HUNTINGTON – Through two games, the Warsaw Lady Tigers have already seen some ups and downs.
Of the season opener against Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, first-year Warsaw girls basketball coach Lenny Krebs said the Lady Tigers looked as though they were playing scared and timid.
After Wednesday night’s win in The Den against Manchester, Krebs said he was happy with the progress his team made, holding the Lady Squares to just 23 points.
Friday night presented a different challenge for Warsaw, as the Lady Tigers faced the Huntington North Lady Vikings in another road test.
Paced by Kaylee Patton’s team-high 16 points, the Lady Tigers shot over 50 percent from the floor and held off a late rally from Huntington North and prevailed 55-48 at North Arena.
“I think we made huge progress in the week and a half since we have had our first game,” said Krebs.
“If anybody watched our game [against Bishop Luers], they would not have seen anything close to what they saw tonight. You see these kids continue to gain confidence and learn to play basketball the way it needs to be played. I’m just happy with the progress they’re making from day-to-day.”
Warsaw (2-1) showed off a balanced attack, as juniors Kacy Bragg (10 points, 5 rebounds), Halle Shipp (8 points, 1 rebound), Maddie Ryman (7 points, 1 rebound) and sophomore Brielle Harrison (8 points, 6 rebounds) put on a display. Seniors Emma Bohnenkamper and Kennedy Patton scored four and two points, respectively.
The Lady Tigers held a 9-8 lead after the opening quarter, with Huntington North’s Madalyn Robrock scoring all eight of her team’s points. Robrock finished with a game-high 22 points on 11-of-15 shooting for the Lady Vikes (1-1).
Warsaw outscored the hosts 18-9 in the second quarter, extending the lead to 10 at intermission. The Lady Tigers ballooned their advantage to as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter, but a 7-0 run by the Lady Vikes put them within earshot with plenty of time remaining.
Huntington North forced Warsaw to the charity stripe down the stretch, but the Lady Tigers made enough free throws that kept them from having to foul in the closing seconds of the game.
“I hope we can learn to make sure that when it becomes a 15-point lead, that it becomes 17 or 19 and not the other direction,” Krebs said. “But this is all part of the process of learning how to win at the varsity level, and playing in an environment that they’re not used to.
“Tonight, you saw a team that was free and having fun. I see their confidence raising every day and it is going to be fun to see where we are at by February.”
The Lady Tigers return to action on Wednesday when they host the Wabash Lady Apaches for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
