The Mail-Journal, Volume 26, Number 48, Milford, Kosciusko County, 13 January 1988 — Page 8

THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wecl., January 13,1988

8

Sports

Barton leads Wawasee past Redskins, 38-36

SYRACUSE — Good things come to those who wait. Dale Brannock and his Wawasee Warriors waited, waited and waited for their first victory in the 1987-88 season. It arrived Monday evening when the Warriors rallied in the closing seconds to defeat Goshen, 38-36, in Syracuse. The win moved Wawasee’s ledger to 1-11 overall and 1-4 in Northern Lakes Conference play. Goshen fell to 3-9. The game was close, wire to wire. Wawasee held the upper hand for most oft he first half, only to let an eight-point lead midway through the second quarter slip away by halftime. The Redskins, trailing 18-10 with four minutes remaining in the half, scored 10 unanswered points to take a two-point lead, 20-18, into halftime. But the game came down to execution in the closing seconds. The Warriors executed their strategy at both ends of the court to come up with the win. / Trailing by two, 38-36, with 16 seconds remaining, Wawasee’s Amy Cohroy sank her only field goal to even the score. The way the Warriors scored the bucket was as beautiful — to Wawasee fans — as the result. . Wawasee, looking for a good Ahot, found Amy Barton alone inside the paint. Goshen stopped Barton, but the sophomore dished the ball to Conroy in the right wing and the senior hit the shot. “Conroy told me that she didn’t

Wawasee third at EN

KENDALLVILLE — Wawasee took third place in East Noble’s eight-team Invitational Saturday, Jan. 9. Carroll took team honors with 186.5 points, while Lakeland was second with 146.5 points and the Warriors, third, with 136. Rounding out the field were East Noble, 118; Prairie Heights, 83; Columbia City, 82; DeKalb,

Northrop whips Warriors

SYRACUSE - Wawasee’s girls’ basketball team fell to 0-11 Saturday afternoon as Fort Wayne Northrop whipped the Warriors, 72-37, in a nonconference game in Syracuse. “This was a good game for us, not from a point standout but with effort,” said Wawasee head coach Dale Brannock. “The kids played hard, they hustled to the bitter end. I was really proud of their effort.” Despite Wawasee’s effort, the high-flying Bruins held the upper hand from the beginning. Northrop took a 22-9 lead after one period, then cruised into halftime with a 40-18 advantage. The Warriors, however, battled the Fort Wayne team evenly — both scoring 10 points —in the

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CONFERENCE CALL — Jeff Carey, left, Helens to Wawasee head basketball coach Gary Goshert during a first half conference to Frtday’e game against Plymouth. Goshert worked hard stag the r 4 i

Warriors snap lengthy losing streaks

think she could hit the shot,” said Brannock about strategy prior to the game-tying field goal. “I told her if she thought she couldn’t she wouldn’t. I wanted her to think positively. She hit the shot.” Defense and instinct took over for the Warriors. Lai Reed, who finished with nine points, stole the ball from Goshen’s Carla Weaver at midcourt with six seconds left and raced towards the basket. The speedy Warrior sank the layup, giving the Warriors their first win of the season. “This was a big win for us, it was very important,” said Brannock. »“We knew we had a shot at winning coming into the game. We know we can win. ’ ’ Goshen attempted a gametying field goal but defensive pressure on Weaver hindered the Redskins’ effort. Wawasee broke on top early because of solid inside play from Chris Eldridge and Barton. Eldridge scored two of her eight points in the period but grabbed two rebounds. Barton registered six of her 12 points in the opening period, and added four rebounds as the Warriors took control. Barton finished with 14 rebounds and three assists —r including the pass for the game-tying basket. Goshen caught Wawasee in the second, outscoring the Warriors 10-4. Weaver led Goshen’s comeback with six second-quarter points and three rebounds. She finished with 20 points and four rebounds.

76; and Garrett, 34. In taking third place, Wawasee had three individual champions. Rick Weaver won at 103 pounds, while Josh Lantz took the 160-pound division and Garrett Ponciroli won the 189 weight class. All three Warriors went unbeaten in the tournament. Shawn Jones was the lone Warrior placing second in the invita-

third period. Wawasee couldn’t maintain its intensity in the final quarter as the Bruins repeated its 22-9 first-period onslaught ip the fourth. Chris Eldridge led the Warriors’ balanced scoring attack with seven points. Julie Richcreek added six points and Lai Reed scored five. Poor foul shooting hindered Wawasee’s chances of pulling the upset. The Warriors canned seven of 19 attempts for 37%, while Northrop hit 57% from the stripe, 20 of 35. In junior varsity play, Northrop had little trouble in smashing Wawasee, 52-15. The loss dropped Wawasee’s mark to

Joining Barton’s team-high 12 points, Reed recorded nine points and four steals. Eldridge scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds. Wawasee outrebounded the Redskins 28-26 and committed 19 turnovers, 11 less than Goshen. The Warriors will be looking for their second straight win Thursday when they host Tippecanoe Valley. In junior varsity action, Goshen whipped Wawasee, 43-12. Both Wawasee clubs have identical 1-11 records. o GAME SUMMARY WAWASEE (38) FG3FG FT PF TP W.Lung 1 0 15 3 A.Barton 4 0 0 1 12 A. Conroy 1 0 0 12 C. Eldridge 4 0 0 4 8 B. 1 0 0 0 2 L. 3 1 o 4 » A.Kaufmen 1 o o o 2 M. White o o o 1 o J. Richcreek o o o o 0 L. Hollar -.0 0 0 0 ? Totals 17 11 20 34 Team rebounds: 28 (Barton —l4) GOSHEN (34) FG3FG FT PF TP M. Stutzman 0 0 0 1 0 T.Bemderfer 0 0 0 1 0 C. 2 0 3 17 A.Hershbrgr 1 0 2 3 4 CJNeaver 7 o 4 3 20 S.Steglman 1 0 12 3 L.Cross - 0 0 0 0 0 A.Skelton. 0 0 111 C.Hershbrgr 0 0 111 Totals n o 14 10 34 Team rebounds: 24 (Stegleman —9) Quarter Scoring Goshen 10 10 8 8 -34 Wawasee 14 4 10 10 -38 Officials: Clark Hamilton, Fort Wayne; Terry Stabler, Huntertown. Preliminary Score: Goshen 43, Wawasee 12.

tional. the 119-pound Warrior finished the day with a 2-1 record, only falling in the championship round. Eliseo Roa placed third for the Warriors, while Tom Mdngas, Chad Jones and Dan O’Haver finished fourth. The Warriors visit Plymouth on Thursday before hosting Elkhart Memorial Saturday, Jan. 16.

1-10. . Meredith Burt led the Brums with 18 points.

Concord trips Redskins with late

DUNLAP — Concord proved Saturday evening it can play underpressure. The fourth-ranked Minutemen, trailing by 11 points entering the fourth quarter, rallied in the final eight minutes to steal a 42-39 Northern Lakes Conference basketball victory away from visiting Goshen. The win gave Concord an 8-0

sideline* but his effort was wasted as the Pilgrims defeated Wawasee 55-42 (Photo by Mark Weinstein) I /

JrV Al jI EM jP J - ula KiMl V ’ i ■BEB .» 3 iSPI Imi ijMBMWwtfA BBcr h Br SiMgl JMa B?* •7- . .- -tiht EYEING THE BUCKET — Amy Barton, sandwiched between Goshen’s Lisa Cross and Cheryl Preheim, eyes the basket m first half action Monday evening. Barton scored 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as Wawasee edged Goshen, 38-36. (Photo by Mark Weinstein) ,

overall mark and 3-0 slate in the NLC. Goshen, ranked 20th, fell to 10-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play. A full-court press and halfcourt trap rattled the Redskins into six fourth-quarter turnovers, keying Concord’s comeback. As the turnovers increased, Goshen’s 11-point lead slipped away.

Shawn Kemp, shaking off early foul troubles, scored 13 of his game-high 17 points in the final period. It was his tip from a Steve Larkin pass that gave the Minutemen the lead, 38-37, with 1:55 to play. Both teams traded field goals in the final minute, allowing Concord to hold its one-point lead, 40-39, with 37 seconds remaining. The Redskins opted for the final shot, but Scott Beres was called for traveling, thwarting the strategy. Kemp sank a pair of free throws with two seconds remaining to conclude the scoring. Goshen broke away from a 6-6 first period deadlock to grab a 16-15 halftime lead. The Redskins increased their margin to 11 in the third before Concord rallied. Thad Holden was Goshen’s scoring star, connecting for 16 points. It was Holden that gave the Redskins their largest lead — 11 — in the third. He canned two three-pointers in the frame as Goshen pulled away from the Minutemen. Jamar Johnson scored nine points for Concord, while Goshen’s leading scorer, Mike Essig, was held to seven. PLYMOUTH 55, WAWASEE 42 — Poor shooting kept Wawasee from starting the new year positively. The Warriors struggled Friday evening as Plymouth walked away with a 55-42 Northern Lakes Conference win in Syracuse. The Pilgrims held the upper hand most of the evening, beginning with a 10-2 spurt midway through the opening period. But the Warriors recovered, scoring the quarter’s final eight points to forge a 10-10 tie. But that was the last time

Wawasee shared or held the lead. The Pilgrims outscored their hosts 37-18 in the middle quarters en route to the lopsided win. Brent Osswald paced Plymouth’s offensiveattack with 17 points before fouling out. Mark Huss, a 6-1 reserve, added 12 points. Brett Harter was the lone Warrior scoring in double figures with 13. Around the NLC NORTHRIDGE 80, JIMTOWN 36 — Northridge used a potent transition game Friday to roll past Jimtown, 80-36, in a nonconference boys’ basketball game at Jimtown. Despite the large numbers produced by the Raiders, only two players scored in double figures. Gary Zimmerman led the way with 23 points and six rebounds, while Mike Baer poured in 16 markers and five rebouqgs. The game was close after one period, a two-point Northridge lead, but the Raiders sprinted on a 28-8 second period run to put the game away. Northridge held a commanding 38-14 halftime lead. Northridge increased its lengthy halftime lead by outscoring the Jimmies 42-22 in the final 16 minutes. Eleven players saw action for the Raiders, nine scored. GOSHEN 68, BREMEN 37 — Goshen started slowly, but the Redskins, nevertheless, powered itself past Bremen, 68-37, in a Northern Lakes Conference clash Friday. Mike Essig led the winners with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Thad Holden chipped in 14

Goshert's 'Backyard' friendly to Warriors

LIGONIER — There’s nothing like home cooking to correct a four game losing streak. Gary Goshert discovered this Saturday evening as the Warriors whipped West Noble, 56-37, in Goshert’s backyard. The second-year Wawasee coach is a resident of Ligonier and formerly coached West Noble’s boys’ basketball team. The win raises Wawasee’s mark to 3-7 overall. West Noble remains winless in 11 games. It didn’t take long for Wawasee to take control of the contest. The Warriors scored the first six points, then coasted to a 14-4 first period advantage. “This was a nice win, a team win,” insisted Goshert moments after the Warriors snapped their four-game losing skid. “Give the kids credit, they haven’t given up. They played hard and did a nice job tonight.” Wawasee’s skid included losses to Warsaw, Triton, Columbia City and Plymouth. In the negative streak, Wawasee was its own worst enemy, evident by a low shooting percentage and countless turnovers. “Tonight we didn’t stop ourselves,” added Goshert. “We executed what we wanted and are happy with the outcome.” Wawasee’s opening period flurry continued in the third quarter as the Warriors put the game out of reach. The Warriors hit their first six shots, including five field goals during a 10-2 spurt which sealed the win. • The spurt moved Wawasee’s 29-16 halftime lead to 39-18 early in the second half. Matt Koble opened the period with a 12-foot jumper 17 seconds into the second half. Jeff Carey added a six-footer seconds later .before the Chargers found the well. Wawasee, then, stringed three field goals together and the rout was in high gear. Darin Atwood and Koble hit consecutive fielders and Fred Steffen capped the mini-run with a layup with 5:50 remaining in the period. West Noble could not recover from Wawasee’s mini-spurt. Wawasee closed the third period with six straight points, all within five feet of the basket, and /the Warriors enjoyed a 47-22 advantage after three quarters. The fourth quarter belonged to West Noble, although Wawasee closed with a cast of reserves. Still, Wawasee’s bench failed to allow West Noble a field goal in the period, limiting them to 14 free throws. “The score could have been much worse, but that isn’t the

markers for the Redskins, while Bob Rossi, Scott Beres and Rusty Eash added eight points each. Casey Miller and Joe Bennett led the Lions’ attack with eight points each. The Redskins took a 10-1 lead after the first period and never looked back. They outscored Bremen 20-10 in the second stanza, taking a 30-11 lead into halftime. The win was Goshen’s 10th straight, best in school history. The previous best was in 1940-41 when the Redskins went 94). GARY WALLACST 68, WARSAW 62 — The start of a new year was less than auspicious for the Warsaw Tigers. Gary Lew Wallace rolled into the Tiger Den last Friday searching for its sixth victory. The Hornets left town with a win, stinging the Tigers, 68-62, before a near capacity crowd. The game was close, although Gary Wallace led after every break. The Hornets held a 15-12 lead after one period, then stret- 1 ched the margin to six, 36-30, by halftime. Turnovers proved to be the difference in the first half. Warsaw committed 11, six more than the Hornets. Still, Gary Lew Wallace could not shake the Tigers. The second half was a different story as the Hornets doubled their margin, taking a 12-point lead into the final period. The deficit grew to 16 early in the fourth before the Tigers rallied. Free throw shooting enabled Warsaw to claw back into the game. The Tigers hit eight-of-10 charity tosses, to go along with six field goals in outscoring the Hornet* 22-15. Warsaw closed within five in ths final two minutes but could

point in this game,” added Goshert. “We were, able to execute and substitute like we would like. It was good that everyone was able to play.” Koble led Wawasee’s offensive attack \yith 11 points, while Carey poured in 10 and Atwood, eight. Other Wawasee highlights include Steffen’s six points, six rebounds and three blocked shots in three quarters of action. Rob Huey came off the bench and added six points and three rebounds. West Noble was led by Ken Hartsough’s 11 points, five rebounds and one blocked shot. Tony Quinn, entering the game with a 20-plus scoring average, was held to 10 markers. Doug Targgart chipped in eight points for the Chargers. *• Wawasee faces another double weekend of action, beginning with Friday’s Northern Lakes Conference affair at Northridge. The Warriors return to Syracuse, Saturday, for a contest with Tippecanoe Valley. Both games begin with the 6:15 junior varsity game. WAWASEE (54) FG 3FG FT TP J.Corey 4 0 2 10 D. Atwood ~4 0 0 8 F.Steffen 3 0 0 4 • M. Koble 4 10 11 B.Harter 2 0 0 4 M.Dick 2 o o 4 B. Bonner A 1 0 0 2 R.Huey 3 0 0 4 J. 1 o 1 3 □.Smith 1 0 0 2 B.Rensberger 0 o o o P. Bonner 0 o o o Totals 25 1 3 54 Team Fouls: 23 WEST NOBLE (37) FG 3FG FT TP T.Quinn 4 0 2 10 R. 0 0 0 0 T.Strouse 1 0 2 4 D.Targgart 1 0 4 0 K. 4 0 3 11 S. Jones o o o o L. Beckner .;..» 0 2 2 R.Jacobs 0 o 2 2 Totals io 0 17 37 Team Fouls: 7 Quarter scoring Wawasee 14 15 10 » -54 West Noble 4 12 4 15 -37 Halftime score: Wawasee n, West Noble 14 Preliminary Score: Wawasees4, West Noble 3t * Officials: Frank DeSantis and Don O'Connor, both of Bremen. Leading scorers Wawasee will have its hands full Friday night it faces Northridge in a Northern Lakes Conference game. The Raiders have the area’s leading scorer in Gary Zimmerman (25.2 points a game). i Matt Dick is the Warriors’ leader, averaging 11.1 points.

Matt Dick is the Warriors’ leader, averaging 11.1 points.

rally

get no closer. Jason Zimmerman led Warsaw’s attack with 17 points. Jeff Anderson added 14 and Brandon Creighton scored 12. WAWASEE 56, WEST NOBLE 37 r— Wawasee, 3-7, benefited from a balanced scoring attack Saturday in whipping winless West Noble, 56-37, in Ligonier. Twelve Warriors saw action and 10 scored. Matt Koble, making his first varsity start, led the visitors with 11 points. Jeff Carey added 10 for the Warriors. Wawasee took a 14-4 lead after one period, then broke the game open in the third. The Warriors outscored the Chargers 18-6 in the third, giving Gary Goshert’s squad a 47-22 lead entering the final period. The Warriors visit Northridge Friday evening before hosting Tippecanoe Valley Saturday. JV's win two Wawasee’s junior varsity boys’ basketball team picked up a pair of wins last weekend Plymouth and West Noble on consecutive evenings. 4 The Warriors, on Frida_y, used Dan Wuthrich’s 12 points and Chad Hoffert’s nine tallies and five assists in leading Wawasee past the Pilgrims, 52-41. Chris Conkling added seven markers for Wawasee in the win. Against West Noble, Eric Stookey scored 12 points and Conkling added nine as the Warriors rolled, 56-39, over the Chargers. Pete Bonner chipped in eight points, as did Randy Cesco. The pair of victories raise coach Neal Frantz’s squad to 7-3.