Northridge High School’s varsity girls basketball team scored the first eight points of Saturday night’s key Northern Lakes Conference game against the visiting Warsaw Lady Tigers and went on to win 44-37.
The Lady Raiders improved to 14-5 overall, and at 4-0 in the NLC sit alone atop the league standings.
Warsaw lost its second straight game after winning eight consecutive and fell to 11-6 overall and 2-1 in the NLC.
NorthWood, which beat Northridge 57-49 in a holiday tournament game on Dec. 29, is 3-1 in the NLC, while the other five conference teams all have at least two losses.
The Lady Raiders, who have won 26 consecutive NLC games and 36 of their last 40, led 15-10 after one quarter of play, 21-15 at halftime and 31-27 heading into the final frame.
Saturday’s game featured just two lead changes, though it was nip-and-tuck after the home team’s hot start.
Warsaw shot 46 percent from the field and held Northridge to 36 percent, but the Lady Tigers were hampered by 20 turnovers, compared to just 11 for the home team.
Northridge scored 24 points off Warsaw’s turnovers and used 11 offensive rebounds to get 15 second-chance points.
The Lady Tigers grabbed just three offensive boards and were outrebounded 24-19 overall.
Morgan Litwiller posted game-highs of 19 points and eight rebounds for Northridge, while teammates Sierra Miller and Ashley Becker chipped in with nine and eight points, respectively.
For the Lady Tigers, senior Maddie Ryman and freshman Abby Sanner scored 10 points each, with Sanner’s coming on a 4-of-4 effort from the field.
Sanner also tallied five rebounds and two blocked shots.
Sophomore Kensie Ryman and freshman Kacilyn Krebs chipped in with seven and six points, respectively, and junior Brielle Harrison rounded out Warsaw’s scoring with four points.
The Lady Tigers, who were playing their second game without injured senior Kaylee Patton, travel to conference rival Elkhart Memorial Wednesday, and then host NLC foe Goshen Saturday in their final home game of the season.
