Warsaw senior Nikki Grose powers her way to two of her game-high 19 points during a 64-42 win over Whitko Friday night (Photos by Scott Davidson)

WARSAW – Home sweet home.

The friendly confines of the Tiger Den were a welcome sight or in this case site to the Warsaw girls basketball team Friday night.

Warsaw righted the ship in fine fashion in feasting on Whitko to collect its first win of the season in the home opener.

A strong second-half performance, powered by the post presence of Nikki Grose and Pam Miller, carried the Tigers to a dominating 64-42 win.

Senior Grose tossed in 19 points to go with seven rebounds and junior Miller added 14 points and eight caroms as Warsaw improved to 1-3.

Freshman Brianna Cumberland netted 12 points and classmate Aly Reiff 11 to lead Whitko, which drops to 3-2. Senior Jordan Hall had 10 points.

Reiff and Cumberland, a pair of outstanding prospects, were 46-2 as teammates in middle school, including 19-0 last year. Reiff was averaging 18 points-per-game and had 21 points and 15 rebounds in a win over Huntington North last Friday.

Warsaw’s Vicki Harris looks for a teammate as Reghan Craig of Whitko plays defense.

The Tigers, off to the first 0-3 start in program history with three straight road losses, outscored Whitko 32-14 in the final half. Warsaw, which has beaten the Wildcats six straight times, allowed just five field goals in the second half.

“This is a very huge win for us confidence wise,” said Warsaw coach Michelle Harter. “We got home and got a little more relaxed tonight. When we do the little things, good things happen.

“We had tough practices mentally and physically the last week and it paid off tonight. We talked about having to have a post presence and Nikki and Pam did a great job tonight. We did a much better job in the second half kicking the ball inside to them. Our guards (Eryn Leek and Kilee Slone) did a great job. Give them credit.”

Warsaw came out strong at the start by hitting three treys to go up 9-0. Guards Eryn Leek and Kilee Slone, along with 6-0 center Grose, all hit triples before Whitko took a timeout at the 5:16 mark of the opening period. The Tigers led 13-10 after the first stanza.

“We talked all week about coming out with energy and intensity and we did that,” Harter said. “We needed to hit some shots to relax and we did early and that gave us confidence.”

Freshman Aly Reiff scored 11 points for Whitko Friday night.

Whitko, which lost 53-45 to Warsaw last season, rallied to take a 22-16 lead in the second quarter. Reiff, a 5-11 guard, led the charge with seven points. The Tigers responded with a 14-0 run over a 3:16 span to take a 30-22 advantage. The hosts led 32-28 at halftime as Grose had 11 points.

The Tigers dominated the final 16 minutes. Miller scored eight points in the third period as Warsaw led 46-36 at the end of the quarter. The hosts outscored Whitko 18-6 in the final frame as the lone basket of the period by the Wildcats did not come until 1:13 remained in the game. Page Desenberg scored all eight of her points in the final quarter for Warsaw.

Whitko managed to shoot just 5-15 from the field in the final half. The Wildcats also had 14 of their 18 turnovers in the second half.

“We really focused on our defense in practice and that paid off tonight,” said Harter. “I think we surprised them with our press in the second half. Our girls did a good job adjusting and also of finding their shooters. The big difference was that we played disciplined ball tonight.”

The Wildcats, who finished 7-14 last year, were riding high coming into the Tiger Den at 3-1. Whitko beat Huntington North 57-51 last Friday, a team that Warsaw lost 37-26 to in their season opener.

Warsaw’s Kilee Slone tries to get past the defense of Aly Reiff Friday night.

Whitko coach Brandon Bradley was a little surly after the 22-point beatdown.

“We shut ourselves down in the second half,” said the terse third year coach of the Wildcats. “We were soft with the ball and allowed ourselves to be bullied. We were not aggressive. We were just soft.

“I don’t think youth was it at all. Our entire roster was soft tonight. We gave them easy baskets. I think a big part of it was that our kids looked at Warsaw being 0-3 and they had lost to Huntington North and we had beaten Huntington North. I told them all week Warsaw was better than that. They found out the hard way tonight.

“Success is a new concept to this group. They have to learn to battle. We can be a tough team when we want to be. This is all on us tonight. The second half was like quicksand.”

Leek scored eight points and dished out five assists, Slone netted seven points and Jodie Carlson five and four assists.  Warsaw shot 24-48 from the field, 12-14 from the line and had a 33-24 rebounding edge.

Whitko ended up 16-42 from the field, including 4-15 on 3-point tries, and 6-12 at the line.

Freshmen Madi Graham and Dayton Groninger each scored 10 points as the Warsaw junior varsity remained undefeated with a 35-23 win Friday night. Hanna Yohe scored seven points and Haley Yohe six to lead Whitko.

Warsaw plays at Michigan City Dec. 7. Whitko plays at Fort Wayne Northrop Dec. 3.

Page Desenberg of Warsaw and Whitko’s Jordan Hall tussle for a loose ball Friday night. Desenberg scored eight points to help the Tigers post a 64-42 win.