Warsaw Basketball: Tigers Progress In Winning Home Opener
WARSAW – Warsaw girls basketball coach Lenny Krebs got exactly what he wanted from his team Wednesday night.
PROGRESS.
That step in the right direction from game one to game two also gave Krebs something else that he wanted.
His first victory as the new coach of the tradition-rich program.
Defense was the name of the game as Warsaw topped Manchester to the tune of a 39-23 non-conference win in the Tiger Den.
Junior Kacy Bragg netted 12 points and junior Maddie Ryman added 10 as the Tigers shut down the Squires. Sophomore Kaylee Patton added nine points as Warsaw improved to 1-1.
Warsaw, which was coming off a 42-30 loss at Fort Wayne Luers Saturday night, held Manchester to just nine total field goals in the contest. The Tigers held the Squires scoreless in the second quarter en route to the win.
“I’m happy with the progress that we made from game one to game two tonight,” said Krebs, who spent the last 14 seasons as the girls basketball coach at Goshen. “That’s what we want. Progress at both ends of the floor and we got better from the Luers game to now.”
“I thought that defensively we were pretty solid for the most part. We were able to pressure them and cause some problems with our size and length. I thought we were able to create some things with our 1-3-1 traps. We have a high standard for our defense and it’s a tribute to our girls how they played tonight defensively.
“I’m a firm believer that defensive intensity leads to offensive confidence and we got some of that tonight. We still have to get better offensive possessions though.”
Warsaw trailed just once at 2-0. An old-fashioned three-point play by sophomore Brielle Harrison with 5:48 to play in the opening quarter put the hosts up for good. The Tigers used a 10-2 run en route to a 16-10 lead after the first stanza. Ryman drained a pair of treys in the quarter to get her team off to a good start and Halie Shipp also connected from distance in the first frame.
Warsaw held the Squires, who drop to 2-1, without a point in the second frame and led 22-10 at halftime. Manchester had 10 turnovers in the quarter in being outscored 6-0.
The hosts stretched their lead all the way to 31-12 in the third period on a triple by Kaylee Patton. Manchester closed the stanza with a 5-0 run to get within 31-17. The Squires pulled within 31-20 on a trey by senior Kerigan Hatfield to open the fourth period, but could get no closer. Bragg, who was slowed by foul trouble in the opening half, scored six points in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Krebs inherited a team that graduated six seniors, including all five starters, from last year’s 20-4 edition. The graduation losses took almost 82 percent of the scoring from a year ago. Bragg, who is also a volleyball star, is the top scorer back from a year ago when she averaged 4.6 points-per-game. The hard-working 5-9 forward scored 10 of her points in the second half Wednesday night.
“This was a big step for us in learning how to win a game,” noted Krebs, who played at Grace College.
The significance of winning his home opener as he takes over a program that has won two state championships and also had a pair of state runner-up finishes was also not lost on the classy, yet humorous, Krebs.
“I walked out here tonight and started for the other bench (the visitors),” joked Krebs, who had faced Warsaw seven times in the Tiger Den in conference games while coaching at Goshen.
Krebs is just the sixth head coach in the illustrious 43-year history of the program.
“This is a dream job for many coaches in this state and I thought about that walking out here tonight,” Krebs said. “I have the utmost respect for the tradition here and all of the former players and coaches who have built that. I want us to maintain it and make all of those former players and coaches proud of what we accomplish.”
Kerigan Hatfield, one of five seniors, led Manchester with nine points. Junior Emma West had seven points for the Squires, who were coming off of a 42-32 win at Lewis Cass Tuesday night. Senior Erika Kendall had four points and sophomore Kiera Hatfield three for the Squires, who won 49-19 at Adams Central Saturday night in their opener.
The Squires, who finished 12-11 a year ago, are coached by former Triton standout Jake Everett. Everett, now in his fourth seasons, played on the 2008 state championship team for the Trojans and then played at Bethel College.
“I was very proud of our defensive effort tonight,” said Everett. “Warsaw forced us into difficult situations on the offensive end and took advantage of it. We will continue to learn and grow as we hit the road again this weekend at Bluffton.”
Sophomore Harrison finished with five points and Shipp three for Warsaw.
Madelyn Smith was the hero of the junior varsity game. The Warsaw junior hit a driving basket with 16.1 seconds left to lift her team to a 37-35 win. Smith’s hoop helped the hosts erase a five-point deficit in the final two minutes to improve to 2-0. Kendall Wayne and Smith each had 10 points and Brooklyn Fitzgerald nine to pace the winners. Eva Bazzoni scored 13 points and Emma Garriott 10 to lead Manchester.
Warsaw plays at Huntington North Friday night and then hosts Wabash on Wednesday. Manchester plays at Bluffton Saturday night in its fourth straight road game to open its season. The Squires then host Maconaquah in their home opener Tuesday evening.