The Mail-Journal, Volume 23, Number 59, Milford, Kosciusko County, 11 February 1987 — Page 8

THE MAIL-JOURNAL —Wed., February 11,1987

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S p,o rts

Warriors show pride at Warsaw Sectional

Warsaw claims own sectional with easy victory over Wawasee

I By MARK WEINSTEIN Sports Editor WARSAW - All things must come to an end. The Warsaw Tigers felt that way Saturday evening when they snapped Wawasee’s reign of six straight sectional titles with a convincing 56-39 win. The victory sends the 16-3 Tigers into next weekend’s Warsaw Regional. Wawasee ends its season with a 5-14 mark. “lam proud of the kids — we went out with dignity,” said Wavjasee’s Dale Brannock following his first Warsaw Sectional loss. “It was auclass act all the way, and it will always *be that way.” / Poor field goal shooting and foul trouble hindered the Warriors’ chances cf pulling off another upset. Wawasee reached the finals by upending Tippecanoe Valley 46-45 in overtime. In the championship tilt, the Warriors canned/15-of-its 52 field goal attempts (29%). The Warriors also had three players in foul trouble. \ Wendy Lung picked up three quick fouls in the first quarter, while Ann Vitaniemi, and Kelly Brooks both fouled out in the fourth. Lung, however, failed to collect another personal foul in the game. As a team, Wawasee was whistled for 23 fouls. The Tigers had 11 fouls in the game. In Warsaw’s championship contest, the Tigers scored first, and often. After a 4-4 deadlock with 5:57 remaining in the initial period, Warsaw scored nine unanswered points to claim control. Wawasee, however, cut into Warsaw’s margin in the second quarter. The Warriors, utilizing their pressure defense, sliced the 17-8 first period deficit to five points on two separate occasions. Amy Barton and Amy Conroy were key contributors for the Warriors. Barton’s five-footer in

Wawasee continues winning trend

DEKALB — The Wawasee gymnastics team continued its winning ways Thursday with a , 86.8-82.5 victory over DeKalb. The Warriors, with the win, improve their season record to 6-0. Depth was the key in this meet. The Warriors, although winning two of the varsity competition events, gained the victory with their second and third place scores. Leading the way for Wawasee was Sherry Daniels. She placed second in two events — bars and beam. On the bars, she finished with a 6.7 score, well behind teammate Nicole Iwankowitsch’s

'The Solid Ones' prove they belong with NLC elite

At a time when people around this state get excited about the 'inseason' sport — basketball, an out-of-season sport is grabbing much of the national attention. Baseball, still one month away from spring training, has grabbed the headlines because of the ongoing problems with free agency. It seems like this is a no-win situation for the players or owners. The players keep talking about collusion. The owners’ rebuttle is fiscal responsibility. I understand both statements. But isn't there a happy medium? ’ I can understand the players trying to get as much money as they possibly can. However, I feel they have overstepped their boundary and now, basically, are greedy. Take the three big-name free agent players this year. Tim Raines. Andre Dawson, and Lance Parrish all rejected raises from their respective teams this year. In the eyes of the players; the raise in salary was not substantial enough. Take Parrish, for instance, the all-star catcher suffered the last two season with back problems Last year the injury kept him out of the final half of the season. Still, the Tigers offered him a two-year contract worth 2.1 million. It wasn’t enough. Parrish wanted 2.8 million. On the other hand, the owners have paid the big dollars previously. which has made free agents aware of the big money that is available should they opt for free agency. Remember a few years ago. when the Atlanta Braves signed free agent reliever Bruce Sutter to a multiyear, multi-million dollar contract? And he wasn’t the only one. The list could go on forever. So what’s the answer? Unfortunately, I do not think there is an easy solution to this problem. Instead, I look for major league baseball to go on strike this summer, and for several courtroom battles between players and owners to develop. . • . What has happened to this game — perhaps the greatest game ever played? It certainly looks like baseball is going down the tubes. It looks like the times are changing. Gone are the days when residents from Milford, North Webster and Syracuse supported the Wawasee boys’ basketball team — tongue and cheek style.

the paint narrowed the spread to 21-16, then seconds later, two Conroy free throws brought Wawasee within five, 23-18. But that was as close as Wawasee would come the rest of the evening. Warsaw closed the period by scoring six of the final seven point's for a 10-point cushion, 29-19. “We didn’t get started right,” insisted Brannock. “We worked hard, but couldn’t get it going.” Although Wawasee stumbled through the first two periods, the third was the one that shattered the Warriors’ sectional championshipdream. In the period, Warsaw had two scoring spurts, a six-point run, and an eight-point spurt. The final run was the telling story. The Tigers’ six-point spurt opened the second half. Three consecutive Wawasee turnovers highlighted Warsaw’s run. Brenda Kachlik, who led the Tigers with 20 points, opened the period with a driving layup. Then, after two straight turnovers, Stacy Grow and Nicole Ryman added fielders. Ryman’s layup gave Warsaw a 35-19 advantage. “We were really playing good basketball, then, all of a sudden, we went helter skelter,” said Brannock of his teams good first half, but poor start in the third period. “I can’t explain what happened.” Still, the Warriors wouldn’t quit. Instead, they put together a mini-spurt of their own. Trailing 37-21, Wawasee scored the next five points, the final ' three coming off a Lung threepoint play. Brooks proceeded the junior guard’s points with a nifty five-foot jumper in the paint. However, just when it appeared the Warriors had life, the Tigers came storming back. Warsaw scored the next eight points to seize control again. Kachlik was Warsaw’s leader in its second scoring spurt of the

4.25 score. Meanwhile, Daniels’ 7.65 earned her a second place effort on the beam. Saby Vale’s 7.55 was good enough for third place. Other Warriors turning in a good performance were Julie Schmahl, placing second on the. vault with a 7.75 score. She narrowly lost to DeKalb’s Allison Morgan, who finished with a 7.80 score. Tressa Littleton won the floor routine for the Warriors, while DeKalb’s Morgan was second, and the Warriors’ Ann Pohl placed third with a 7.75 tally. In the junior varsity meet,

period. The senior canned four of the Tigers’ points, the final on a rebound and converted layup. Warsaw kept a 15-point margin the rest of the game. The final period was evenly played, although Vitaniemi and Brooks fouled out. Besides Kachlik's 20 points, Ryman turned in an outstanding performance from her pointguard slot. The sophomore connected on eight-of-her-11 field goal attempts while finishing with 18 points. Grow added 12 points and 10 assists for the Tigers. - The Warriors were led by Barton’s 10 points. Vitaniemi chipped in with nine points and five rebounds, while Heidi Brower added six points. , Uncharacteristically, Wawasee had four less turnovers than Warsaw. The Tigers was charged with 25 turnovers, compared to the Warriors’ 21. Warsaw held the rebounding edge over Wawasee, 54-26. WAWASEE (39) FG FT PF TP Lai Reed.l 0-0 3 3 WendyLungJ™....... 1 1-1- 3 3 Kelly Brooksl 3-3 5 4 Amy Barton ..i5 0-0 3 10 Heidi Brower3 0-0 1 6 Ann Vitaniemi4 1-2 5 9 Kristi Parsonso 0-0 0 0 Chris Eldridge...o 0-« 1 0 Amy Conroy..o 2-2 12 Totals 15 9-12 23 39 Team fouls: 23 Team rebounds: 26 (Brooks —7) WARSAW (45) FG FT PF TP Nicole Ryman.....B 2-2 2 18 Ginnette Dun wello 0-2 4 0 Brenda Kachlik6 8-10 2 20 Stacy Grows 2-3 1 12 Angie Johnson 0 2-2 2 2 Ranai Phillipso 2-2 0 2 M.B. Tusing..o 2-2 0 2 Dawn Ritchieo 0-2 0 0 Heather Gaerte 0 0-2 0 0 Totals 19 18-28 11 56 Team fouls: 11 Team rebounds: 54 (Kachlik — 17) Quarter Scoring Wawasee,«..B 11 11 J 39 Warsaw l7 12 16 11 -56 Officials: Roger Pfflughaupt and David Trietsch, both of Fort Wayne.

Wawasee won three of the four events. Daniels won the initial event, floor exercise, with a 5.8 effort. Julie Gunn, who wonjafer won the beam competition, ptd«£d second with a 5.6 score. Wawfcsfee's Gina Byrd placed third in the competition. Gunn closed out Wawasee’s reign of champions with a pair of victories — beam and vault competition. Byrd finished second on the bars. The Warriors return to action Thursday when they travel to Elkhart Central for a 6 p.m. contest.

Now it looks like some people are putting legs to the support

and forming a Wawasee booster club. It is long overdue! Although I have not been in this community very long, three months to be exact, 1 have noticed that the support level at Wawasee athletics is better than normal. But, it’s not the'greatest. For example, the support level at Wawasee is a far cry from the level at Warsaw, Whitko, Tippecanoe Valley, and even Rochester. Now, with a booster club, Wawasee athletes will benefit from the support. That is the name of the game — support Wawasee High School athletes.

A nation-wide search for the craziest athletic fan is underwaV The Fisher Nut Company, sponsoring the “nUttiest” fan search, wdKeive the most bizarre athletic fan a season pass to his favorite professional athletic teams’ home games. \ The top prize winner wjll also receive a television. VCR. and many more prizes. Prizes will be awarded for the top five finishers. In order to qualify, you must write in 50 words or less why you. or the person you nominate, is the nuttiest fan. Be specific witl, your information. Send the nominations to Fisher Nut, Box 1012, Tinley Park. Illinois, 60477. Nominations must be received by Fisher Nut by March 26. Dick Vitale, sports commentator, is the spokesman for the con Much has been said this season about the Wawasee boysjja<ket ball team. The Warriors, entering the season were not pTckroto finish among the elite in the Northern Lakes Conference. However, the Warriors have developed into a very solid unit this season. And, with two NLC games remaining, the Warriors are within reach of sharing second place honors with a host of other NLC schools Presentlv the Warriors are in a tie for second with Warsaw Rochester, and FiyiTroaih. The Warriors hold a 5-2 NLC niaik. whilethe Zebras are 4-2, Plymouth stands 3-2 in the conference, and Warsaw is 5-2. ’ Should the Warriors finish their season with wins over NorQtWood

- Os I .. 1 I , BK: . 'J"* ft fe gggggg WSOr > • w j .. win. —jfraLu—... ■ ■ ■***'“ w ihM-, - W.' ?" - ' ■ ■*••«** .--**’*» ™ pw.. BORROWED TIME — Lai Reed of Wawasev doesn't know whether to pass the hall or dribble during the Warriors' 56-3!) loss to Warsaw in the Warsaw sectional. Reed, because of the indecision, was called for traveling. On the play. Warsaw's Nicole Ryman. 111. ail'd Ginnette Dunwell 11, follow the action. < Photo by Mark Weinstein >

Another Grace title — Zeltwanger shoots Lancers past Marion

WINONA LAKE - Grace College can taste the cake. The Lancers used three Paul Zeltwanger three-point shots in the second half to pull away from Marion College 71-67 in a thrilling Mid Central Conference game here Tuesday evening. With the win, Grace claims part of the conference title with its 5-1 MCC mark. On the season, the Lancers move their ledger to 18-6, while the Titans fall to 12-11 overall and 4-3 in the conference. Grace can take the cake — its sixth straight MCC championship — Saturday evening when it battles Goshen College in a 7:30 p.m. encounter. Should the Lancers stumble in Goshen, the conference title would be on the line the following weekend at Bethel College. For Grace, the conference lead

On The Mark MARK f'-'X'W WEINSTEIN A lIW

was on the line late in its contest with . Marion. After the Lancers built a 10-point halftime lead, they seemed to fall apart in the second half. "We came out a little flat to start the second half,” said Grace assistant coach Jeff Kowatch. “I don’t know why, but we did.” The lack of intensity allowed the Titans to come back into the game. Marion closed the doubledigit spread early, then, with 2:19 remaining, claimed its first lead of the game. Trailing 63-62, Pete Frank gave the Titans the advantage with a baseline jumper from the left side. With the fielder, Marion appeared to be on its way to another victory over Grace. Marion is the only conference team to defeat the Lancers this season.

and Bremen, they would finish irr second place. Oh. there might be a tie. but keep in mind that Wawasee defeated Rochester. Warsaw, and Plymouth in the regular season. What an accomplishment for such a unit. The Warriors have gone from a weak sister in the Northern Lakes Conference to a challenger for the title in one year. Wawasee has a very good basketball team. They have balance, depth, and play together. Because of the Warriors' style, lets call this group of players—The Solid Ones. Tammy Schumm was inducted into the Franklin College-basket-ball Hall of Fame Saturday, Feb. 7, in Franklin, IN. Schumm graduated from Wawasee High School in 1976, where she participated in volleyball, basketball, tennis, track, and softball. She was a starting member on the 1976 sectional champion girls’ basketball team. Schumm presently ranks third on Wawasee’s all-time rebounding list : wtHrUlTNcareer rebounds. Maude Packer tops the list with 541 \boards. ! - The former Warrior currently has the third best rebounding mark for a season f 189) as well as the eighth best Packer has the season-best mark with 200 rebounds. However. Schumm still holds the best rebounding total for a single game (24). The record was set in the 1974-75 season against Manchester. .. - At Franklin College, the former Wawasee standout was active in varsity volleyball, basketball, and softball. She assisted her team to three NCAA Division 111 state championships. Schumm also played on two softball state championship teams. In Schumm’s senior year at Franklin, she served as co-captain on the basketball team, and captain of the volleyball team. Other accomplishments for the former Warrior include receiving the David Naile Award for leadership and achievement in women's athletics. She shared the award with former Warsaw great Judy Warren. Schumm now works for the Kroger Company at the central marketing office in Indianapolis. Grace landed another Mid Central Conference men’s basketball championship Tuesday evening with its victory over Marion. However, the reed » victory at Goshen on Saturday- or Bethel. Saturday , Feb. 21, to earn the outright title. Since Tri-State University pulled out of the league, Grace has won six consecutive titles.

But that was not the case. Zeltwanger, playing for the first time in 15 days, rescued the Lancers down the stretch. The junior from Mishawaka followed Franks’ fielder with consecutive three-point shots. The latter' with :55 left, gave the Lancers a 69-64 lead, and the win. From there, senior Worth Packer added frosting to the cake with a pair of free throws. Not even a Dave Cressinger threepoint shot at the buzzer could save the Titans. “Paul played exceptionally well down the stretch,” added Kowatch. “He played a steady game.” Ben Teske led the Lancers’ offensive attack with 18 points and eight rebounds. Joe Graham and Zeltwanger added 17 points, while Packer chipped in 12.

Warriors surprise Valley in overtime thriller

WARSAW — The opening game in the Warsaw girls’ sectional boiled down to one possession. Both Tippecanoe Valley and Wawasee played to a standstill in the first 32 minutes. The only thing that was decided in regulation was that an extra three minute period was needed to determine a winner. In the overtime period, both teams had their chances to win. Wawasee could have sealed the victory with a pair of Kelly Brook’s free throws. Instead, she missed the front end of the bonus. The Vikings, however, could have won the game at the buzzer, but instead, they fumbled the ball away as time expired, giving the Warriors a thrilling 46-45 come-from-behind victory. The victory kept alive Wawasee’s sectional winning streak — 14 games — and moves the Warriors into the championship contest with Warsaw. The Tigers defeated Triton in the second contest, 75-47. Tippecanoe Valley finished the season at 12-5, and losers of four straight games. Incidentally, the Vikings presently hold the longest losing streak in Warsaw Sectional history— six games. Wawasee has beaten the Vikings in five of the last six years. However, Thursday evening looked like the Vikings would turn the tables on the Warriors. After falling behind 4-0 at the start, the Vikings regrouped and led after each break — except the final two periods. In the fourth quarter, the Warriors’ defense forced Valley into 16 turnovers. The miscues fueled Wawasee’s offensive attack, which outscored the Vikes 18-8, and forced the three minute extra period. “Our seniors — Brower, Ann Vitaniemi, and Kelly Brooks — wanted to continue,” said Wawasee’s Dale Brannock. "They were not going to quit in the fourth quarter.” However, Wawasee had a great chance of winning the contest in regulation. But a Heidi Brower free throw with five seconds remaining rimmed out, forcing OT. “Their press was pretty good,” insisted Tippecanoe Valley head coach Ivan Schuler. “It was a little tighter than it was the last time we played them. We definitely had problems with it.” In OT, Brower gave the Warriors the early lead with a soft seven-foot jump shot. However, the Vikings came back The Vikings tied the game with a Leslie Miller fielder, then captured the lead, 45-43, with 1:10 remaining on a Darci Jordan jumper. But that was Valley’s final tally After Vitaniemi brought the Warriors within one, 45-44, with a free throw, Brower gave the War-

Kevin Perry, a seasonal resident in the Syracuse area, and a member of the Muncie South, wrestling team, advanced to the semistate round this weekend at Goshen High School. Perry finished third in the 119 weight class at the Delta Regional. Joining the panel as this week’s guest is Richard Rhodes, former panel member before he decided to take a break. Since Rhodes' departure from this space, he has spent several hours researching the area high school basketball teams. He feels, with his picks today, that he will make up for lost time. He all but guaranteed that all of his picks will be correct. Lets wait and see. Anyway, in looking over last weeks selections, I see that everyone did extremely well. Derk Kuhn did the worst, although he only missed two games. The Wawasee boys' basketball team missed one game — North Wood’s win over Goshen. Mark Huffman shocked everyone with his perfect week. He secured the perfect score by picking North Wood to upend Goshen. -Heading the prep list is Wawasee’s contest with North Wood. Other games include Bremen at Tippecanoe Valley, Goshen at Plymouth. Churubusco at West Noble, Warsaw at Kokomo, Rochester at Peru, and Angola at Westview. The two college games are Indiana at Wisconsin, and Grace College at Goshen. MARK WEINSTEIN (.806) — Wawasee (52-47), Tippecanoe Valley, Goshen, Churubusco, Warsaw, Rochester, Concord. Westview. Indiana, and Grace. DERK KUHN (.760) —Wawasee (82-50), Tippecanoe Valley. Goshen, Churubusco, Kokomo, Peru. Northridge. Westview, Indiana, and Grace. " I HOMER MILLER (.760) —NorthWood (55-51 i.Vjtypecanoe Valley, Plymouth, West Noble. Kokomo, Rochester, Concord. West view, Indiana, and Grace. •RICHARD RHODES (.740) —Wawasee (80-79). Tippecanoe Valley, Goshen. West Noble, Warsaw. Peru, Concord. Angola. Indiana, and Grace. MARK HUFFMAN (.730) —Wawasee (58-49) Tinpeear.ee Valley. Gusiien. ..churtinnsce, “er.emo.Pcrirvoncord.Westview: Indiana, and Grace. “Denotes Guest Panelist

riors the lead when she rebounded Vitaniemi’s second free throw attempt and scored from five feet. The two-pointer proved to be the difference. Tippecanoe Valley, however, had two final chances to pull out the win. But Miller’s shot from the paint rolled around the rim, and out, and its final opportunity went array when the Vikings fumbled a pass in their court as time expired. “Brower (Heidi) did a great job for us, but it was a total team effort,” insisted Brannock. “We told the girls they could break the pattern and take any scoring opportunity. Brower broke the pattern.” Brower also broke Valley’s back. “When we played them earlier, she didn’t do much,” said Schuler referring to Brower. “But she did a nice job for them tonight. She was a factor in this game.” Valley was in control of the contest after the first period. It held a 10-8 lead after the initial period, and increased the margin to 20-15 at halftime. Schuler’s squad increased the spread in the third stanza, moving to a 33-23 advantage entering the final frame. But Wawasee’s defense was the difference in the end. Vitaniemi led the Warriors with 16 points and nine rebounds, but Wawasee’s unsung hero, Brower, added eight points. She scored six of her points in the final 11 minutes. Brooks Chipped in with 10 points and seven rebounds, while Amy Barton netted four points and six boards. Vitaniemi also led the Warriors with three steals and four assists. Lai Reed concluded play with three steals, while Wendy Lung finished with three assists and a blocked shot. Lori Gray paced the yikings’ attack with 17 points, 13, in the first half. The 5-8 junior added 12 steals to her totals. Miller, averaging 13 points entering the contest, was held to nine points and eight rebounds. Statistically, Wawasee was whistled for 36 turnovers — one more than Tippecanoe Valley. The Warriors shot 37% from the field, while Valley canned 40% of its field goal attempts. TIPPECANOE VALLEY («) FG FT PF TP B.J. Rossl 0-2 4 2 Darci Jordan 3 0 0 2 6 Jody Yochum4 3-4 2 11 Lori Gray 6 5-8 1$ 17 Leslie Miller 3 3-5 4 9 Totals J? 11-19 16 45 WAWASEE (46) FG FT PF TP Lai Reed 3 0-0 5 6 Wendy Lung....o 0-0 4 0 Kelly Brooks 3 4-8 2 10 Amy Barton 2 2-2 4 6 Heidi Brower 3 2-3 0 8 Ann Vitaniemi6 4-5 2 16 Totals 17 12-18 17 46