Freds Drops 26, Big Second Half Propels Lady Tiger Basketball Team Past Wawasee. Carrying a perfect record of 7-0 into enemy territory, Warsaw's girls basketball team knew they would get Wawasee's best effort. Coach Michelle Harter knows her undefeated team is going to get the best effort from every opponent so long as her squad stays undefeated. There's just something extra to play for when you know you could be the first team to blemish a perfect record...let alone an important NLC contest.

The Lady Warriors came out on fire Saturday night. Wawasee stormed out to an early 8-0 advantage with 6:17 left to play in the 1st quarter. Coach Harter had seen enough. She called a timeout to calm her Tiger team down and to go over the game plan once again.

The Lady Tigers responded.

Much like the boys showdown the night before (yes, the Wawasee and Warsaw boys battled Friday night in Warsaw) this contest had a fast and furious tempo from the onset as well. Warsaw senior guard Kelci Freds scored 9 first period points to keep Warsaw close.

End of Quarter 1: Wawasee 20 - Warsaw 13 Warsaw started out the 2nd quarter in their typical man-to-man defense. Wawasee would grab its largest lead of the game 24-14 at the 5:04 mark of the quarter. The Lady Tigers would make an adjustment by switching to a zone defense. Hoping to slow down the Lady Warrior attack, the plan seemed to be effective as Warsaw slowly climbed back into the contest. Senior forwards Sarah Shilling and Beth Plummer keyed a 14-2 run to bring Warsaw all the way back and then some.

All good teams seem to find a way to position themselves for a victory at the opportune moment. Warsaw used a 15-6 scoring advantage in the 2nd quarter to grab a the advantage headed to the break.

Halftime Score: Warsaw 28 - Wawasee 26

The Lady Tigers continued their torrid scoring to start the 3rd. Senior guards Kaelee Sands and Kelci Freds both drained long-range 3 pointers to open up an eight point Tiger advantage 34-26.

In all Warsaw would score a game high 21 points in the 3rd quarter compared to Wawasee's 9 points. The twelve point difference would give the undefeated Tigers a commanding 14 point lead headed to the final frame.

End of Quarter 3: Warsaw 49 - Wawasee 35

Junior forward Kayla Stout would lead an attack to close out this game for Warsaw. Stout scored 8 second half points after going scoreless in the first half of action. Stout also led the rebounding effort collecting 6 boards to the lead the Tigers.

Kelci Freds connected on an amazing 8 three point bombs on her way to 26 points. Freds came into the game averaging a team high 16 points per contest.

For the game, the Lady Tigers shot well from the floor after a slow start. Warsaw shot 51% on 20 of 39 shooting including a ridiculously high 63% from beyond the 3-point arc on 10/16 shooting. In fact, Warsaw would shoot the same percentage from "downtown" as the Lady Warriors did from the free throw line. What a statistic! The Lady Tigers scored 30 points via the 3-pointer while Wawasee managed a respective 15. That 15 point difference allowed Warsaw to cruise down the stretch of this NLC battle.

Final Score: Warsaw 62 - Wawasee 40

Complete Scoring for the Tigers:

Kelci Freds - 26, Sarah Shilling - 11, Kaelee Sands - 8, Kayla Stout - 8, Beth Plummer - 5, Cendall Ogle -2, Lindsay Baker - 2

Warsaw is now a perfect 8-0 (2-0 NLC) on the season. They get a well deserved break thru the Christmas holiday before hosting the TCU Holiday Tournament. The tourney is scheduled for Tuesday 12/29 @ 10:00am in the Tiger Den.

All of us here at TigerSportsNation.com wish the Lady Tigers, coaches, and fans a very Merry Christmas! Great work ladies -- we are proud of you!

Posted In: Girl's Sports > Basketball