Photo's provided by Your Average Joe Photographer

WOW! I'll say it backwards, "!WOW"

The 4-0 Lady Tigers traveled to #1 ranked (2A) FW Bishop Luers Tuesday night with the attitude of: "We're Lady Tiger Basketball. We're ready for anything."

They would need to be. This one was a classic battle from the onset.

The evening began with a winter weather advisory that would make the trip to and fro much longer than normal. Double overtime would make the game last even later.

And the gym...

The 1958 gym was built with a crawl space under it so even the most gentle trot echoes like a herd of wild animals stampeding while actually giggling...get the picture? Bishop Luers had 3 of its starters out with injuries (including 6'3" sophomore star Ave Stout) leaving the Lady Knights at less than full strength.

The Lady Knights' 3 point shooting would keep them in this game to the very end.

Even though Bishop Luers came out shooting a dismal 0 for7 in three point attempts during the first half, they would continue to fire. Led by Brierra Young's 4 deep connections the Lady Knights went on to hit 10 of 16 from downtown in the 2nd half. It often seemed like cannon fire and any Warsaw lead was clearly not safe. The Lady Tigers' largest lead of the game was 9 points.

Tiger star Kelci Freds fired off 9 of her own 3 pointers. Kelci connected on 5 of them to go along with 5 two-point field goals, and 4 free throws. Freds finished the contest with 29 points for Warsaw. Obviously, her contribution was the difference maker on this cold winter evening. Senior Sarah Shilling finished with 9 points and 5 rebounds while junior Kayla Stout scored 8 points and grabbed 9 rebounds of her own. Sophomore reserve Ryesha Jackson led the Lady Tigers off the bench scoring 7 big points in just 13 minutes of action.

The Lady Tigers are loaded with senior leadership led by Kelci Freds, Sarah Shilling, and Cendall Ogle who carry a ton of Varsity experience. All three girls were on the court Tuesday night for 30+ minutes for Coach Harter. With Bishop Luers having dressed just 2 seniors, experience could have been a factor in this game. Whatever they lacked in age, they made up for in physicality and hustle. This Luers team will be good for many years to come.

Warsaw showed enough patience through six quarters to get the job done. Once again free throw shooting proved to be a strength for this group of Lady Tigers. Led by Freds' and Cendall Ogle's four makes each, Warsaw outscored the Lady Knights 19-7 from the charity stripe connecting on 70% of their attempts. Clutch shooting under tremendous pressure girls!

Final Score: (2OT) Warsaw 58 - Bishop Luers 57

Now riding a 5 game winning streak to open the 2009/2010 campaign the Warsaw Lady Tigers turn their attention to Northern Lakes Conference play. Warsaw will travel to NLC rival Plymouth Saturday night to battle the Lady Pilgrims. If you didn't come to this double-overtime-nail-chewing thriller, make a point to come watch this group play. They just might be ready for anything...

Complete scoring for Warsaw:

Kelci Freds - 29, Sarah Shilling - 9, Kayla Stout - 8, Ryesha Jackson - 7, Cendall Ogle - 4, Creigh Ogle - 1

Posted In: Girl's Sports > Basketball