Basketball Results: Jan. 13
Warsaw Girls 40, Mishawaka 21
Warsaw avoided the trap game at the Cave Wednesday, setting up the Northern Lakes Conference showdown this weekend.
Warsaw moved to 5-0 in the conference with its doubling up of the Cavemen, keeping its showdown with Goshen on Saturday night prime for the driver’s seat. Goshen will enter the game 4-0 in the NLC, the winner set to earn at least a share of the NLC title.
For the matter at hand in Mishawaka, Kacilyn Krebs led the Tigers (14-3) with 13 points and Abby Sanner had nine points, 11 rebounds and three steals. Warsaw didn’t shoot the lights out, making just 30 percent of its shots (13-44), but held the advantage in free throws, making 9-14 to just 2-3 of three for Mishawaka and hit five three-pointers.
Concord Girls 47, NorthWood 44
Concord grabbed a Northern Lakes Conference win on its home court, joining three other NLC schools with at least a win in the ledger.
Concord improved to 6-10 overall and 1-4 in the NLC. NorthWood, playing its third game in three days, dropped to 1-9 overall and 1-3 in the NLC.
NorthWood missed a pair of late field goal attempts in an effort to take the lead or tie it as Concord held on.
Alea Minnich followed up a career-high scoring night Tuesday at Valley (24) with 22 more points at Concord to lead the Panthers. Aliyah Hershberger led Concord with 14 points.
Whitko Boys 61, Tippecanoe Valley 50
A tough break for Valley turned into a momentum slide in a home loss Wednesday night in the Three Rivers Conference.
Valley lost guard Rex Kirchenstien to an ankle injury in the second quarter, and immediately Whitko put together a 10-0 run to end the quarter. The Wildcats outscored the Vikings 19-9 in the quarter, which became the separating point for the two clubs.
The two teams shots well in the contest, Valley at 54 percent (19-35) and Whitko at 52 percent (21-40).
Paul Leasure led Valley (2-8, 0-3 TRC) with 18 points, Braden Shepherd stepped up with 14 points and Nolan Cumberland had 11 points and four rebounds.
Brett Sickafoose dropped in 23 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in a complete effort for the Wildcats. Drake Lewis added 13 points and Aiden Hoffman tossed in 11 more points, the two combining for 12 rebounds.
After 10 days off, Valley’s JV held on for a 44-42 win against the Wildcats. Riley Shepherd led the victors with 11 points.
Grace Men 90, Goshen 78 (OT)
Grace’s men’s basketball team extended its winning streak to five thanks to a 90-78 overtime win at Goshen on Wednesday.
The Lancers (11-4, 4-2 Crossroads League) outscored Goshen 17-5 in overtime, moving into a tie for third place in the league standings.
Grace had six of its seven players score in double figures. The Lancers were lethal with their shooting touch, making 54 percent overall, 42 percent on 3-pointers and 78 percent on free throws.
But Grace nearly gave the game to the Maple Leafs (3-15, 1-8 CL) by committing a season-worst 25 turnovers. The Lancers helped their cause tremendously on the glass, pounding Goshen 47-24 in rebounds.
Grace led nearly the entire first half, although the score was never out of reach. Frankie Davidson converted an and-1 with four minutes left in the half, giving Grace its largest lead at 36-24.
The Maple Leafs managed to cut Grace’s lead down to 40-33 by halftime.
The Lancers tried to put the game away early in the second half with a quick 8-1 spurt. But the Maple Leafs kept battling back.
A timely 12-2 charge from the Maple Leafs put Goshen on top 63-62 with 7:29 on the clock. With less than six minutes to play, Goshen held a four-point edge.
Matt Jennings and Haden Deaton responded with points on the next two plays, and Elijah Malone regained the lead for Grace with a putback score with four minutes to go.
The Lancers had numerous chances to ice the game, but Grace’s offense dried up in the closing minutes. Grace did not score for the final 3:38 of regulation, turning the ball over four times and missing three shots.
Goshen responded by tying the game at 73-73 with a pair of free throws with 24 seconds on the clock. Grace tried to hold for a potential game winner, but Goshen stole the ball and nearly won the game with a last-second layup. Cade Gibbs hustled back to challenge the layup, which missed the mark and sent the game to overtime.
Grace scored the first eight points of overtime to essentially seal the win. Jennings made two baskets, including an and-1.
In the extra period, Jake Wadding scored five points, and Davidson buried five free throws as the Lancers coasted to the victory.
Wadding led Grace in scoring with 18 points on 7 of 9 shooting, adding five rebounds. Davidson produced a double-double with 16 points, 15 boards, 3 steals, 2 blocks and 2 assists. Davidson shot 10 of 12 from the foul line.
Malone was explosive off the bench, making seven of his eight field goals to tally 15 points, 6 boards and 3 blocked shots.
Deaton had 12 points, 4 assists and 4 boards, and Cade Gibbs added 14 points and four rebounds.
Jennings finished with 13 points, 5 boards and 3 assists, and Jakob Gibbs chipped in six boards and two assists.
Jennings also eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark during Wednesday’s win. He became the 53rd member of Grace’s 1,000-point club.
The Lancers remain on the road Saturday for a 1 p.m. clash at Huntington.
Goshen Women 69, Grace 61
Grace’s women’s basketball team was unable to connect offensively in a 69-61 defeat to Goshen on Wednesday.
The Lady Lancers had strong marks statistically in some areas, grabbing 15 offensive rebounds and committing a season-best eight turnovers.
But Grace shot just 32 percent from the floor and 29 percent from beyond the arc.
Maddie Ryman’s team-high 18 points were not enough as Grace scored five points off the bench and had only five fastbreak points.
The attack for Grace could not have started worse. The Lady Lancers (9-8, 1-7 Crossroads League) missed their first seven shots and fell behind 8-0.
Kiersten Poor scored four quick points to jumpstart Grace’s offense, and Kyannah Stull and Kamryn Hostetler later drilled 3-pointers.
But Goshen remained in front, largely due to playing in the paint. The Maple Leafs scored 14 points in the paint in the first quarter and outrebounded Grace 16-5.
Ryman gave Grace a spark late in the period with a driving layup and a deep 3-pointer to cut Goshen’s margin down to 20-15 as the first quarter ended.
Both offenses struggled in the second quarter. Grace was held to single digits (nine points), and Goshen scored 12 to take a 32-24 lead at halftime.
The Lady Lancers shot just 28 percent from the floor, including a woeful 4 of 19 (21 percent) from the 3-point line.
Poor was a lone bright spot for Grace’s attack with nine points, and Stull tallied seven points.
The Lady Lancers seemed to save most of their offense for the third quarter. Grace erupted for 22 points in the period after scoring just 24 in the entire first half.
Ryman led the charge offensively with nine points in the frame, helping Grace to its first lead of the game.
Grace still led by three in the final minutes of the third quarter, but Goshen rattled off seven quick points down the stretch to regain the lead at 48-46 as the period ended.
Unfortunately for the Lady Lancers, Grace missed its first four field goals of the fourth quarter, and Goshen made its first three shots. The Maple Leafs grabbed a six-point edge with 6:20 remaining.
The Lady Lancers struggled to generate a made basket in the fourth quarter, going nearly five minutes without a made field goal.
Despite their struggles, Grace still trailed by only four points with 2:40 on the clock. But the Lady Lancers hit another untimely drought, going scoreless for the next 2:00 to allow Goshen to pull away for the win.
Poor tallied 14 points and five rebounds, and Stull scored 12 points. Hostetler finished with six points and six assists, Kaylie Warble added six points and seven boards, and Kaylee Patton chipped in 5 points, 3 assists, 2 assists, 1 block and 1 steal.
“We had some mental lapses on both sides of the floor, which unfortunately happened at some key moments tonight. We have to develop more mental toughness as a team to remain mentally engaged,” said Grace head coach Dan Davis. “We have to play better, coach better and execute better. It’s really a collective effort. We know we can do it, but we need to start executing.”
The Lady Lancers will get another chance to win at home on Thursday with a 4 p.m. matchup with Grace Christian.