Ice-cold Shooting Dooms Tigers Vs. Concord
January 23, 2021 at 4:17 a.m.
Ice-cold Shooting Dooms Tigers Vs. Concord
By Josh Neuhart-
The host’s shooting woes were countered by Concord’s improved inside game in the final period. The game was tied 31-31 with less than three minutes in the fourth stanza when the Minutemen used two straight possessions to cash in with scores inside the paint. 6’6” forward Payton Fish and 6’5” Zaven Kooltookian helped Concord regain the lead they had most of the final frame 35-31. The Tigers heaved a handful desperate, off-balance three-point shots, and fouled their opponents into the bonus to try to narrow the deficit to no avail, leading to the 37-33 win for the guests as the last buzzer sounded.
Warsaw (7-7, 3-1) appeared to take their opponents lightly considering the Minutemen’s records of 2-6 overall, and 1-2 in the Northern Lakes Conference coming into the contest.
Warsaw head coach matt Moore succinctly said, “Concord was better than us tonight.”
“I think it goes to the maturity of our group.” Moore continued about his team’s approach. “They’re a young group. I don’t think they give the type of teams like Concord the respect they deserve. Our guys haven’t set the tone from the start like we typically have in the past few games. And then from there it’s kind of neck and neck just trying to get ahead.”
Moore was spot on. The first half showcased accurate shooting, but poor ball security in the form of ten turnovers by both teams. Warsaw took a 19-18 halftime lead to the locker room on 9 of 13 (69%) shooting while their opponents hit 58% of their shots, 7 of 12, and kept the game close with two three-point baskets. When the two teams took care of the basketball in the first half, each was very efficient.
Then, the draft from outside sneaked into the Tiger Den. Concord didn’t fall victim as they maintained decent accuracy with 8 of 18 (44%) shooting. However, Warsaw’s 17% shooting included several missed shots withing four feet of the hoop. The guests outscored Warsaw 9-6 in the third quarter to take its second lead of the game 27-25, eventually closing the third period with a 29-26 lead.
Warsaw was playing whack-a-mole throughout the final quarter, and they grew more visibly frustrated as the game slipped away from them int eh final three minutes.
Moore’s thoughts on the second half were, “We had a lot of layups, missed baskets in the paint, and we complained when we didn’t get the foul called on the miss. We gotta be tougher, and we’re just not tough enough at that time of the game. We think we have to hit triples and home runs, and honestly we need to hit more singles instead.”
One of the game’s takeaways, strong defensive play and hustle from sophomore Drew Heckaman is testimony to his continued improvement on the court.
Coach Moore said, “Drew showed consistency. That’s what I’m looking for. If I can trust you and you’re dependable, then you’re gonna get opportunities to get on the floor. Drew, in the last couple of games, and in practice has shown that as well.”
Four Minutemen scored eight points each to lead their offensive effort. Jack D’Arcy, Andres Dixon, Fish and Kooltookian comprised the group’s balanced output.
The Tigers were led in scoring by Jaxon Gould (14 points), Judah Simfukwe (12 points), Ben Bergen (5 points), and Jackson Dawson (2 points). The Concord defense held Simfukwe, who connected on 5 of 6 six shots in the first half, to two points for the remainder of the contest.
The JV Tigers fared much better against the Minutemen winning the early contest 54-36. Kyle Dawson (22 points) led the way offensively, and the hosts shot 72% in the second half, outscoring their guests 31-21 in the final two periods.
Concord’s varsity squad moved 3-6 overall and 2-2 in the NLC. Warsaw wakes up early today to travel to LaPorte to battle its fourth of five Duneland Athletic Conference foes for the season. JV tip-off is 1:00 p.m. Eastern time.
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The host’s shooting woes were countered by Concord’s improved inside game in the final period. The game was tied 31-31 with less than three minutes in the fourth stanza when the Minutemen used two straight possessions to cash in with scores inside the paint. 6’6” forward Payton Fish and 6’5” Zaven Kooltookian helped Concord regain the lead they had most of the final frame 35-31. The Tigers heaved a handful desperate, off-balance three-point shots, and fouled their opponents into the bonus to try to narrow the deficit to no avail, leading to the 37-33 win for the guests as the last buzzer sounded.
Warsaw (7-7, 3-1) appeared to take their opponents lightly considering the Minutemen’s records of 2-6 overall, and 1-2 in the Northern Lakes Conference coming into the contest.
Warsaw head coach matt Moore succinctly said, “Concord was better than us tonight.”
“I think it goes to the maturity of our group.” Moore continued about his team’s approach. “They’re a young group. I don’t think they give the type of teams like Concord the respect they deserve. Our guys haven’t set the tone from the start like we typically have in the past few games. And then from there it’s kind of neck and neck just trying to get ahead.”
Moore was spot on. The first half showcased accurate shooting, but poor ball security in the form of ten turnovers by both teams. Warsaw took a 19-18 halftime lead to the locker room on 9 of 13 (69%) shooting while their opponents hit 58% of their shots, 7 of 12, and kept the game close with two three-point baskets. When the two teams took care of the basketball in the first half, each was very efficient.
Then, the draft from outside sneaked into the Tiger Den. Concord didn’t fall victim as they maintained decent accuracy with 8 of 18 (44%) shooting. However, Warsaw’s 17% shooting included several missed shots withing four feet of the hoop. The guests outscored Warsaw 9-6 in the third quarter to take its second lead of the game 27-25, eventually closing the third period with a 29-26 lead.
Warsaw was playing whack-a-mole throughout the final quarter, and they grew more visibly frustrated as the game slipped away from them int eh final three minutes.
Moore’s thoughts on the second half were, “We had a lot of layups, missed baskets in the paint, and we complained when we didn’t get the foul called on the miss. We gotta be tougher, and we’re just not tough enough at that time of the game. We think we have to hit triples and home runs, and honestly we need to hit more singles instead.”
One of the game’s takeaways, strong defensive play and hustle from sophomore Drew Heckaman is testimony to his continued improvement on the court.
Coach Moore said, “Drew showed consistency. That’s what I’m looking for. If I can trust you and you’re dependable, then you’re gonna get opportunities to get on the floor. Drew, in the last couple of games, and in practice has shown that as well.”
Four Minutemen scored eight points each to lead their offensive effort. Jack D’Arcy, Andres Dixon, Fish and Kooltookian comprised the group’s balanced output.
The Tigers were led in scoring by Jaxon Gould (14 points), Judah Simfukwe (12 points), Ben Bergen (5 points), and Jackson Dawson (2 points). The Concord defense held Simfukwe, who connected on 5 of 6 six shots in the first half, to two points for the remainder of the contest.
The JV Tigers fared much better against the Minutemen winning the early contest 54-36. Kyle Dawson (22 points) led the way offensively, and the hosts shot 72% in the second half, outscoring their guests 31-21 in the final two periods.
Concord’s varsity squad moved 3-6 overall and 2-2 in the NLC. Warsaw wakes up early today to travel to LaPorte to battle its fourth of five Duneland Athletic Conference foes for the season. JV tip-off is 1:00 p.m. Eastern time.
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