From the start, it seemed like the Mississinewa Indians didn’t come out ready to play against the Wabash Apaches.
Bad passes, poor shot selection, and a slew of turnovers proved costly down the stretch, as the Apaches used aggressive defense in the second half to turn a 12-point halftime deficit into a 58-48 victory.
The Indians took an early 14-4 lead in the first quarter, but Wabash took advantage of multiple Indian miscues to cut the deficit to 14-11 heading into the second quarter.
Mississinewa’s play remained sloppy in the second stanza, but the Indians still managed to outscore the Apaches 15-6 to take a 29-17 lead into halftime.
After that, the wheels fell off the wagon.
In the second half, the Apaches made several adjustments, which included keying in on Erika Foy and running a much more aggressive press.
Both strategies worked to perfection, as the Indians were never able to find a rhythm offensively and Foy was held to just three points after halftime.
While the Apaches’ defense forced turnovers, their offense capitalized on them, particularly sophomore Carmen Higdon, who led all scorers with 27 points.
With Bailey Yoakum, arguably Wabash’s best player, forced to the bench due to foul trouble, Higdon answered the call and made big plays in crucial moments.
“Carmen came on for us a lot at the end of last year,” Wabash head coach Matt Stone said. “In fact, in the sectional [last year] where we took Oak Hill down to the wire, she may have been our best player. Tonight she took over with Bailey on the bench. She took over the game [tonight.]”
On the other side, Mississinewa was just never able to match Wabash’s intensity in the second half, as the Apaches outscored them 24-11 in the third quarter and 17-8 in the fourth quarter to take control of the game and hand Mississinewa their first loss of the season.
“I think, mentally, we weren’t tough enough,” Mississinewa head coach Omega Tandy said. “Wabash started playing a little bit harder, and instead of embracing that, I think we took a step back. Our team is an aggressive basketball team. If we aren’t playing in that style, then we aren’t playing to our strength. “We were just one step behind all night tonight. I think we were rushed. I think Wabash sped us up, which we were prepared for, but we didn’t respond well to it.”
Though it wasn’t the result that Tandy and the Indians were looking for, she was glad that this type of performance happened sooner rather than later.
“Our team really needed to have this moment, and I’m so happy that it happened this early in the season,” Tandy said. “We have been so excited about our program and what’s been going on, but our team needs to realize that we have to be the aggressor and we have to bring it every single possession.”
In a game full of negatives, the play of Tyler Bartell was a huge positive for Mississinewa. Bartell co-led the team in scoring with 16 points, and hit some timely threes in the second half to help give the Indians a chance to battle back.
“Tyler did a great job tonight,” Tandy said. “I thought Tyler played composed the entire game. She took her time to hit her shots, [and] she also passed the ball very well. She is a glue to our team. She plays very hard all the time. We know what we are going to get from her and we got that today.”
Foy recorded her second double-double of the season, scoring 16 points and bringing down 13 boards in the loss.
Though the girls were noticeably upset after the loss, Tandy gently reminded them that the season is just beginning, and there will be plenty of time to make adjustments as well as fix mistakes as the season progresses.
“I told them that it’s still early in the season,” Tandy said. “Seasons ebb and flow – they just have to fall in love with the process of becoming a championship culture. The way to do that is that [we have] to embrace when we lose games, we have to get into the film room and figure out where we can get better, [and then] get on the court and execute.”
