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Ball State recruit is 'energy-bringer' for Warsaw girls basketball. 'And she never lets it drop'
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- Ball State recruit is 'energy-bringer' for Warsaw girls basketball. 'And she never lets it drop'
INDIANAPOLIS — Leila Knepp thought her hand might have actually been broken. Abbey Peterson said her hand felt like it was on fire. Brooke Winchester had fouled out of the semistate championship game vs. top-ranked Hamilton Southeastern with about two minutes remaining and she was pumped. The Warsaw senior excitedly yelled out to her teammates on the floor, then emphatically high-fived everyone on the bench as the Tigers fought to close out the 67-61 win.
That's Brooke, her senior teammates agreed ahead of Saturday's Class 4A state championship game vs. Lawrence North (8:15 p.m. at Gainbridge Fieldhouse). She brings all the energy and it's contagious, Braylie Chastain said. "We just love it."
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"She's such an energy-bringer to our team," Peterson added.
"And she never lets it drop."
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Winchester wears her heart on her sleeve, living and dying with the Warsaw Tigers. Asked about last year's loss to Northridge in the opening round of sectionals — the launching point for the team's current 26-1 run, according to coach Lenny Krebs — Winchester took responsibility for the team failing to meet the expectations ascribed following a breakout 2022-23 campaign.
"It felt like I let everyone down and that was really hard. It definitely stuck with me," the Ball State recruit said, pointing out it was her defensive assignment who scored the game-winning basket. That feeling, she continued, was "refreshed" following a 67-55 loss at Homestead on Jan. 21. "I just kept thinking what could I have done better? And I think that also drives us to want to do better for each other and for coach (Krebs)."
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Statistically, Winchester has been a model of consistency this season. The 6-0 forward averages 13 points on 49% shooting (38% from 3, 79% at the line), plus 10 rebounds, two assists and a steal per game — all on par with her career averages.
But Winchester likely would not have returned to this level of consistency if not for a post-practice shootaround with Krebs shortly after Christmas break.
While the Tigers were off to a blistering start paced by juniors Brooke Zartman, Joslyn Bricker and Alexis Neely, Winchester was struggling for consistency. She averaged fewer than 10 points per game through the first game of December, and was shooting below 30% from 3 when the calendar turned to January.
The team's success kept Winchester from getting too down on herself, but she was getting frustrated.
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I know I'm a good shooter, so why aren't the shots going in?
Turns out, Winchester had fallen into a bad habit, one which Krebs picked up on while rebounding for her. She was slanting her feet to the left and her elbow was poking out, which changed her hips and threw off her shot.
It was all mechanical.
Krebs pulled the "visibly frustrated" senior aside, straightened her feet, tucked her elbow in and straightened her hips. Knepp, Peterson and Chastain saw their teammate's "shot transform" almost immediately; Winchester says it changed her game permanently.
"I don't know how I let it get that bad, but I'm grateful for (Krebs)," Winchester continued. "That just shows his character, too. The details he pays attention to. He knows that's not how I shoot, and picked up that little thing which helped me out a bunch."
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Winchester has played with a newfound confidence and rediscovered the consistency that makes her so dangerous. She brings a positivity that radiates through the entire team, Knepp observed, her teammates nodding in agreement.
Winchester loomed large in the semistate final, scoring 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting and a 5-for-5 finish at the free throw line. She grabbed an offensive rebound and converted a three-point play to tie the score at 47 early in the fourth, then sank two free throws to give Warsaw a lead it would not relinquish with just over two minutes remaining.
As the final horn sounded, Winchester was overcome with emotion, tearfully going through the handshake line before embracing her teammates and family members who gathered on the floor.
"Ever since last year's sectional, it's been working hard and looking forward to the run we're going on now," Winchester said. "The relationships I've built with the girls — it all really means a lot to me. ... Playing with my best friends is awesome to do and knowing in the back of my head this is the last time we'll all be (teammates) together and sometimes it just gets the best of me."
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Now Winchester looks to help lead Warsaw to one more win and bring Warsaw its first state championship since 1978.
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen .
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA girls basketball: Brooke Winchester brings energy to Warsaw
