially if his son, Brent, makes it to Indy.

took control of the game. Raventos scored eight points, but grabbed eight rebounds for the Minutemen. , But the game was not a blow out — until the second quarter. The Warriors, playing aggressively, stayed with the fourth-ranked Minutemen in the first period. Nathan Rhoades and Darrin Atwood kept the game close with key fielders, but the Warriors lost their composure, and the game, in the same period. Leading by three, 15-12, at the outset of the second frame, Concord went on a scoring blitz — which saw the Minutemen outscore Wawasee 26-8 in the period. The 18-point burst gave the hosts a comfortable 41-20 halftime lead. “It got to the point that we couldn’t control Shawn,” said Wawasee head coach Gary Goshert. “When he gets close to the basket — which he did all evening — we knew we were in trouble. There just wasn’t a whole lot we could do when he got the basketball.” Although the contest was over at halftime, the Warriors never gave up.

freshman starter led the Warriors with eight points, but more than that, was the only Warrior playing an aggressive style of basketball. The others, it seemed, were going through the motions. But, even with that, Wawasee almost pulled this game out. Trailing 17-12 at halftime, Wawasee held the Raiders to one point, while scoring six in the third period. But Wawasee’s mini-spurt only allowed the Warriors to catch up as the fourth quarter began. Still, during the final stanza, the lead changed hands seven times, and finally came down to a last second effort by Wawasee. Trailing 28-27 with 10 seconds

another forfeit and a Garrett Ponciroli decision of Mike Cocanower to claim the win. “We did a good job, in terms of concentration,” said Wawasee’s Dave VanLue. “We were in control from the beginning, then, with Mangas’ pin, everything snowballed for us,”

My final gift goes to everyone who reads this column, to Wawasee High School — including the hostile student body — and Grace College’s coaching staff. May you truly enjoy the spirit of Christmas (as it was intended) this season and that God’s richest blessings fall your way in 1987. Merry Christmas and a very blessed New Year. □ Switching gears, somewhat, did you know that two Wawasee girls’ basketball records were broken in the Warriors’ game with Manchester, Thursday, Dec. 11? Ann Vitaniemi, who scored 30 points on 15 field goals, in the Manchester game, smashed the total points in a game record of 26, which was established in 1974. Barb Brouwer established the mark, although she shared it with Lonnie Black since 1979. Brouwer set the mark in her .1974 contest with Manchester, while Black tied the feat in the 1979 game with Northridge. Vitaniemi also holds the record for more field goals in one game —ls. The old mark, 12, was set by Brouwer in 1974 against Manchester. □ Several former Northern Lakes Conference athletes were recently awarded a varsity letter from

With Kemp resting on the pines late in the third period, and most of the fourth, Wawasee was able to slice the Minutemen’s lead by four in the third. The Warriors continued to narrow the spread in the fourth, until Kemp returned. Wawasee closed within 13 points early in the fourth quarter, but when Kemp returned to Concord’s lineup, the Minutemen closed out the game just like they started it —by dominating the Warriors. Unlike Concord, which had one dominating player, the Warriors struggled offensively with a less-

mA *> ufl l| bHBL Bv -4 JhA' Kr* 42 ■ m Bta£ '■^l rZ FWiL vf.l W .4 K" Jf 1 vjt B’ 1 '-Z-BL B. j > W| X \ , .*• i /.' > - ?w, 7 \ >■■'* / A BIG TIME REJECTION — Wawasee’s Fred Steffen gets the Warriors’ first shot attempt blocked by 6-10 Shawn Kemp during the opening minutes of Concord’s 80-58 romp over the Warriors. Kemp, while making defensive plays like this all evening, netted 34 points in leading the Minutemen to the convincing Northern Lakes Conference win. (Photo by Mark Weinstein).

Manchester College. Those picking up their first letter were Troy Minton, Wawasee; Carl Rouch, Wawasee; Tony Strati, Concord; Jon Woodworth, Concord; Dawn Grabil, Concord; and Deb Grabil, Concord. Receiving their second Manchester letter were Christine Gardner, Plymouth; and Jon Milliard, Goshen. Finally, Ron Daniels, Wawasee; Rose Rouch Mcßride, Wawasee; Mike Patty, Wawasee; and Travis Walls, Warsaw; all received their third Manchester varsity letter. □ Statistically, Kim Zurcher is not having a very good year with the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ basketball team. The junior guard, while averaging 7.8 points a game, is 13 of 42 from the field (31%), while turning the ball over 14 times. Both stats are the worst of any starter on the team. However, in Monday’s win over Wichita State, Zurcher scored 20 points, had four assists, and three steals. He is the teain leader in assists (24). □ I had to eat my words last weekend when Jack Morris agreed to arbitration, thus, remaining with the Detroit Tigers. I thought Morris, the winningest pitcher in baseball since 1980, would be so hard-nosed and proud

than-spectacular performance from Mangas, Steffen and Atwood. Mangas, the Warriors' leading scorer this season, was held to 18 points while Steffen canned 11 points and Atwood chipped in with 10 for the Warriors. “We knew if we stopped Mangas and Steffen, their other kids couldn’t hurt us offensively,” said Hahn. “Larkin did a great job on Mangas.”' Although the play of Kemp and Larkin were key factors in the lopsided win, so was Concord’s red-hot shooting from the perimeter. The Minutemen con-

that he wouldn’t even consider the Tigers’ offer. I’m glad he had a change in heart. □ Derk Kuhn continues to slide backwards in his prediction percentage. After holding his own the first three weeks, Kuhn has slipped from first place to a tie for second, four games off the pace. However, both Kuhn and Mark Huffman lead third place challenger, Homer Miller by one game and the guest panelist by two. Rich Rhodes, although not giving up, rests peacefully in last place, 10 games behind the leader. Incidentally, Rhodes suffered through his worst week of picks — picking only two of the seven winners. I don’t know what he is blaming his bad fortune on — probably me for making him pick the games on Monday morning, but everyone does that. Maybe the Milford EMS worker will be able to save his face with a complete turn-around in the weeks to follow. But don’t count on it. . Serving once again as the guest panelist is Wawasee’s Tim Caldwell. The versatile swimming coach has kept a close eye on this column, since he started the guest panelist off on the right foot

nected on 30-of-40 field goals (75%) compared to the Warriors’ 23-72(32%). “You can learn a lot of things from a game like this if you keep things in perspective,” added Goshert. “We have to be real proud of what we have accomplished so far this season." After the game, Wawasee began its two-week break from competition. The Warriors return to the hardwood Saturday, Jan. 3, when they host Goshert’s former team, the West Noble Knights. In the junior varsity game, Concord survived a fourthquarter Wawasee flurry to defeat the Warriors 54-42.

— accurately picking seven of the first eight selections. Since his inaugural picks, the guest has fallen on hard times, falling from second place to fourth. Robin Hartman’s selections two weeks ago contributed heavily to the slide. Only five games highlight this week’s action — including one professional basketball game. On the card are three college basketball games. Princeton at Indiana. Central Michigan at Notre Dame, and IUSB at Huntington. The lone pro basketball game features the 4 Indiana Pacers gt Chicago. Wrapping up the selections this week is the Sun Bowl matchup between Alabama and Washington. MARK WEINSTEIN (.872) — Indiana, Notre Dame, Huntington, Chicago, Alabama. MARK HUFFMAN (.769) —lndiana, Notre Dame. IUSB, Chicago, Alabama. DERK KUHN (.769) —lndiana, Notre Dame, Huntington, Pacers, Washington. HOMER MILLER (.744) —lndiana, Notre Dame, Huntington, Chicago. Alabama. ♦TIM CALDWELL (.718) -Indiana, Notre Dame, Huntington, Chicago, Washington. RICH RHODES (.615) — Indiana, Notre Dame, IUSB, Pacers, Alabama. ♦Denotes Guest Panelist