Lady Bluejays Avenge Regular Season Loss To Lady Warriors!
Just thirteen days after the Winamac Lady Warriors defeated the North Judson-San Pierre Lady Bluejays handily, 42-40, it was time for the programs to go at it once again, this time with the season on the line at the Hebron Sectional.
The game would be a defensive battle from the start. Each team would utilize a plethora of defenses throughout the ballgame to keep their opponent off balance and unsure of what to expect.
Boy, did it work!
Without question, everyone in Northern Indiana is aware of the scoring capabilities of North Judson Junior Lily Frasure, who eclipsed the 1,000 point mark earlier this year, and is being heavily recruited by multiple Division I colleges. So it was no surprise that the Lady Warriors would be zeroed in on #32 with a box-and-one defense, denying Frasure the ball as much as possible, with one person chasing her around the floor, while the other four defenders set up in a 2-2 zone defense. To an extent, the strategy was successful, as Frasure would only be able to muster up one field goal in the entire game. At the end of the first quarter, the Lady Warriors were able to hold an 8-4 lead, with the defensive strategy working nearly to perfection.
Enter the rest of the Lady Bluejays…
Knowing that Winamac would be too strong of a team to have only one girl win the game, the rest of the Lady ‘Jays would pick up whatever slack necessary in the scoring column. Junior Abby Chambers would continue to be a spark for North Judson, as she helped take some of the pressure off Frasure, scoring 5 of her 9 points in the first half. It would be on the defensive end of the floor that would be the difference for the change in momentum in favor of North Judson. The Lady Bluejays would come up with 9 steals in the first half, and while they were not able to turn all of the turnovers into points, it was an effort that stifled the Lady Warriors to the point where they were unable to score a single point in the second quarter. The Lady ‘Jays would ultimately outscore the Lady Warriors 14-0 in the second quarter to take an 18-8 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The second half would be a different story on the offensive end of the floor for Winamac. The Lady Warriors came out of the locker room with a brand new energy, that had been missing in the first two quarters. With a fiery back and forth between the two teams, the Lady Warriors were slowly but surly fighting their way out of the 10-point halftime deficit. Still trailing by nine heading into the final quarter, the Lady Warriors would turn up the heat even more on the offensive end of the floor as they would once again outscore the Lady ‘Jays. It would be too little, too late for Winamac as North Judson hit key free throws down the stretch, while continuing to keep up an extremely strong defensive effort. The defending Sectional Champions were able to get the job done at the end to advance to Friday Night’s Sectional Semifinals at Hebron.
“I thought we settled for three’s early” said North Judson Head Coach Chris Newbauer following the game. “I think we shot eight three’s in the first ten or twelve possessions. I ripped on the girls a little bit” he continued, “I’m okay with kick-outs, but we need to get downhill, and that’s what made the difference”.
When it comes to the fire within the team, the Lady Bluejays are not lacking one bit.
“Winners win at the end of the day” Newbauer said. “These girls want this bad. We didn’t shoot the ball great tonight, but I thought we did a great job playing defense, and that’s what won the game for us”. Newbauer did not hesitate to talk about who played well for his Lady Jays.
“I thought Addie (Harper) and Abby (Chambers) played so strong going to the rim. I thought Liv (Burkett) came in and did a nice job handling the ball and creating things”.
The Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game would go to North Judson’s Lily Frasure, who scored a game-high 12 points, hitting 10-16 at the free-throw line, while also pulling down 12 rebounds, and getting 7 steals in the win.
The Lady Bluejays (19-4) will head into Friday’s Semifinals at Hebron, where they will take on the Westville Lady Blackhawks, who defeated Hebron in a nail-biter 53-51. The Lady Warriors’ season comes to an end with an overall record of 14-11, which included a 5-2 record in the Hoosier North Athletic Conference.
Game Statistics
Scoring
North Judson(34): Abby Chambers-9, Adalynn Harper-4, Sophia Frasure-5, Lily Frasure-12, Natalia Gebka-3
Winamac(30): Kendal Johnson-6, Kingsley Kroft-2, Maggie Smith-4, Blake Bailey-7, Alyssa Villanueva-2, Hailey Sanders-9
Free Throws
NJSP: 15-26 57%
Winamac: 4-12 33%
3-Point Shooting
Winamac(2): Blake Bailey-1, Hailey Sanders-1
Rebounding
NJSP(25): Abby Chambers-5, Jordynn Dusek-1, Olivia Burkett-1, Adalynn Harper-1, Sophia Frasure-1, Lily Frasure-12, Natalia Gebka-3
Winamac(21): Kendal Johnson-2, Maggie Smith-11, Blake Bailey-4, Alyssa Villanueva-2, Taylor Jennings-2
Steals
NJSP(12): Abby Chambers-3, Olivia Burkett-2, Lily Frasure-7
Winamac(9): Kendal Johnson-3, Maggie Smith-3, Alyssa Villanueva-1, Taylor Jennings-2
*Statistical Information In This Article Provided By Kankakee Valley Broadcasting Staff. These Are Not Official Game Statistics*
While she wasn’t interviewed, Mrs. Newbauer still got in on the postgame! 
*Photos Sponsored By Momma’s Pizzeria In Downtown Knox*