WARSAW - Hamilton Southeastern and Penn have gone back and forth as the No. 1 ranked teams in high school girls basketball polls this year - with Penn currently in the No. 1 spot according to Indiana High School Basketball Coaches poll. After taking Hamilton Southeastern to the wire earlier this season and coming off an upset loss at Goshen on Saturday, the Lady Tigers were entirely focused on the Penn Kingsmen.

The Lady Tigers didn't blink or flinch.

With an 11-2 third-quarter run and some clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch, Warsaw captured a 52-50 victory over the visiting Kingsmen.

Lindsay Baker was nearly perfect on the night - finishing with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Baker, who was 5-6 from the field including two of two from 3-point range, scored five straight in a second-quarter stretch that helped the Tigers reduce a 10-point Penn lead. Sarah Heagy scored 13 points and dominated the boards on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor finishing with 13 rebounds. Nikki Grose and Jennifer Walker-Crawford each had seven points, and Eryn Leek handed out three assists.

Down the stretch, the Tigers were sharp at the foul line. Walker-Crawford hit the first of two to put the Tigers up 48-45 with under a minute to play. After a turnover and a missed front end of a 1-1 by Penn, Baker hit a pair of free throws to put the Tigers up 50-45 with 28 seconds to play. Sarah Ray, who finished with four points three rebounds and a pair of assists, calmly sank a pair of free throws with 23 seconds remaining to put the Tigers up 52-48. Penn scored with inside five seconds remaining as the buzzer sounded! TIGERS WIN! TIGERS WIN!

The Lady Tigers will host Concord on Saturday.

Posted In: Girl's Sports > Basketball

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