Lady Warriors On The Winning Side Of Defensive Battle

Less than a week after the Winamac boys team defeated North Judson, it was now the Lady Warriors turn to take center stage in a Hoosier North Athletic Conference battle with their Starke County rivals. Things would get off to somewhat of a slow start for the Lady Warriors and Lady Bluejays. After the Winamac Junior Varsity squeaked out a 42-37 win over North Judson, the varsity teams would take the floor, and the fireworks would continue.

Somewhat surprisingly, things would get off to a slow start between the two teams. The pace was energetic, but the ball was reluctant to go through the hoop at either end, leading to an 8-6 Winamac lead at the end of the first quarter. The Lady Warriors would come out of the huddle to start the second quarter, unquestionably on a mission. Oh, how they delivered!

A balanced scoring attack would be the strategy for the Lady Warriors on offense, while intense defense would be emphasized on the other end. It would be in the rebounding category where the Lady Warriors would have the upper hand in the first half, as they out rebounded the Lady Bluejays 12-5. Most importantly was the offensive rebounding of the Lady Warriors, which would lead to extended possessions, as well as second chance scoring opportunities on their way to outscoring the Lady ‘Jays 17-5 in the second quarter to take a 25-11 halftime lead. Winamac’s Kendal Johnson would lead all scorers in the first half, putting up 8 points, while Abby Chambers provided a nice spark for the Lady Bluejays, leading the ‘Jays with 6 first half points.

From an offensive standpoint, the third quarter would leave something to be desired from both teams, as the ball was reluctant to fall through the hoop on either side of the floor, despite quality shot attempts. In this quarter, Winamac would outscore North Judson just 5-3, leaving the Lady Warriors with a 30-14 lead heading into the final quarter of play.

In the final quarter, the Lady ‘Jays would come alive on the offensive end, as a sense of desperation seemed to have set in. The blue and gold began to become more aggressive offensively as well as defensively, as they frantically attempted to mount a comeback. Lily Frasure, one of the State’s leading scorers, would go into full-on attack mode at both ends, scoring 9 of her team high 12 points in the second half. Unfortunately, for the Junior All-Stater, her aggressiveness would ultimately lead to an early exit, as she fouled out in the 4th quarter. The Lady Warriors would continue to put the ball into the hands of Sophomore Kendal Johnson, who steadily went about her business from start to finish, following up her 8-point first half, with 9 in the second on her way to a game-high 17 points. The 6’0 Johnson would do nothing, but gain confidence throughout the game, knocking down three 3-pointers, as well as hitting 4-5 at the free-throw line, while also grabbing 2 steals, and 6 rebounds in the winning effort. Not surprisingly, the Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game on WKVI went to Johnson, who put together a great all-around performance.

One of the more impressive efforts on the night would be seen by a person who did not dominate in the scoring column. While only tallying three points in the win, Junior Maggie Smith would stand head and shoulders above the rest of the game’s competitors in the rebounding category, as she ripped down a game-high 13 rebounds in the win. As has been the case throughout much of this season for Winamac, it would not be a single individual who would pull out the win. Rather, it was the entire roster that contributed significantly throughout the 32 minutes of play.

Despite the disappointing loss, Bluejay Head Coach Chris Newbauer was able to remain positive during his postgame interview on WKVI. “You gotta get back up” he said following the game, “You gotta fight and have confidence. It’s not easy when you’re getting your tail kicked by fifteen in the fourth quarter to be positive, but you can do it. It’s possible,” he continued, “It’s called being a good person. It’s called being tough”.

North Judson will be back in action on Saturday night as part of the annual boy/girl doubleheader with Knox at Weinberg Gym, while Winamac will be off until the 28th, when they are challenged by yet another premier team in the state, as they will play host to 17-2 Pioneer.

The rollercoaster ride of a season for the Lady Warriors continues on. After losing three straight in their holiday tournament, the Lady Warriors have since defeated Westville, lost to Knox, defeated Triton, then lost to Oregon-Davis and Plymouth, before getting the win over the Bluejays on Thursday night! From the outside looking in, based solely on what was witnessed in their most recent win, the Lady Warriors appear to have taken a gigantic step towards being a major force in post-season play. With each and every member seeming to be on the same page against a high-quality North Judson team, the Lady Warriors will be an extremely tough out in Sectional play!

Scoring

Winamac(42): Kendal Johnson-17, Kingsley Kroft-5, Maggie Smith-3, Hailey Sanders-11, Taylor Jennings-7

North Judson(30): Abby Chambers-6, Jordynn Dusek-4, Addie Harper-2, Lily Frasure-12, Olivia Burkett-6

Free Throws

North Judson: 20-25 80%

Winamac: 10-28 55%

Made 3-Pointers

Winamac(5): Kendal Johnson-3, Kingsley Kroft-1, Taylor Jennings-1

Rebounding

Winamac(26): Kendal Johnson-6, Maggie Smith-13, Blake Bailey-2, Hailey Sanders-5

North Judson(20): Abby Chambers-2, Jordynn Dusek-1, Addie Harper-3, Sophia Frasure-2, Lily Frasure-5, Olivia Burkett-5, Natalia Gebka-2

Steals