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The big games keep on coming for the Warsaw girls basketball team, as the ladies followed up winning the Hall of Fame Classic at New Castle last Monday by playing in the headlining game of a doubleheader at the Hoosier Gym on Tuesday night. Facing off against a talented Fairfield team, the Lady Tigers were forced to dig deep, eventually outlasting their opponent with a 76-58 victory.
“We played like we’ve practiced the last few days, which was not very good at all,” Warsaw assistant coach Ryan Bricker said after the game. “Feels like we may have drank the Kool-Aid a bit after the Hall of Fame [Classic]. I think it’s natural to take a breath and pat yourself on the back, but I feel like we may have fallen into that a little bit.”
The Lady Falcons came out with some energy, taking an early 11-6 lead through three and a half minutes of action. Fairfield was beating the Lady Tigers at their own game here, accelerating the pace after every Warsaw make, quickly trying to answer at the other end. It was working in the first quarter, helped by a 4-5 start from the field.
It took a few shots to calibrate, but eventually, the home side began hitting its shots from beyond the arc. Two from Brooke Zartman and a third by Alexis Neely allowed the Lady Tigers to keep up with their opponent, who was still on a heater to begin the contest.
Even as Warsaw began to get into a rhythm offensively, the story of the game’s opening eight minutes continued to be the Fairfield offense. The Lady Falcons were not afraid to play with pace against Warsaw, coming out with a fire and taking the fight to the Lady Tigers. The home side was able to get within two late in the period, but a last second shot put the visitors up by four after one.
“Credit to them. Their ballhandling was good, their passing was good. They made it difficult on us,” Bricker said.
The second quarter was a much different story. Back-to-back threes by Zartman and Bricker put Warsaw in front for the first time less than a minute into the period. That was just the start of what turned into a 13-0 run for the home side. The shots that were falling in bunches for Fairfield a quarter ago were not doing so now, and the Lady Tigers were taking advantage.
Instead of running away with this game like the team has so many other times this season, Warsaw was met with a counterpunch by the Lady Falcons. The visitors showed poise in surviving the extended run by the home side, and did just enough in the final three minutes before the half to keep things close.
The Lady Tigers were able to come up with a scoreback or two during this stretch, but for the most part, the Fairfield baskets went unanswered. The visitors weere able to get back within two in the final minute of the quarter, but a last-second triple by Joslyn Bricker in the corner made it a five-point game at the half.
Warsaw senior Brooke Zartman goes up for two points against the defense of Fairfield's Madison Jones...NIeter
That’s around where things stayed for the first half of the third quarter, as the Lady Tigers were unable to find any separation from their opponent. Defensively, Warsaw was giving up a lot of uncharactaristically open looks in the paint and the Lady Falcons were taking advantage of them. Offensively, Bricker was the only one producing at the moment. Seven straight points by the senior put her team up by nine with three minutes to go in the period.
Bricker’s second three of the quarter extended the lead to 10, but only momentarily. A few questionable calls against the Lady Tigers allowed Fairfield to capitalize at the free throw line, and the visitors remained within six as the fourth quarter began.
Back-to-back makes from deep by Bricker and Zartman extended the advantage to 10 for a third time just 90 seconds into the fourth. It looked as if Warsaw was finally going to pull away, as the intensity on the defensive end was starting to match the effort on the other side.
Zartman’s fifth three of the game made it a 15-point game with five minutes left. The lead continued to grow from there, even after Kyra Kiser was forced to exit the game after picking up her fifth foul. Bricker continued to lead the charge late into the game, hitting shots from all over the court as the Lady Tigers began sensing a victory.
A steal and score by Reagan Huss helped Warsaw push the margin over 20 in the final minutes of the game. Despite having to battle it out for the better part of four quarters, the Lady Tigers were still going to escape with another lopsided victory.
Bricker led all scorers with 28 points, while Zartman added 20 in support.
Warsaw (14-1) will host the Lady Tiger Tournament this weekend, starting on Friday.
