Cold-Shooting Warriors Fall To Lakers
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
NAPPANEE - The first game in the Northwood Boys 3A Sectional pitted Wawasee (6-14) against Lakeland (6-11). Wawasee hadn't been playing like a sub-.500 team the last month. In the Warriors' last game they gave a ranked Bremen team its worst loss of the season.
The sectional was a different story. Wawasee struggled from the field and ended its season with a 55-51 loss to Lakeland.
Wawasee got off to a slow start against Lakeland and spent the entire second half crawling back into the game. An Andrew Warner short jumper brought the Warriors to within six at 54-49 with just under 30 seconds left to play.
When Justin Anderson hit 1 of 2 free throws, that shut the door on a Wawasee comeback.
The fact that Wawasee had a chance to win at the end is surprising in itself. The Warriors began the fourth quarter trailing 37-22. The Warriors had struggled from the field all game long, only managing to score in double digits in the second quarter.
In the first three quarters, Wawasee shot a mere 23 percent from the field. In the fourth quarter, behind the effort of Warner, the Warriors hit 50 percent in the quarter. Warner scored 18 of his career-high 24 points in the final stanza.
The Warriors were also helped in the fourth by Jared Mahnensmith and Chris Lambert. Mahnensmith, who struggled from the field most of the game, chipped in four points during a Wawasee 16-4 run midway through the fourth. Lambert started the fourth with a jumper. Then after Warner missed the back end of a one-and-one, Lambert jumped for the offensive board and grabbed it and, while being held and with his back to the basket, flipped the ball in and was fouled on the play.
Lambert went to the foul line with a chance to close the deficit to four. Lambert failed to hit iron, and Anderson hit his two free throws.
At the start of the second half, it looked as if Lakeland would dispose of the Warriors fairly quickly. The Lakers started the half with an 11-0 run.
The Lakers did most of their damage from behind the arc. Chris Baleman hit a three to start the half, then connected on another one after a Nate Yoder jumper. Mitch Todd then hit a three to cap Lakeland's run.
Wawasee would go on a mini 5-0 run to end the quarter. Those points were Wawasee's only points in the third quarter.
"We made a little run at the end of the first half, and when we went into halftime, I thought everything was going to be OK. But they came out in the second half and hit some shots that put us right back down 10," Wawasee coach Jerry Davis said.
The run Wawasee made at the end of the first half combated Lakeland's consistent play. Lakeland took advantage of the Warriors' poor early shooting.
Lakeland was able to adapt their game to what Wawasee was doing then was able to control the pace. In the first quarter, Lakeland was the first to score with 4:35 left to play in the first quarter. The quarter was similar to a prize fight, with both teams feeling each other out early on.
The teams went back and forth exchanging baskets before Lakeland was able to string together a few scores and pull out to a 9-5 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Lakers then came out swinging in the second quarter. They picked up the tempo of the game. Their defense forced Wawasee into hurried shots.
Lakeland came back down and began hitting from the field. But with Wawasee, both on and off the court, they fought back and refused to quit. The Warriors were able to keep within striking distance. A Josh Zolman three-pointer left Wawasee trailing by only six points.
Despite being down by only six points going into the second half, Wawasee could never pull ahead. The loss not only meant the end of the season for Wawasee but the loss of five seniors, four of which were starters.
"We thanked (the seniors) for the effort that they've given for the two years I've been here," Davis said. "That's hard to do. These are special kids and you know they're not going out on the basketball court again. You'd like to see every senior go out a winner. We have some underclassmen, though, and hopefully they can build on what we've done."
Wawasee finishes with a 6-15 record, tying the worst in school history. [[In-content Ad]]
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NAPPANEE - The first game in the Northwood Boys 3A Sectional pitted Wawasee (6-14) against Lakeland (6-11). Wawasee hadn't been playing like a sub-.500 team the last month. In the Warriors' last game they gave a ranked Bremen team its worst loss of the season.
The sectional was a different story. Wawasee struggled from the field and ended its season with a 55-51 loss to Lakeland.
Wawasee got off to a slow start against Lakeland and spent the entire second half crawling back into the game. An Andrew Warner short jumper brought the Warriors to within six at 54-49 with just under 30 seconds left to play.
When Justin Anderson hit 1 of 2 free throws, that shut the door on a Wawasee comeback.
The fact that Wawasee had a chance to win at the end is surprising in itself. The Warriors began the fourth quarter trailing 37-22. The Warriors had struggled from the field all game long, only managing to score in double digits in the second quarter.
In the first three quarters, Wawasee shot a mere 23 percent from the field. In the fourth quarter, behind the effort of Warner, the Warriors hit 50 percent in the quarter. Warner scored 18 of his career-high 24 points in the final stanza.
The Warriors were also helped in the fourth by Jared Mahnensmith and Chris Lambert. Mahnensmith, who struggled from the field most of the game, chipped in four points during a Wawasee 16-4 run midway through the fourth. Lambert started the fourth with a jumper. Then after Warner missed the back end of a one-and-one, Lambert jumped for the offensive board and grabbed it and, while being held and with his back to the basket, flipped the ball in and was fouled on the play.
Lambert went to the foul line with a chance to close the deficit to four. Lambert failed to hit iron, and Anderson hit his two free throws.
At the start of the second half, it looked as if Lakeland would dispose of the Warriors fairly quickly. The Lakers started the half with an 11-0 run.
The Lakers did most of their damage from behind the arc. Chris Baleman hit a three to start the half, then connected on another one after a Nate Yoder jumper. Mitch Todd then hit a three to cap Lakeland's run.
Wawasee would go on a mini 5-0 run to end the quarter. Those points were Wawasee's only points in the third quarter.
"We made a little run at the end of the first half, and when we went into halftime, I thought everything was going to be OK. But they came out in the second half and hit some shots that put us right back down 10," Wawasee coach Jerry Davis said.
The run Wawasee made at the end of the first half combated Lakeland's consistent play. Lakeland took advantage of the Warriors' poor early shooting.
Lakeland was able to adapt their game to what Wawasee was doing then was able to control the pace. In the first quarter, Lakeland was the first to score with 4:35 left to play in the first quarter. The quarter was similar to a prize fight, with both teams feeling each other out early on.
The teams went back and forth exchanging baskets before Lakeland was able to string together a few scores and pull out to a 9-5 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Lakers then came out swinging in the second quarter. They picked up the tempo of the game. Their defense forced Wawasee into hurried shots.
Lakeland came back down and began hitting from the field. But with Wawasee, both on and off the court, they fought back and refused to quit. The Warriors were able to keep within striking distance. A Josh Zolman three-pointer left Wawasee trailing by only six points.
Despite being down by only six points going into the second half, Wawasee could never pull ahead. The loss not only meant the end of the season for Wawasee but the loss of five seniors, four of which were starters.
"We thanked (the seniors) for the effort that they've given for the two years I've been here," Davis said. "That's hard to do. These are special kids and you know they're not going out on the basketball court again. You'd like to see every senior go out a winner. We have some underclassmen, though, and hopefully they can build on what we've done."
Wawasee finishes with a 6-15 record, tying the worst in school history. [[In-content Ad]]