The Mail-Journal, Volume 26, Number 51, Milford, Kosciusko County, 3 February 1988 — Page 8

THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed., February 3,1988

8

Sports

Warsaw stuns Warriors; win NLC dual season

I By MARK WEINSTEIN Sports Editor SYRACUSE — Tuesday’s Northern Lakes Conference swim meet was everything it was supposed to be and more —for Warsaw. The visiting Tigers took the lead in the opening event then held on for an 85-84 victory over Wawasee. It was the Warriors’ first loss of the season, dropping Tim Caldwell’s team to 12-1 overall and 5-1 in the conference. Warsaw remained unbeaten in conference action. The loss was disappointing for the Warrior mentor, he expected to win the conference. But circumstances beyond his control were influential in the defeat. Three Wawasee swimmers (Adam Wilson, Dave Neterer and John Free) were suspended from the team the night before for violating the athletic code. The

Warriors arrive in Time

Sectional time has arrived, so have the Wawasee Warriors. Many wondered if both would arrive at the same time. They have. It has been a long, often times, difficult season for members wearing Forest Green and Old Gold. But the Warriors have battled, never giving up. Their rewards are beginning to stock pile in Syracuse. Who knows, maybe they’ll accumulate more rewards in Warsaw this weekend?

Mark My Words MARK WEINSTEIN In Wawasee’s last four games, the Warriors have won three. This is a most remarkable feat, especially when you recall their 0-11 start. Many area fans were ready and willing to write off this season as a disaster and hope for better days in the future. The future for the Warrior program may very well be this weekend. Wawasee has overcome many obstacles during this campaign, some not worthy of mention in this space. Regardless of the difficulties, this group of players has finally discovered how to win on the court. This, along with their work ethic and positive attitude have paid nice dividends lately. Dale Brannock is hoping to cash in further at the Warsaw Sectional. Despite the poor record (4-14) there’s no reason why the Warriors can’t make it to the championship game Saturday evening. For that matter, there’s no reason why the Warriors can’t take the title contest — they are

Butt leads Wawasee gymnasts past Warriors

SYRACUSE — Wawasee raised its record to 4-0 Monday evening with a convincing 77.80-62.25 gymnastics victory over Westview. Karen Butt was named ‘Gymnast of the meet.” Butt took two first places in the lopsided Warrior victory. The freshman scored 6.95 on the balance beam to edge Darcey Smith’s 6.20 tally. Katja Neibert finished third in the event with a 5.55 score. Meanwhile, Butt closed her victory parade with a 6.60 score on the uneven bars. Westview’s Liddy Brown was second and Dawn Firestone was third for the Warriors. Britani Stoller took first place in the floor exercise, winning with a 7.65 score. Barbie Signorelli placed second for Wawasee with a 7.55 score and Smith finished third at 7.20. Neibert concluded the meet with a vaulting victory. The Wawasee junior scored 7.10 in edging Smith for top honors. In other gymnastics competition last week, the Warriors slip-

WHS administrative decision created a hole in the Warriors’ diving plans as David Keener faced the battle alone. The junior easily won the individual title, scoring 261.65, but the Tigers won the war. Warsaw picked up seven points in the event, three more than expected. Nevertheless, the meet was exciting to the finish. In fact, it came down to the 400 freestyle relay, an event that was as close as the final score. Trailing by three, 79-76, entering the event, Wawasee needed \ 10-of-the-14 points to win. It scored eight. Mark Rich, Brian Neff, ChHster Tungard and Brad Smith breezed to the victory with a 3:29.65 time, but the Tigers took the following two places — narrowly. i The Tig»rs clinched the win when Tony Doyle, Nate Koehlinger, Jeff Janda and Rory Callaghan finished in 3:42.05, edging the Warriors’ Casey

playing their best basketball of the season at the right time. Another help, at least in making it to the championship game, is The Warriors’ opponent — Triton. The Trojans, perhaps are the worst team in the sectional field. But don’t tell that to Brannock or his players. With their record, they have no right to take anyone for granted Still, Brannock believes in his team and their chances at the sectional crown. He may be the extreme optimist, but why not? On paper it doesn’t look possible. On film, it looks even worse. But in the hearts of the Wawasee players, it is totally conceivable. The Warriors have the ability, unity, attitude and guidance to pull of the major upset. This group of Warriors are completely different than any others. They have stumbled through many minutes of basketball action this year, but now seem ready to show their true colors. The task may be large, but it’s not out of the question. Never count a Brannock-coached team out before the final buzzer. Never. □ Tickets for Thursday’s Warsaw Sectional went on sale at Wawasee High School Wednesday from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the athletic office. Tickets will remain on sale Thursday from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. The Warriors tip-off their postseason Thursday evening at 6:30 against Triton (3-14). □ Games on this weeks card include in girls’ action, Triton against Wawasee, Warsaw versus Tippecanoe Valley, Warsaw sectional champion. Other games are Rochester at Wawasee, Plymouth at Warsaw, North Wood at Goshen, Concord at S.B. St. Joe, Fairfield at Northridge, Marion at Grace and Indiana at Illinois. HOMER MILLER (.741) — Triton, Warsaw, Warsaw, Rochester, Plymouth, Goshen, Concord, Northridge, Grace, Illinois.

ped past Concord 92.25-90.10. The meet was held at Wawasee. Angela Kistler dominated the meet, winning the floor exercise, vault and balance beam. Her initial win, the floor exercise, was shared with Concord’s Rachel Ritzman, both scoring 7.90. Kistler scored an 8.10 to slip past Concord’s Pam Mast’s 7.95 on the vault, then wrapped up her evening with an 8.75 score from the balance beam and championship. Ritzman remained close to the Wawasee star, but came up short in the end. Understandably, Kistler took all-around honors with a 32.75 tally. Ritzman followed the Warrior with a 30.40 score and Mast was third at 29.15. Other Warriors placing in the top three in individual events included Kistler’s second on the uneven bars. Nicole Iwankowitsch finished third on the uneven bars and third on the balance beam, while Butt was third in the floor exercise. Gina Byrd was voted the ‘Gymnast of the meet” according to coach Tracy Sumpter.

Kline, Steve McDaniel, Thad Dußois and Eric Hood. Wawasee’s foursome finished in 3:42.66. “I went for a sure win and hoped for third,” said Caldwell while second-guessing his strategy. “It couldn’t get any closer. Still, it doesn’t matter if you lose by one or 50. We lost.” Warsaw moved on top early as its 200 medley relay team trimmed the Warriors by five seconds. Wawasee took second and third but trailed 8-6. Chad Twombly and Pete Dyba pulled the two teams further apart after the 200 freestyle by placing first and second. The finish gave the Tigers an eight point lead after two events. The spread increased to 14 after the 200 individual medley, which Warsaw’s Kenton Hoppus won. Wawasee’s Brad Smith finished in 2:03.90, a second behind Hoppus. It looked like a blowout on the scoreboard, a 30-16 Warsaw lead, although anyone that followed

MARK WEINSTEIN (.672) — Wawasee, Warsaw, Warsaw, Wawasee, Warsaw, Goshen, S.B. St. Joe, Northridge, Grace, Illinois. DALE TOBIAS (.638) — Wawasee, Tippecanoe Valley, TVHS, Wawasee, Warsaw, Goshen, Concord, Northridge, Grace, IU. MARK HUFFMAN (.621) — Triton, Warsaw, Warsaw, Wawasee, Warsaw, Goshen, Concord, Northridge, Grace, IU. DERK KUHN (.586) — Wawasee, Warsaw, Warsaw, Wawasee, Warsaw, Goshen, S.B. St. Joe, Fairfield, Grace, IU.

Wawasee offense stops East Noble

SYRACUSE — For Wawasee’s boys’ basketball team Saturday, a good defense didn’t mean stopping East Noble. It meant trading baskets with the high-flying Knights. The Warriors took that philosophy and ran with it, edging East Noble in the process, 75-72, in an actfbn-packed high school boys’ basketball game in Syracuse. Defense in normal terms was non-existent iiWhe nonconference contestXThe game Br : 'Bl \ X

MATTKOBLE Key Scorer

Wawasee 77.80, Westview <2.25 Balance Beam Ist, Karen Butt (Waw), 6.95; 2nd, Darcey Smith (Waw), 6.20; 3rd, Katja Neibert (Waw), 5.55 Floor Exercise Ist, Brit Stoller (Waw), 7.65; 2nd, Barbie Signorelli (Waw), 7.55; 3rd, Darcey Smith (Waw), 7.20 Uneven Bars Ist, Karen Butt (Waw), 6.60; 2nd, Llddy Brown (Wes), 6.00; 3rd, Dawn Firestone (Waw), 5.30 Vaulting Ist, Kat|a Neibert (Waw), 7.10; 2nd, Darcey Smith (Waw), 7.00; 3rd, Llddy Brown (Wes), 6.05 Wawasee 92.25, Concord 90.10 Team Total: 092.25 Team Total: 090.10 Vaulting Ist, Angela Kistler (Waw), 8.10; 2nd, Pam Mast (C), 7.95; 3rd, Rachel Ritzman (0,7.80 Uneven Bars Ist, Chris Wirt (C), 8.40; 2nd, Angela Kistler (Waw), 8.00; 3rd, Nicole Iwankowitsch (Waw), 7.70 Balance Beam Ist, Angela Kistler (Waw), 8.75; 2nd, Rachel Ritzman (C), 8.10; 3rd, Nicole Iwankowitsch (Waw), 8.00 ClaaF EXAFCiSA Ist, Angela Kistler (Waw), 7.90; Ist, Rachel Ritzman (C), 7.90; 3rd, Karen Butt (Waw), 7.80

both teams knew Wawasee would make a comeback. It did.

•• BBPF* Wsh 1 *" yp cflflsTiFM flt ■ !r I ■*"*-- fl® i iH wB. I fc w nr Aw JMB fl HELP FROM SIDELINES — Wawasee coach Tim Caldwell encourages his Wawasee swimmers during the action-packed swim meet Tuesday with Warsaw. The Tigers scored an upset as they edged the previously unbeaten Warriors, 85-84. (Photo by Mark Weinstein)

came down to offensive execution — the last team able to score would win. Wawasee won. The win raised Wawasee’s record to 7-9 and marks the second time this season Wawasee has strung two victories together. Leading by a single point, 73-72, with 12 seconds remaining, Wawasee reached paydirt to claim the win. With both teams bunched in the Warriors’ backcourt, Darin Atwood hit Matt Koble on a fly pattern off the gglM x a ■ fIL -,Jp

DARIN ATWOOD Explosive Weekend

All Around Ist, Angela Kistler (Waw), 32J5; 2nd, Rachel Ritzman (C), Pam Mast (0,29.15 Camelot results MILFORD - Milford’s eighth grade girls’ basketball team will advance into the second round in the Camelot Tournament after the Trojans edged Mentone, 31-24. In other girls’ action, South Whitley whipped Pierceton, 34-9; Akron crushed Syracuse, 38-20; and Wakarusa slipped past North Webster, 17-10. In the boys’ tournament, South Whitley turned back Pierceton, 51-34, while Mentone trimmed Milford, 40-39. In other action, Akron embarrassed Syracuse, 65-26, and North Webster moved past Wakarusa, 28-25. Second round action of area teams include North Webster’s boys’ visiting South Whitley and Milford’s girls’ squad playing Mentone at Akron. Games will be played Tuesday, Feb. 9, with the championship contest slated for Thursday, Feb. 11 at Milford.

And in a hurry. The Warriors swept Warsaw in the 50 freestyle as Mark Rich

inbounds pass and the junior scored the break-away layup. The gutsy call by Wawasee’s coaching staff proved more valuable than first thought. Not only did Koble sink the field goal, but was fouled in the process. Compounding East Noble’s collapse, the Knights’ top threepoint shooter — Chris Keil — fouled Koble and out of the contest. The latter came back to haunt the Knights. Koble’s freebie, which would have sealed the Warriors’ win, failed to find the mark, giving East Noble a chance at sending the game into overtime. Brian Brown, Keil’s replacement, missed a three-pointer as time elapsed. “This team is starting to believe in themselves,” said an elated Gary Goshert, Wawasee head coach, following the win. “We’re getting contributions from a lot of different individuals.” The Warriors seemed in control of the contest after a slow beginning. East Noble opened the game scoring the first six points, but Wawasee, behind Atwood’s leadership and a Matt Dick threepointer, took a 12-10 lead after the first break. Wawasee increased its margin to three at intermission, 30-27, as the Warriors’ defense limited East Noble to two field goals. The Knights, however, hit 13-of-18 free throws to stay close. The second half resembled a fundraising drive that offered matching funds per donation. Every time East Noble scored, the Warriors countered. The game continued to flow at a rapid pace until East Noble hit a short dry spell midway through the fourth period. The Knights failed to score on two consecutive possessions and Wawasee pushed its lead to seven. Keil corrected the Knights’ shooting woes by canning two three-pointers and a pair of charity tosses bringing East Noble within one, 73-72. Atwood was the key to Wawasee’s attack. The senior scored a game-high 26 points in leading, by example, the Warriors’ offense. * “Darin is taking advantage of our offense,” admitted Goshert after the win. “He’s become more assertive offensively and is creating more opportunities for the rest of the team.” Joining Atwood in double figures were Brett Harter with 13 and Dick, scoring 10. Koble chipped in nine for the Warriors.Ben Cramer netted 22 to lead the visiting Knights’ balanced attack. Keil added 16 points before fouling out, and Ben Vanßyn scored 12. Wawasee looks to add to its two-game winning streak Friday

took top honors with a 22.71 time. Neff followed his teammate with a 23.30 time and second place,

evening when it hosts Rochester, a potential Triton Sectional oppo’nent. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. East Noble (72) FG FT TP Cramer 8 6-6 22 Herenden 2 5-9 9 Van Ryn 5 2-4 12 Chandler ' 3 1-2 7 Keil 4 6-7 16 Hursey 0 0-0 0 McHenry 1 0-0 2

■■■ * 8-—. I -4 ... It w? ® rTTW* i .y w k f I K— | I ICttA iiMii Nik *r ppp s2*mr^ k X I > %k ' IB|| .. W ||| r, ' - .^•.««»>».-- .../» Ja <* -M.- 1 HACKED — Basil Bonner, 32, attempts to block East Noble’s Ben Vanßyn’s shot during first half action Saturday. The Warriors stunned the highly-touted Knights 75-72 to pick up their second straight win. Wawasee’s Brett Harter, Rob Huey and Darin Atwood look on. (Photo by Mark Weinstein) -

while Paul Morel finished in 23.65 and third place. By sweeping the Tigers, Wawasee moved within four, 33-29, and had the momentum. Keener dominated the diving competition for Wawasee but the Warriors lost one point in the team standings, falling behind 40-35, with six events remaining. The Warriors closed within a single point as Smith captured the 100 butterfly and Matt Fryback placed third. Smith won the event over Warsaw’s Callaghan with a 54.35 clocking. Fryback’s third place time was 56.82. Twombly kept the heat on Wawasee as the Warsaw senior won the 100 freestyle with a 49.65 time. Rich stayed with the Tiger before falling to second with his 50.87 clocking. Neff closed out the top three places with a 52.22 time. The Tigers stretched their margin to three as Dyba, Hoppus and Shane Diffendarfer won separate events. Dyba took the 500 freestyle with his 5:10.29, slipping past Tungard’s 5:11.05 effort. Hoppus followed Dyba’s effort with a 57.25 first place swim in the 100 backstroke. Morel was second for the Warriors and David Ridings finished third, Diffendarfer closed Warsaw’s string of first places by whipping Scott Rozow in the 100 breaststroke. The Warsaw pegformer finished in 1:01.29, well ahead of Rozow’s 1:07.31 clocking. Still, after 10 events, the conference championship and dual meet came down to the final swim. The 400 freestyle was very close, bringing a near-capacity crowd to its feet. “I knew it was going to be close,” added Caldwell. “What else can I say?” The Warriors have one week to prepare for the Northern Lakes

Brown 1 2-3 4 Totals 24 22-31 72 Wawasee (75) FG FT TP Harter 5 3-6 13 Huey 0 2-2 2 Erasure 2 0-1 4 Atwood 10 4-5 26 Dick 3 2-2 10 Koble 4 5-8 14 Carey 0-0 1-2 1 B. Bonner 2 1-2 5 Totals 26 18—28 75 Three-Point Shots: East Noble 2

Conference meet at Concord. Preliminary competition begins Thursday, Feb. 11, with Championship rounds slated for the following Saturday. Warsaw 85, Wawasee 84 200 Medley Relay — Ist, Warsaw, Kenton Hoppas, Shane Diffendarfer, Chad Twombly, Paul Deming, 1:43.05; 2nd, Wawasee, Paul Morel, Scott Berkey, Matt Fryback, Thad Dubois, 1:48.88; 3rd, Wawasee, Dave Ridings, Scott Rozow, Vince Koser, Casey Kline, 1:49.‘86 200 Freestyle —r Ist, Chad Twombly, (War), 1:51.21; Pete Dyba, (War), 1:59.74; 3rd, Christer Tungard, (Waw), 1:56.50 \ 200 Individual Medley — Ist, Kenton Hoppas, (War), 2:02.29; 2nd, Brad Smith, (Waw), 2:03*90; 3rd, Rory Callaghan, (Wars, 2:09.30 50 Freestyle — Ist, Mark Rich, (Waw), 22.71; 2nd, Brian Neff, (Waw), 23.20; 3rd, Paul Morel, (Waw), 23.65 1 Meter Diving — Ist, Dave Keener, (Waw), 261.65 ; 2nd, Todd Waikel, (War), 201.65; 3rd, Mike Junda, (War), 185.10 100 Butterfly — Ist, Brad Smith, (Waw), 59.35; 2nd, Rory Callaghan, (War), 55.84; 3rd, Matt Fryback, (Waw), 56.82 100 Freestyle — Ist, Chad Twombly, (War), 49.65; 2nd, Mark Rich, (Waw), 50.87; 3rd, Brian Neff, (Waw), 52.22 500 Freestyle — Ist, Pete Dyba, (War), 5:10.29; 2shd, Christer Tungard, (Waw), 5H1.05; 3rd, Scott Berkey, (Waw), 5:17.60 100 Backstroke — Ist, Kenton Hoppas, (War), 57.25; 2nd, Paul Morel, (Waw), 59.30; 3rd, Dave Ridings, (Waw), 1:00.01 100 Breastroke — Ist, Shane Diffendarfer, (War), 1:01.29; 2nd, Scott Rozow, (Waw), 1:07.31; 3rd, Scott Berkey, (Waw), 1:09.70 400 Freestyle Relay — Ist, Wawasee, Mark Rich, Brian Neff, Christer Tungard, Brad Smith, 3:29.65; 2nd, Warsaw, Eric Mohler, Tyler Nichols, Denny Holde, Pete Dyba, 3:38.11; 3rd, Warsaw, Tony Doral, Nate Koehlinger, Jeff Jander, Rory Callaghan, 3:42.05; 4th, Wawasee, Carey Kline, Steve McDaniel, Thad Dubois, Eric Hood, 3:42.66

(Keil); Wawasee 5 (Atwood 2, Dick 2, Koble). Total Fouls: East Noble 22 (Keil, Van Ryn); Wawasee 25 (Harter, Frasure). Score By Quarters Wawasee 13 13 10 17—53 East Noble 10 17 18 27—72 Wawasee 12 18 23 22—75 Officials — John Lozir (Logansport) and Larry Jones (Logansport). Junior Varsity Wawasee 56, East Noble 49.