The Warsaw boys basketball team enters the regional championship round of the state tournament for the second straight year after snatching victory from the jaws of defeat in last week’s sectional championship game. With three seconds left in the game and the team down by three, it looked as if the Tigers’ season may be over.
Until it wasn’t.
Parker Justice’s shot, which forced overtime, will live on forever in the minds of Warsaw fans, especially if the Tigers can continue to string together wins and advance further into the tournament. He’s been feeling the love this week.
“Going to school on Monday was kind of crazy,” he said. “I mean, everyone was coming up congratulating me. Lots of friends and teachers, even the administrators.”
Coming so close to the season ending and being granted second life is something that is not lost on the team, as every player interviewed during Tuesday’s media session stressed how happy they were to have four more days of practice. It’s not lost on head coach Matt Moore either, who sees the thrilling victory as a culmination of the bond this group has built over the course of this season.
“It’s not the first time we’ve done something like that. I feel like the connection has been there all season long. These are very selfless guys,” he said. “There’s a lot of overlap in our first and second units, they gel together so well and it leads to plays like that being made.”
Now, the team focuses its attention on South Bend Riley (22-4), one of the co-champions of the Northern Indiana Conference. Riley heads into the game winners of five straight, all by double digits. The Wildcats defeated host school LaPorte in the sectional championship game to win their first title since 2021.
“They’re going to play really hard, they’re really good at pressuring the ball,” senior point guard Carson Gould said. “But more than anything its about us and making sure we’re still able to play our game the way we want to.”
“They rebound really well, and are extremely athletic,” fellow senior Brandt Martin added. “We’ve got to be prepared for anything.
The game will be held at South Bend Washington, giving Riley the slight advantage in terms of proximity. However, this isn’t the first time Warsaw will be playing a regional game in hostile territory, as last year’s game against Crown Point was at Michigan City.
While that game did not go the way of the Tigers, it gave the many seniors on the Warsaw roster some experience at the next level of the tournament. A year later, these players are prepared to use that experience to reverse their fortunes.
“Last year, all we talked about was winning the sectional, and when we did that, it felt like we accomplished what we set out to do,” Gould said. “This year, we have a little bit of a different mindset, we want to hang a banner.”
His head coach agreed with him.
“Any time you go through an experience for the first time, there’s surprises and disappointments,” Moore said. “As you go through it again, it’s different. There’s some understanding of the process that goes into it.”
For a large chunk of this team, this will be the last opportunity to hang said banner. With eight seniors on the roster, it’s now or never. At this point in the season, everything amplifies. Each possession could play a massive part as to whether a career extends another week, or ends on that day. Moore believes that desire to keep on playing is a major fuel to the Warsaw fire.
“The thing that we told them this week was you’re guaranteed four more days of practice and that’s it,” he said. “What you’re able to do with that is going to define a lot of what happens on Saturday. It’s about being in the moment, and we’re pretty good when we’re in the moment.”
Among the senior-heavy roster, two underclassmen have made a name for themselves during this campaign: junior Mydin Burgher and sophomore Sam Lara. The latter was on the court for a large chunk of overtime in the sectional championship game, and the trust his coaches have in him is not something he takes lightly.
“I’m truly grateful. Being able to learn from these guys and have them trust me the way I trust them means the world to me,” Lara said. “I just play as hard as I can and try to be the best I can be every day. When my number’s called, I’m going to make the most of it and help this team win.”
Warsaw and Riley will play in the second game at South Bend Washington on Saturday, with tipoff expected at 4 p.m. The first game at the site will see South Bend St. Joseph taking on Columbia City at 1 p.m.