The Mail-Journal, Volume 26, Number 41, Milford, Kosciusko County, 25 November 1987 — Page 8

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THE MAIL-JOURNAL^ 4 - Wed., November 25,1987

Sports

Bechtel buries Warriors in Falcons' opener

(By MARK WEINSTEIN Sports Editor BENTON — Improvement. Wawasee’s boys' basketball team took a few steps forward Tuesday evening, but the effort turned sour as the Warriors dropped a hard-fought 50-45 nonconference basketball game at Fairfield. “Overall, we played much better than last time," said a disappointed Wawasee head coach Gary Goshert after the game. “If we can keep our heads up, continue to improve, we’ll be alright.” The Warriors, now 0-2, controlled the tempo of the game from the start. After falling behind 4-0 after one minute of play, the Warriors regrouped, scored eight unanswered points and held a 13-9 lead late in the opening period. The trend continued throughout the contest as both teams jockeyed for the upper hand. Wawasee won the battle during the second half, only to see Brian Bechtel’s three-point shot with three seconds remaining give the Falcons the war. Wawasee opened the final quarter with four quick points. The Warriors, seemingly, were ready to settle the outcome and claim their first win of the season. But the Falcons, after a strategic time out, rallied, and tied the game. 41-41, on Niles

Don't worry about the Warriors

For those Wawasee basketball fans concerned about the fortunes of the Warriors’ boys’ and girls’ squad, fear not. One game does not make a season What a comforting thought, even if it’s just a cliche! But in this case, it is accurate. Both varsity basketball teams opened the 1987-88 season on sour notes, each dropping narrow decisions. The boys’ squad fell to Carroll, 52-48. The girls’ team, meanwhile, dropped a threepoint decision at Fairfield. But the results pale to the way both teams played. It is the effort that offers hope and promise for successful campaigns. Gary Goshert’s squad stunk up the gym in the first half, falling behind 13 points by halftime. What’s worse, it looked like the Warriors would not be able to comeback. But they did. _ The final half served as an encouraging statement for Wawasee fans. At least that’s the way I viewed the closing minutes.

Mark My Words M \RK WEINSTEIN » g g j ■ s ■.flFT* ■ i ■ Wawasee could have quit in the third period. For that matter, the Warriors could have given up after their very poor first period performance. They didn’t. Instead, the character of the squad rose to the top, battling the Chargers to the end. It didn’t matter what it took for the Warriors to come back, they were up for the challenge. Unselfish play, solid defense and timely free throw shooting proved to be the key ingredients in the Warriors’ comeback. However, Friday’s comeback was unusual, and quite honestly, unexpected. For Wawasee’s return to the game was not fueled by the veterans, the players expected to make the key plays. Instead, it was three unsung heroes. Three players, for the most part, seeing their first varsity experience. Jeff Carey, Basil Bonner and Matt Koble proved to be more than Carroll could handle. Carey gave the Chargers fits with his defensive pressure. Bonner was steady, the most dependable starter in the Warriors’ first act. Koble, well, he gave Goshert everything he had. Solid defense, activity at the offensive end of the court and six points. Only Carey,

Miller’s soft five-footer in the paint. Both teams played evenly down the stretch, with the Warriors even taking a four point lead, 45-41, with 2:52 remaining. Darin Atwood, who scored 14 points for the Warriors, canned a leaning eight-foot jumper for a two-point lead. / Matt Koble then took a nifty pass from Basil Bonner underneath, converting the pass into a field goal for the Warriors’ final lead. Fairfield closed the game by scoring the final nine points. After Bechtel canned one of his three three-pointers, bringing the Falcons within one, 45-44, Troy Hochstetler sank one of two free throws with 1:07 left to even the score. The second shot, bouncing high off the rim, was picked off by Vaughn Troyer and Fairfield worked for the final shot. Looking for the open shot, Fairfield found Bechtel along the right baseline as the game rapidly reached its climax. The junior sharpshooter sank the three-point field goal under extreme pressure, giving the Falcons their season-opening win. Fairfield added two insurance points after Wawasee was whistled for its second technical foul moments after Bechtel’s winning marker. Good shot selection was Wawasee strong suit in the game. Because of the selection, the War-

11 points, and Bonner, 10, scored more than Koble. The shift in momentum was something to see. Watching Wawasee’s gymnasium turn from a silent, concerned audience at halftime into an excited, frantic crowd midway through the third period was overwhelming. Wawasee’s three-some led the resurgence in crowd support, the Warriors’ pep band fueled the support, and the Warriors kept the support. Dale Brannock’s squad experienced many of the same emotions one day later at Fairfield. The Warriors, unlike the boys’ effort the night before, opened with a bang, then fizzled. But the highlight in this defeat was Wawasee’s team unity. Players worked together and gave the Falcons a battle to the final buzzer. When reflecting, Fairfield whipped Wawasee last season by more than 20 points. This could be termed as a moral victory. In today’s sports arenas, winning has become of utmost priority. At Wawasee, player development seems to be top priority. Becoming the best possible athlete and individual are goals of the Warriors. . The final week of the fall predicting season was filled with excitement as Mark Weinstein made a incredible comeback to win the fall season. Entering the final week, Weinstein was two games off the pace, but made up three games to win. Mark Huffman, the leader throughout much of the season, and Derk Kuhn finished tied for second. Dale Tobias was one game behind Kuhn and Huffman. The 1987-88 basketball season will highlight this section for a couple of months. We’ll follow the area high school teams and college and see what happens. Games included in the opening card are Bethany Christian at West Noble, Northridge at Bremen, Warsaw at Concord, Goshen at Elkhart Central, Mishawaka at Wawasee, Whitko at Homestead, Drake at Minnesota and Grace at Bellarmine (Ky.) MARK WEINSTEIN (.000) — West Noble, Northridge, Concord, Elkhart Central, Mishawaka, Whitko, Minnesota, Bellarmine. i MARK HUFFMAN (Mt) — West Noble, Northridge, Concord, Goshen, Mishawaka, Whitko, Grace, Minnesota. DERK KUHN (Mt) — West Noble, Northridge, Concord, Goshen, Mishawaka, Homestead, Grace. Mitinpanta DALE TOBIAS < Mt) —Bethany Christian, Northridge, Concord, Elkhart Central, Mishawaka, Whitko, Grace, Minnesota. HOMER MILLER (.000) — West Noble, Northridge, Concord, Goshen, Mishawaka, Whitko, Grace, Minnesota.

riors finished shooting 58% from the field (21 of 36). Fairfield finished at 34% from two-point range (10 of 29) but 50% from three (sos 10). “We took good shots, we may have even passed up some good ones,” said Goshert. “When you’re selective you sometimes dothat.” Two key factors in Fairfield’s win were the Falcons’ ability to connect from three-point range and Wawasee’s foul difficulty. The Warriors were whistled for 18 fouls, just nine for the hosts. “They hit some three-point shots that really hurt us,” admitted Goshert. “They have a lot of good shooters . ” Wawasee, offensively, was paced by Atwood and Basil Bonner. Both scored 14 points, while Bonner added seven rebounds. Fred Steffen added six points on three-of-three shooting from the field. Steffen, however, played sparingly in the first half because of three personal fouls. Bechtel led the Falcons with 19 points, while Vaughn Troyer added 10. * Defensively, Bonner turned in an exceptional floor game. (Continued on page 9) Four qualify for nationals Four Syracuse runners have qualified for the TAC National cross country championships, held December 5, in Raleigh, N.C. The young Warriors qualified during competition held last weekend in the TAC Region 7 Junior Olympic cross country invitational at Chesterton. Qualifying for the national meet were Justin Daugherty, 10; Alyson Mills, 8; Leslie Garner, 10; and Angie Garner, 12. Daugherty finished 12th in the boys’ 3,000 meters run with a 12:05 time. Mills, meanwhile, was seventh in her age group with a 12:31 time. Leslie Garner also qualified for nationals with a 16th place finish in the 3,000 meters run. She finished with a 13:10 time. Angie Garner, the final Wawasee qualifier, was 17th in her 3,000 meters run with a 13:10 time. Other Wawasee runners competing, but not qualifying were, Mike Wheat, Jim Wheat and Scott Wheat. Mike Wheat, age eight, was 22nd in the 1,500 meters run with a 7:28 time. Jim Wheat, 11, placed 53rd with a 14:54 time. He ran in the 3,000 meters run. Scott Wheat, 13, placed 66th in th 4,000 meters with a 15:33 time.

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MOVE BACK — Darin Atwood attempts to push a Carroll defender back in Friday’s seasonWeeor. Atwood scored six points as Wawasee dropped a 52-48 decision to the Chargers. (Photo by Mark Weinstein) u

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PENETRATION — Wawasee’s Jeff Carey penetrates the paint area, moving into Brad Walleen, during first quarter in Friday’s 52-48 defeat. Carey scored 11 points to pace Wawasee’s offense. Basil Bonner added 10 points for Wawasee. < Photo by Mark Weinstein*

Quick start fuels Penn's victory

MISHAWAKA — Wawasee’s girls’ basketball team spotted Penn a 20-8 first quarter lead Tuesday and the gift was enough as the Kingsmen posted a 63-47 non-conference basketball vic tory. “The first quarter was our bugaboo,” said Wawasee head coach Dale Brannock After that quarter, we picked it up. played under control and played with them ”

Three Penn, players proved most damaging to the Warriors. Dana Drew, a talented 5-3 guard, Theresa Harkins and Kelly •Moran each scored in double digits as the Kingsmen picked up their second victory of the season. .Drew led Penn with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Harkins added 14 points and Moran, 11. Still, the Warriors played hard, never giving up.

An effective press’ forced Wawasee into numerous first period turnovers. Wawasee’s inefficiency in breaking the press and below average field goal shooting allowed the hosts to take the big lead. But the final three periods were different. Fueled by sophomore Amy Barton, the Warriors rallied. Barton led Wawasee’s attack with 17 points, three blocked shots, three assists and three steals. Barton was the lone Warrior scoring in double figures, although several other players made valuable contributions in the losing effort. According to Brannock, Chris Eldridge and Bobi Stookey turned in stellar performances. Eldridge scored four points, but grabbed six rebounds. Other Warriors cited by Bran-

WHS swimmers slice LaPorte

LAPORTE — Wawasee’s boys’ swim team traveled to LaPorte Monday in search of some answers, primarily, whether the Warriors were as talented as expected. Two hours later the answer was discovered — an overwhelming yes. Wawasee, taking nine of 11 first places, cruised past LaPorte, 115-57. The win was the second in as many outings and gives the Warriors a great deal of confidence for the season. “We had some good swims, but we were a little flat,” admitted Wawasee head coach Tim Caldwell. “Now we are off until December 3, which will be a good break for us.” Caldwell, in whipping LaPorte, was particularly pleased with four swimmers — Matt Fryback, Brad Smith, Paul Morel and Scott Rozow. According to the veteran coach, each swimmer dropped some times in the lopsided win. Three of the mentioned swimmers aided Wawasee’s initial victory, the 200 medley relay. Morel, Rozow and Fryback built a comfortable lead in the opening event

Cold shooting drops Warriors in lid-lifter

SYRACUSE — Friday’s winter-like conditions not only reminded area residents of the upcoming season, but depicted Wawasee’s boys’ basketball season opener. Cold shooting proved to be Wawasee’s downfall Friday in the Warriors’ 52-48 setback to Carroll. Wawasee’s starting five struggled through 19% shooting from the field, hitting nine of 47 shots. Despite the cold shooting, the Warriors never gave up. ' The visiting Chargers took the lead early, outscoring Wawasee 11-5 in the first frame. Carroll increased its lead by seven in the second quarter, taking a comfortable 29-16 lead at halftime. But a new group of Warriors returned to the court for the second half, one that battled Carroll to the end. “I was basically pleased with our effort in the second half and really happy with the play of the reserves,” said Wawasee’s Gary Goshert. “If it weren’t for the kids on the bench, we wouldn’t have been in the ball game.” Sparked by Jeff Carey and Matt Koble, the Warriors closed Carroll’s lengthy lead, which had increased to 33-18 in the opening minutes of the third period. Under full-court pressure, ordered by Goshert, the Warriors caught fire. Senior Darin Atwood netted six straight points, narrowing the deficit to 11,35-24 midway through the period. Carey and Koble then went to work. Wawasee’s peskv guard — Carey — rebounded a Wawasee missed field goal for a bucket, then seconds later, stole the ball from the Chargers and scored. Still trailing, now by seven, 35-28, Koble penetrated the paint and scored. He continued to work the paint area, forcing the visitors to foul, sending him to the line. The junior calmly sank four consecutive charity tosses, bringing the Warriors within one point, 35-34, at the close of the third. In the fourth period, both teams traded buckets before reserve Paul Johnson canned a pair of three-pointers. With the score tied at Johnson pushed his first threepointer in from the right comer. • After the Warriors failed to close the gap, Johnson added another

nock for good performances were Wendy Lung, Julie Richcreek and Michelle White. The combination of the three were big reasons why Penn’s top gun — Moran — was held to 11 points. Another bright spot, according to the veteran coach, was the Warriors’ ability to cut their turnovers down from the season opener. Against Penn, Wawasee accumulated 26 miscues. “I am pleased with the way the girls reacted after the first quarter, they learned how to play in a relaxed style” said Brannock. “Now that we’re relaxed, we can concentrate on winning ball games again. This was a positive game for us.” Wawasee, 0-2, face Concord Thursday, Dec. 3, in Dunlap. The Warriors open the home season one week later, Dec. 10, against Manchester.

and Brian Neff closed the door on the Slicers. From that point, the Warriors cruised. Mark Rich’s 1:57.0 time easily won the 200-yard freestyle. Teammate Christer Tungard placed second as Wawasee expanded its lead. Smith and Fryback continued to lead the Warriors’ domination with first and second place finishes in the 200 individual medley. Smith won the event in 2:07.0. After LaPorte broke Wawasee’s string of three consecutive first places by winning the 50-yard freestyle, David Keener gave the visitors a first in diving. David Neterer finished second to Keener’s 222 score. Rozow finished second in the 50 freestyle,jyhile Neff was third. Smith and Fryback continued to battle each other, this time finishing one-two in the 100-yard butterfly . Smith went 55.0 to edge Fryback. By the time both team competed in the 100-yard freestyle, the outcome was no longer in doubt. But that didn’t stop the Warriors.

long shot for a six point Carroll lead. The Warriors closed the spread to two, 48-46, late in the game but could come no closer. Clutch free throw shooting down the stretch sealed Carroll’s victory. Both coaches agreed that Johnson’s three-point shots were very important in the outcome of the game. “We had some good opportunities to win, but we simply got outhustled and outrebounded in the first half,” said Goshert. > “That was a big deficit to overcome and we couldn’t seem to get Carroll in a bind. We needed to get up by four or five points, but we couldn’t.” Carey led Wawasee’s offense with 11 points and four steals. Senior Basil Bonner, making his I - first high school start, added 10 points, two steals and three i assists. Matt Dick added three I assists. Besides the play of Wawasee’s bench, another bright spot was Fred Steffen’s play on the boards. The senior grabbed 17 of the Warriors’ 40 rebounds. I In the junior varsity game, I Wawasee’s young talent breezed . past the Chargers, 5049. The Warriors held a six point lead at halftime before opening up the game in the second half. Sophomore Chris Conkling led Wawasee with 11 points, while Tim Lilly added 10. Chad Hoffert chipped in with eight points and Eric Stookey had seven. WAWASEE («> FG 3FG FT TP M.Dick J 0 0* O. Atwood 4 o 3 B. Bonner „..| 0 0 2 S horter * 0 3 21 F.Stetten —X. » 2 * J.Frosure JW.....0 0 0 0 J. Corey o 0 0 0 M. Koble o 0 0 0 B Remberger o o 0 0 P. Bonner o 0 0 0 Totals is 0 10 40 Team Fools: 1» CARROLL (52) FG 3FG FT TP J. Rudolph 1 0 0 2 S. Merryman o 0 * * B. Walleent 2 0 2 * S. Lahrman 2 0 0 4 S. Pfafman .t 0 3 21 P. Johnson ..1 3 3 1* T. Roll i 0 0 2 »R. Myers 1 0 1 3 Totals It 3 11 32 H T**a»*p*s: K> Quarter scoring Wawasee s It It 1* Carroll 10 * 17 .51 Halttime score: Carroll 20, Wawasee I*. Preliminary Score: Wawasee 50, Carroll 4*.

GAME SUMMARY WAWASEE (51) FG3FG FT PF° TP L .Rwd 3 0 0 2 8 W.Lung 4 tOSt A. Barton J • 7 2 17 A. .0 4 4 1 0 C. 2 4 4 4 4 B. ...J 4 2 3 4 A.Kiirtman .4 4 4 1 4 C Gtassbum 4 4 4 4 J. Richcreek 4 4 4 4 M.Whfte 1 4 4 5 2 L. Hollar * _! ? Totals 19 0 19 22 47 PENN (43) FG3FG FT PF TP D. 4 0 3 1 15 Sellers 3 4 2 2 4 K. Holmes 1 0 4 2 2 T.Harkins 4 4 2 5 14 K.Moran 5 4 1 2 11 C. 4 4 4 4 4 Garner J 4 0 3 4 Heck J 0 0 14 Carter 0 0 3 2 3 Johns 0 0 0 2 0 Totals 24 0 11 20 43 Quarter Scoring Wawasee 4 14 12 17 Penn 24 15 13 15 43

C. Glassburn J. Richcreek M. White L. Hollar Totals

PENN (43) D.Drew Sellers K. Holmes.. T.Harkins.. K.Moran.... C.Holmes... Gamer Heck

Instead, Rich, who earlier won the 200 freestyle, easily won the 100-yard freestyle. Rich bested LaPorte’s best, winning in 52.1 Morel finished third for Wawasee. Two events later, though. Morel claimed his first individual championship in the meet. In the 100-yard backstroke, Morel went 1:01.5 to slip past teammate David Ridings for top honors. Tungard proved to be Wawasee’s best swimmer in the 500 freestyle, placing second. Scott Berkey finished third in the event. Rozow added a first place in the 100-yard breaststroke and the Warriors’ 400-yard freestyle relay squad earned top honors. Kozow’s winning time, 1:07.9 was good enough to edge Neff, while the relay team — Rich, Casey Kline, Tungard and Smith — had little trouble in defeating LaPorte. The relay team finished with a 3:33.2 time. Wawasee’s next action is slated for Thursday, Dec. 3, with East Noble.