The Mail-Journal, Volume 28, Number 51, Milford, Kosciusko County, 31 January 1990 — Page 14

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THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed., January 31,1990

Sports

Wawasee eagers perform well but fall to 4-12

(By SCOTT DAVIDSON Staff Writer

Although he had just watched his team slip to 4-12 with another tough loss Saturday evening, Wawasee coach Gary Goshert was upbeat and pleased with what he had just witnessed. “We had a very good weekend, with two excellent efforts against two very good teams and we're moving in the right direction at the most important time of the season,” he said. With the 65-61 loss to East Noble at home Saturday, the Warriors dropped their seventh in a row, despite a fine effort against the 13-1 Knights. Wawasee grabbed a 14-13 lead after the initial quarter as senior Chris Conkling tossed in six of his team-high 16 points. In the second quarter, the Warriors built their lead to as many as seven points (20-13) before an East Noble rally cut the score to 23-22. The Warriors responded to the Knights’ challenge as Jason Mickley and Matt Haab scored baskets to give the hosts a 27-22 halftime advantage. “We shot the ball well tonight because we were aggressive on offense and we took the shots by reacting and shooting the ball and not thinking about it,” remarked Goshert.

Lady Warriors drop another two

I By MITCHELL STINSON Sports Writer

With sectional action just around the corner, the Lady Warriors basketball team saw some heated action during their last two contests of the season. The end result was another two losses and a final record of 3-15. But, at least the team should be battle hardened when post season action rolls around. The Lady Warriors dropped a 50-39 decision at West Noble in their season finale last Saturday. The game was a lot closer than the score indicated, however, as the Lady Chargers were only able to pull away in the final minutes. “It was back and forth through the first three quarters and part of the fourth quarter,” said Wawasee coach Jim Hite. “But then we had 1‘ 2 minutes of mental letdown and suddenly we were seven points down. ’ ’ Senior guard Kristine Gibson led the Lady Warrior scoring attack with nine points. Forward Kriss Eisenhour, also a senior, chipped in eight points. The Lady Warriors hurt their chances with turnovers late in the game. Those turnovers turned into fast-break points for West Noble. “As long as we were keeping it a half-court game, we were staying right in the game with them," Hite said. Beaten By Bremen The Lady Warriors dropped another tough one earlier in the week when they lost a 59-47 decision to Bremen in Syracuse last Thursday. Kriss Eisenhour scored 13 points to lead a balanced Wawasee scoring attack. Sara Wilkinson added 10, Lori Stiver had six and Lisa Mikel and Kristine Gibson notched five points apiece. Wawasee’s squad was able to chop the lead down to single digits on several occasions but still couldn’t get over tlje hump Bremen’s Shawn Mowery set the tone for the game when she heaved in a half-court bomb as the half-time buzzer went off, giving Bremen a 31-19 lead. Lady Lion Susan Moren led all scorers with 16 points, while teammate Kim Young added nine. Rematch At Sectional The Lady Warriors left last year’s Warsaw Sectional feeling dejected and unlucky, as they were eliminated by Triton. 36-34, on a last-second desperation shot. Wawasee will get a chance for revenge this year, when they play 9-9 Triton in first-round sectional action at Warsaw tomorrow

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The visitors from East Noble came out strong in the second half, outscoring the Warriors 21-14 in the third stanza as Chris Keil popped in seven points to lead the Knights to a 43-41 advantage at the stop. After a field goal and free throw by Mickley gave the Warriors a brief 44-43 lead to start the final period, East Noble responded with a 10-2 run that included three-point baskets by Keil and Brian Lane. With his squad trailing 53-46 with just over four minutes left in the game, Goshert took a timeout to regroup. “We lost track of their perimeter shooters a couple of times but we called timeout and talked about hanging tough on defense,” stated Goshert. The Warriors responded to the challenge, battling back with hustle at both ends of the court. The hosts pulled to within two points (63-61) as Haab buried a threepointer with less than 10 seconds left. The Warriors were then forced to foul and Keil put the nail in the coffin with the game’s final two points from the charity stripe. JV Beaten By East Noble The Wawasee junior varsity fell to 7-9 on the season after losing, 40-38, to the Knights’ JV squad Saturday. The Warriors led 32-26 entering the fourth quarter but the visitors

Bi ™ I J -i JBL> J 71 • -*—» ■ "B- TWte. W " - ■**•■■ ■■.> ■7** w * w r~'w PF.. ». JH SENIOR RECOGNITION — The Wawasee Lady Warriors’ five seniors were honored before a home game against Bremen last Thursday, Jan. 25. At the right of the picture. Kriss Eisenhour (facing the camera) receives congratulations from teammate Charity Cripe while her fellow seniors applaud. The other four seniors, from left, are: Audra Bouse, Julie Bender, Sara Wilkinson and Kristine Gibson. Wawasee lost the game, 59-47 (Photo by Mitchell Stinson)

(Thursday). Coach Hite says his girls haven't forgotten last year's game. He thinks he has a better team to put on the court this time. “They’re quicker, more confident, they understand the offense . . . ,” he said. “They use the offense to get people open more.” It appears to be a foregone conclusion that the powerful Warsaw Lady Tigers will win the sectional. But Hite is still hoping his team can steal a victory along the way. “If they can play intense for all 32 minutes, they can win a game in that sectional," he said. JV Loses Two The junior varsity Lady Warriors endured a lot of frustration in their 38-23 season-ending loss at West Noble last Saturday. They worked hard to get good shots throughout the game but couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities. “We were running the offense, we were getting the ball inside but we just couldn’t get the ball to fall,” said JV coach Joy Swartzentruber. Audra Bouse led Wawasee with an eight-point, three-rebound effort. She was complemented by teammate Heather Perzanowski, who chipped in six points. The Lady Warriors dropped a heartbreaking 24-23 decision to the Bremen Lady Lions on Thursday. Jan. 25. Wawasee’s squad had a chance to win it down the stretch when it took possession of

put together a 14-6 blitz in the final stanza to notch the win. The Warriors just missed an opportunity to tie the game at the buzzer. Sophomore Mason Robbins paced Wawasee with 13 points while freshman Jake Lambert tossed in 11. Tough Loss At Whitko The Warriors faced a tough op-

WAWASEE (58) FG FTCTP Haab 3-7 01 6 Mickley 4-8 3-5 11 Conkling 4 8 7-8 15 Lilly 2-3 2-4 6 Garland 6 12 0 0 12 Cesco 1-1 0-2 2 Hoffert 2-11 00 6 Coburn 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 22-52 12-20 58 Three-Point Shots: 2 3 (Hoffert 2 3) Rebounds: 23 (Garland 7, Conkling 6). Fouls (fouledout): 24 (Haab, Garland). Turnovers: 15. WHITKO (61) FG FT TP Nicodemus 3&9 4 9 20 Reiff 2 3 0 0 4 Darley 4-9 0 1 8 Adams 2-5 8 9 13 Patrick 39 4 5 10 Walter 1-2 4 6 6 Thomas 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 19-37 20-30 61 Three-Point Shots: 3 5 (Nicodemus 23, Adams 1-2) Rebounds: 24 (Darley 9) Fouls (fouledout): 15 (none) Turnovers: 15. Score By Quarters Whitko 20 12 12 1.7 61 Wawasee 9 22 7 20 58 Junior Varsity Whitko 54, Wawasee 52

the ball, trailing by one point with 18 seconds left in the contest. But a turnover gave the ball back to Bremen. The Lady Warriors got the ball back with four seconds left, still trailing by one, but time ran out before they could get a shot off. Perzanowski led Wawasee with a 12-point effort, while Bouse pulled down seven rebounds. Coach Swartzentruber said her team improved during its 3-15 campaign this season. The Lady Warriors were more competitive in the later part of the season than they were earlier. “I saw a lot of improvement,” she said. “I have guards now who

I I jf * * —J i £ DOUBLE TROUBLE — Junior varsity guard Heather Perzanowski finds herself double teamed by Bremen’s Carla Chrzan (no.. 15) and Laura Stiles (11) last Thursday, Jan. 25. * Perzanowski scored a game-high 12 points but Wiwasee lost a 24-23 nail biter to Bremen’s Lady Lions. (Photo by Mitchell Stinson)

ponent on the road at Whitko Friday evening and gave the hosts all they could handle before succumbing, 61-58, as a three-point shot at the buzzer just missed sending the game into overtime. “I was very pleased with the effort and the way we battled them,” said Goshert after the loss.

WAWASEE (41) FG FT TP Haab 3-6 5-6 12 Mickley 6-10 1-1 13 Conkling 7-12 2-2 16 Lilly 1-2 0-0 2 Garland 3-6 0-1 6 Cesco 5-8 2-2 12 Hoffert 0-1 0-0 0 Totals 25-45 10-12 61 Three Point Shots. 14 (Haab 1-2, Conkling 0 1, Hoffert 0 1) Rebounds: 21 (Garland, Lilly, Cescos). Fouls (fouled out): 18 (none). Turnovers. 13. EAST NOBLE (65) FG FT TP Haney 1-1 2-2 5 Keil 6 18 77 21 Lane 5-7 22 14 Vanßyn 6 14 3-4 15 Desper 4-8 2-2 10 Carpenter 0 0 0-0 . 0 Totals 22 48 16-17 65 Three Point Shots: 5 9 (Haney 1-1, Keil 2-5, Lane 2-3) Rebounds: 21 (Keil 8) Fouls (fouledout): 12 (None). Turnovers: 12. Score .By Quarters East Noble 13 9 21 22 65 Wawasee 14 13 14 20 61 Junior Varsity East Noble 40, Wawasee 38

keep their heads up when they're coming down the floor.” Freshmen Break .500 Mark The freshman lady hoopsters finished the season at 6-5 after scoring a narrow 26-25 victory at Tippecanoe Valley in the season finale. Brandi Bray led Wawasee with a 16-point, eight-rebound effort. Ten of those points came from the free-throw line. The 6-5 record marked the best of any Wawasee girls' hoop team since the 1983-84 season. Freshman coach Greg Cook thinks his girls will go on to bigger and better things in the future. “It was just a good year and wait until next year,” he said.

Trying to find the right combination for a victory, Goshert juggled his starting line-up, inserting Chad Hoffert and Randy Cesco into the stating five while bringing regular starters Tim Lilly and Mickley off the bench. “All of the guys know that they’re going to play and we were just looking for a combination that clicks,” the coach said of the change. The Warriors fell behind, 10-2, at Whitko after the first three minutes and it looked like it could be a long evening for Goshert’s troops. After trailing 20-9 at the end of the first quarter, the Warriors battled back to trail just 32-31 at halftime as Mickley scored on a rebound basket just before the buzzer. A three-point shot by Hoffert gave Wawasee a 34-32 lead to start the second half before the Wildcats went on a 12-4 surge, keyed by a pair of three-point shots by senior Steve Nicodemus. The 12-4 run enabled Whitko to grab a 44-38 lead at the end of the third quarter. The Warriors fell behind by as many as 10 points (52-42) midway through the fourth quarter before making a comeback, keyed by good defense and poor free throw shooting (11-18) by the Wildcats. After cutting the margin to 61-58 on a Lilly basket, Nicodemus missed a free throw to set up a Hoffert three-point attempt that missed the mark as time expired. “We worked hard out there and everyone put in a good performance,” emphasized Goshert after another close loss. JV Loss To Wildcats The JV Warriors lost an even tougher contest to the host Wildcats, falling in overtime, 54-52. Trailing 16-7 after the first quarter, the Warriors battled back to a 36-33 lead going into the fourth quarter. However, the hosts regained a 47-44 lead before Lambert nailed a tough threepoint shot with just three seconds left to send the contest info overtime. With the score tied at 52-52 and looking like it was headed for a second “extra session,” Rodney Thomas of Whitko was fouled while attempting a shot as the buzzer sounded. The junior calmly stepped to the line and hit both free throws to give the Wildcats the victory. Host Rochester On Friday With the “grueling” portion of its season now behind them, the Warriors hope to break back into the win column with a Friday evening matchup with Rochester in Warrior Gym.

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TOURNEY CHAMPS — Sturonjac downed Sylvan for a second time this season to take the championship game of the Wawasee Adult Basketball league Tournament. Sturonjac used a strong second half performance to pound out a 97-85 win.

Rochester is 3-11 on the season after a 72-60 loss to Triton last weekend. The Zebras, coached by Bill Titus, are led by Jim Coleman, Sean Kelly and Kelly

k _/•». -■■4. ■■ ' fe. ■;.«* ’ • ■S’®*”' , HB ’ / H ilfl AM Jr U -L’" ** •(•«<«* Br a « * ' / w* ..JE E AMOk «*. -<i»» UP FOR TWO — Senior Randy Cesco of Wawasee goes up for a field goal attempt during action from the team’s 65-61 loss to East Noble in Warrior Gym on Saturday. Cesco popped in 12 points but it wasn't enough to keep the Warriors from falling to 4-12 on the season. Wawasee will be backin action on Friday evening with a contest versus Rochester. Action begins with the J V contest at 6:151 p. m. (Photo by Scott Davidson)

Bathrick. With the sectional looming just four weeks away, Wawasee will follow the Rochester game with contests against North Wood

Team members in the front row, from left, are: Brett Harter, Mark Sumpter, Bob Sylvester and Jay Kaiser. In back are: Andy Brown, Darrel Gudeman, Tom Rhodes and Seth Swlhat I. Not shown is Worth Packer. (Mall-Journal nhoto)

(February 9), Elkhart Cehtral (February 17) and Bremen (February 23). Friday’s action begins with the JVcontest at 6:15 p.m.