NW Indiana Girls Basketball Renegade Class 4A Semistate Preview

2003-2004 Girls Basketball

'The Renegade' Warsaw Semistate

Preview: Class 4A

A USA-365.com Special Report

(2-25-2004)

History: A lot. Warsaw won their 15th sectional championship and a ninth regional. When the Tigers reached the semistate in 1976 and 1978, they went on to win the state championships. Coach Will Wienhorst is 315-92 in 18 seasons in Warsaw. Overall, Wienhoirst is 419-133 in 25 years. Warsaw was 21-2 last season but lost to Carroll at the sectional level. Valparaiso won their 19th sectional and an 11th regional. The Viking girls have won five semistate championships, the latest in 2000. Valparaiso has never won a basketball state boys or girls championship. Coach Greg Kirby is 290-47 in 14 seasons in Valparaiso and 405-132 in 23 years overall. Last year Valparaiso was 16-8 and lost to Gary West Side 59-42 in the Valpo Regional semifinals.

Previous meetings: Due to the double-round robin Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) which requires a DAC team like Valpo to play 14 games, Valpo had to drop out of the Warsaw Holiday Tournament this year. So, the last meeting between Warsaw and Valparaiso was in the semifinals of the 2002 Warsaw Holiday Tournament when the Tigers beat Valparaiso 50-40. Then-junior Jacklyn Leininger scored 15 points as Warsaw led all the way, 17-10 at the quarter, 27-19 at the half and 41-31 after three periods. Warsaw was called for just five personal fouls in the entire game and Valpo shot only one free throw.

In the 2001 Warsaw Holiday Tournament, Valpo jumped to an 11-7 first quarter lead but Warsaw outscored them 34-21 in the second half to win 56-47. Warsaw used a 15-2 run at the start of the second half to turn the game around. The Tigers were called for only nine fouls in that game.

In the 2000 Warsaw Holiday Tournament championship game, the Tigers held off a Valpo rally to win 47-45. Present day Warsaw stars Jacklyn Leininger and Michelle DeGeeter played in that game as freshman as did VHS guard Lauren Hutton. Warsaw sank 15 of 19 from the foul line in that contest. Warsaw was called for only 10 fouls in that game.

Where: In the 5,500-seat Warsaw gym, probably the premier high school basketball gym in the northern part of the state. Double-decked and brightly orange colored with paw prints everywhere (Warsaw teams are the Tigers), this is the ultimate state playoff site. Despite the presence of four very strong teams (St. Joseph's vs. Bishop Luers) in the 3A game at 12 noon, this day will not be a sellout.

The winner: The Southern 4A Semistate matches Bedford Regional champion Mooresville (21-5) against Southport Regional winner North Central (21-3). North Central, playing at Southport for a second consecutive week is the favorite over Mooresville, a very tall team that plays a lesser schedule.

The 4A state championship game will be held on Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. inside the 22,000-seat Conseco Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.

On the air: WJOB (1230) AM in Hammond, WIMS (1420) in Michigan City, WHLP (89.9) FM and WRSW (107.3) FM in Warsaw. The game will be tape-delayed and shown Monday night at 7 p.m. on Comcast Cable in Lake County and Porter County.

WHAT THEY DO: Valparaiso plays a very patterned halfcourt offense. They use basically six players and size is the key. It appears that 6-foot Breane Gustke and 6-3 Cassie Kerns pick for each other inside while guard Lauren Hutton works for an angle to feed them. With Erica Humes, almost 6-foot on the wing, she has an easier entry pass than most wing players. Cassie Kerns, at 6-3, is almost unstoppable within five feet of the basket because most prep teams can't match her size and mobility. When the entry passes start to produce points, defenses double up on Kerns and that opens up uncontested three point shots for Hutton, Humes and Leslie Bryan.

To stop them, you have to single cover Kerns, which Warsaw can't do successfully... or harass Hutton and Bryan with bigger players who make the entry pass difficult. Hutton is a shifty dribbler who rarely loses the ball in the front court. Humes is an excellent shooter and Bryan is a hustling player who gets loose balls.

Defensively, Valpo plays man-to-man against most teams but they went to a 2-3 zone against West Side to stop lead guard Belinda Drake from driving to the basket. I've never seen Valpo use a combination defense, a box and one but you may see it here against Jacklyn Leininger (25 ppg.). Valparaiso will not press Warsaw unless they get behind because they do not have great depth, and it would allow Leininger to get the ball on the move against one defender, something they can prevent at a slower pace.

Warsaw will almost certainly play a zone defense, probably a 2-3 that will try to surround Kerns and force outside shots from Valparaiso. After made baskets, the Tigers will certainly attempt to trap Hutton, who is Valpo's only true ballhandler. Valpo is very good at breaking the press so Warsaw will change defenses frequently. They will also use a 1-2-2 press to encourage Valpo to pick up the pace. Warsaw will use 10 players. They have used eight or more in every game this year.

Sophomore point guard Julie Seiss is very much like Hutton, a strong 5-8 lead guard who has always played that position and started all 23 games for Warsaw as a freshman last year.

Seiss is a good but not great shooter. Warsaw does not rely on the outside shot. They drive to the basket and get fouled. They have made 66 of 94 (70.3 ) from the line in four playoff games and while that is an excellent percentage, the key number there is 94 shots in four games. That means they've gotten to the line 23 times every game.

Okay, lets get to it. Michelle DeGeeter is a four-year varsity player, a 6-1 senior center who does not score much but is a solid rebounder. Rebekah Reichard is a 5-10 junior forward who has averaged eight points per game in the playoffs despite going scoreless against defending state champ Kokomo in a 57-47 win. 5-4 guard Kara Meyer is a good role player who can hit an occasional three-point shot.

They don't bring any great scorers off the bench. Sophomore Tasia Smith is a 5-10 rebounder. Holly Dutcholz is a 5-10 backup center. But these players aren't your problem. Jacklyn Leininger is your problem. A 6-foot wing with good dribbling skills. Leininger attacks the basket for layups and mid range shots. She isn't great at anything but she's good at everything offensively. She is very difficult to guard with one player. In the Hall-of-Fame Tournament, Leininger scored 33 including 21 of 21 from the line in a 63-51 win over Mooresville. She scored 24 including three three-point goals in a 63-46 victory over Jeffersonville.

In the Warsaw Holiday Tournament, Leininger scored 35 against St. Joseph's and 32 against Perry Meridian.
In the Chicagoland Shootout, Leininger scored 32 against 3,000-kid Neuqua Valley and 37 against second-ranked New Trier.

In the sectional championship game against Carroll, the Chargers had held Leininger to just four points after three quarters and led 33-27. But the Warsaw senior scored seven in the fourth quarter in a 12-1 run to give the Tigers a 39-34 victory. No one has stopped her for four quarters. She will drive against the man-to-man and force contact. And on her home floor, she will get calls. The flaw for Warsaw is that, like Valparaiso, they are not that fast and you can beat them up and down the floor. A good lead guard can break their press. But if you speed the game up, you get Seiss and Leininger in the open floor and you have a problem.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN: Valparaiso opens in a zone defense and slows the game down as Warsaw misses some jump shots early. Neither team will score 10 points in the first quarter as the Tigers will get double-team or gimmick defense (triangle and 2?) help on Kerns and let Bryan and Hutton shoot three-pointers.

In the second quarter, the Warsaw press will pick up the pace and Leininger will get the ball on the move and take it to the basket. The consistent attacking of Warsaw will draw fouls and Kerns or Hutton will go to the bench in the second quarter with three fouls. Warsaw will use foul shots to help mount a 6-10 point lead at the half. The matchup of Erica Humes against Jacklyn Leininger will be a qualified success as Leininger will not get 30 points. But Valpo has no one else either big enough or quick enough to guard Leininger in a man-to-man set. Warsaw actually matches Valpo in the paint because they have six players 5-10 or taller. On Warsaw's home court, it will be hard for the VHS girls to avoid fouls. Hutton will be able to avoid foul trouble but Kerns will not. With Cassie Kerns on the bench, Valpo is overmatched here.

The two teams to beat Valparaiso had a lot of depth, Crown Point and Merrillville, plus a top quality scorer. Warsaw is better than CP or Merrillville and their top player is better than the top player on Merrillville or Crown Point.

No one in the state has played the schedule Warsaw has. No one at any level. The Tigers have defeated six 20-win teams (they are 6-2 against 20-game winners) and 18 teams with winning records. By design, they sought out the toughest schedule they could possibly put together.

Warsaw has beaten Valparaiso three times in four years and the Tigers have won the only four semistate games they've ever played in. On top of that, I thought Valparaiso was better a month ago than they are now. The Vikings are not shooting well and they did not play well for more than a half against Crown Point, West Side and Elkhart Memorial. Valparaiso was lucky to beat Memorial, a team Warsaw crushed 60-41 on Feb. 5. Barring injury or illness, Warsaw will win on their home court by 10 points or more.

Crown Point Sectional
Feb. 10 (W) 47-35 Merrillville (18-3)
Feb. 13 (W) 53-36 at Crown Point (14-8)
Feb. 14 (W) 49-26 Portage (10-12)

Valparaiso Regional
Feb. 21 (W) 47-44 Elkhart Memorial (16-8)
Feb. 21 (W) 55-37 Gary West Side (22-3)

Hall-of-Fame Tournament (at New Castle)
Dec. 26 (W) 64-46 Jeffersonville (22-3)
Dec. 26 (W) 63-51 Mooresville (21-5)

Northern Lakes Conference Tournament
Dec. 27 (W) 73-25 at Wawasee (7-14)
Dec. 30 (W) 65-45 Concord (10-12)
Jan. 2 (W) 56-43 Plymouth (16-7)

Chicagoland Classic (at Willowbrook)
Jan. 16 (L) 61-65 Neuqua Valley (Ill.)
Jan. 17 (W) 68-61 New Trier (Ill.)

Warsaw Sectional
Feb. 13 (W) 57-32 DeKalb (11-11)
Feb. 14 (W) 39-34 Carroll (20-3)

Huntington North Regional
Feb. 21 (W) 57-47 Kokomo (19-5)
Feb. 21 (W) 64-47 at Huntington North (20-4)