Warsaw Falls To Northridge In Title Game
March 9, 2020 at 12:26 a.m.
Warsaw Falls To Northridge In Title Game
By Chip Davenport-
The 2019 defending sectional champs matched that burst with an 11-3 streak of their own, holding the lead for good thereafter, and clinching their second straight sectional title with a 60-38 win over the Tigers.
Doug Ogle said after his final game as the Tiger head coach, “Our game plan was working pretty well and then the game got away from us in the last four minutes of the first half.”
“Right now, Northridge is an offensive juggernaut. Their defense is good, their passing is good, their cutting is good, and their shooting is extra, extra good.”
The juggernaut to which he referred is the Raiders’ last 15 games where they were beating opponents by an average margin of 17 points. They sent the boys from Lake City home with a 13-10 record.
Ogle completed his coaching career with an impressive 275-141 record, six sectional titles, two regional titles and one semi-state crown after 18 seasons at the helm.
“They’re not like most teams you have to prepare for. There are usually two, maybe three guys, who can shoot; not all five of them,” Ogle said.
All five Northridge starters hit at least one three-point shot, eight in total for the night in a second half that featured a 67% shooting accuracy for the winners.
In the two teams’ previous meeting in January Smith, Carter Stoltzfus and 6-6 forward Alex Stauffer scored all 59 Raider points in their victory over the Tigers. Seven players scored for the sectional champs, but the aforementioned trio outscored Warsaw’s collective output with 43 points among them.
Smith’s second quarter run led to a Raider 26-17 halftime lead. Stauffer took the reins in the third quarter with 10 points to increase the victors’ lead to 47-31. Stoltzfus took the wheel in the final quarter with eight of his own points to seal the victory for the 21-5 Raiders. The reward for their effort will be facing the Culver Academies Eagles on Saturday at the Michigan City Regional.
“I’m proud of our players to get to the sectional championship, to beat a good Goshen team and Penn. Our inadequacies were not from a lack of effort,” Ogle said.
The Tiger mentor’s thoughts on retirement were also part of his final message to the boys.
“I didn’t retire from coaching because of them or anything. I retired because of my own feelings about coaching right now. I’ve been competing for 35 years and I need to get onto something less stressful and less busy. I appreciated their effort in practice this week getting ready for this sectional, and I wanted them to know that. And I love these guys.
Senior Jaylen Coon was Warsaw’s scoring and rebounding leader, with nine points and five boards.
“It was full ups and downs, but we tried to push through to the end,” said Coon. “I feel fine right now, but it’s just sad that our senior season had to end without a sectional championship.”
Blake Marsh, a senior guard, added six points to the Tiger effort.
“These wins on Wednesday and Friday showed we weren’t going to give up even though the end of the regular season ended like it did,” Marsh said.
Finishing his caeeer with a five-point game, senior guard Wyatt Amiss said, “I’m thankful for the group of guys we had this year. It’s kind of a bummer moment right now, but life goes on and there are a lot of good things ahead for the guys on our team now.”
Senior forward Keagan Larsh rounded out the moment of reflection with, “I’m thankful for all my teammates and coaches, and all the effort they put in to make this team great. I’m probably gonna’ go home, watch some film and reminisce.”
Other Warsaw scoring was courtesy of juniors Luke Adamiec and Brock Poe (six apiece), and sophomores Kyle Dawson and Judah Simfukwe (two points each).
The 2019 defending sectional champs matched that burst with an 11-3 streak of their own, holding the lead for good thereafter, and clinching their second straight sectional title with a 60-38 win over the Tigers.
Doug Ogle said after his final game as the Tiger head coach, “Our game plan was working pretty well and then the game got away from us in the last four minutes of the first half.”
“Right now, Northridge is an offensive juggernaut. Their defense is good, their passing is good, their cutting is good, and their shooting is extra, extra good.”
The juggernaut to which he referred is the Raiders’ last 15 games where they were beating opponents by an average margin of 17 points. They sent the boys from Lake City home with a 13-10 record.
Ogle completed his coaching career with an impressive 275-141 record, six sectional titles, two regional titles and one semi-state crown after 18 seasons at the helm.
“They’re not like most teams you have to prepare for. There are usually two, maybe three guys, who can shoot; not all five of them,” Ogle said.
All five Northridge starters hit at least one three-point shot, eight in total for the night in a second half that featured a 67% shooting accuracy for the winners.
In the two teams’ previous meeting in January Smith, Carter Stoltzfus and 6-6 forward Alex Stauffer scored all 59 Raider points in their victory over the Tigers. Seven players scored for the sectional champs, but the aforementioned trio outscored Warsaw’s collective output with 43 points among them.
Smith’s second quarter run led to a Raider 26-17 halftime lead. Stauffer took the reins in the third quarter with 10 points to increase the victors’ lead to 47-31. Stoltzfus took the wheel in the final quarter with eight of his own points to seal the victory for the 21-5 Raiders. The reward for their effort will be facing the Culver Academies Eagles on Saturday at the Michigan City Regional.
“I’m proud of our players to get to the sectional championship, to beat a good Goshen team and Penn. Our inadequacies were not from a lack of effort,” Ogle said.
The Tiger mentor’s thoughts on retirement were also part of his final message to the boys.
“I didn’t retire from coaching because of them or anything. I retired because of my own feelings about coaching right now. I’ve been competing for 35 years and I need to get onto something less stressful and less busy. I appreciated their effort in practice this week getting ready for this sectional, and I wanted them to know that. And I love these guys.
Senior Jaylen Coon was Warsaw’s scoring and rebounding leader, with nine points and five boards.
“It was full ups and downs, but we tried to push through to the end,” said Coon. “I feel fine right now, but it’s just sad that our senior season had to end without a sectional championship.”
Blake Marsh, a senior guard, added six points to the Tiger effort.
“These wins on Wednesday and Friday showed we weren’t going to give up even though the end of the regular season ended like it did,” Marsh said.
Finishing his caeeer with a five-point game, senior guard Wyatt Amiss said, “I’m thankful for the group of guys we had this year. It’s kind of a bummer moment right now, but life goes on and there are a lot of good things ahead for the guys on our team now.”
Senior forward Keagan Larsh rounded out the moment of reflection with, “I’m thankful for all my teammates and coaches, and all the effort they put in to make this team great. I’m probably gonna’ go home, watch some film and reminisce.”
Other Warsaw scoring was courtesy of juniors Luke Adamiec and Brock Poe (six apiece), and sophomores Kyle Dawson and Judah Simfukwe (two points each).
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