Depth, Experience Lead Warsaw Boys To Win
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Two of the things fourth-year coach Doug Ogle said he really likes about his varsity Warsaw boys basketball team - depth and experience - led the Tigers to a 10-point victory over Kosciusko County opponent Tippecanoe Valley Wednesday evening.
In the season opener for both teams, as well as the first time the two programs squared off in five years, the visiting Tigers used both depth and experience to beat the Class 3A No. 9 Vikings 54-44 in front of a near-capacity crowd.
While the Vikings got 36 of their 44 points from two players and were without the services of senior Aaron Reed and sophomore Chad Hoffer, the Tigers had three playes in double figures and got eight points and five assists from point guard Shawn Cabrera.
"It was really important for us to win this game," said Ogle when asked how big of a win it was over the Vikings, who won the sectional championship last year and finished the season with a 21-2 record. "Valley is a tough place to play. Valley was playing with inexperienced players at the guard spots. (Shane) Denny, (John) Gibson and (Michael) Domenico were three very good players. You don't just snap your fingers and replace players like that."
Denny, Gibson and Domenico all graduated, leaving veteran coach Bill Patrick to replace three starters.
As if that wasn't enough, Reed, who Patrick said would have started, is out with a broken leg suffered in football practice. On top of that, Hoffer, who was to start in place of Reed, was suspended for disciplinary reasons.
"Reed was a big loss," said Patrick, who was vying for his 605th career victory. "He's one of the keys to our defense. He plays solid defense and he could've scored eight points for us. Then today we lost Hoffer. He was going to guard Cabrera, he's as quick as him."
Without a deep bench, the Vikings struggled to score points when senior standouts Shane Drudge and David Lash, who scored 18 points each, didn't have their shots falling.
The Tigers on the other hand, moved the ball well the majority of the game, finishing the contest with 17 assists to just nine turnovers.
Warsaw's ability to move the ball around and look for a good shot led to eight first-half three-pointers. The Tigers were 8 of 14 from the arc in the first half and made 22 of 43 (51.2 percent) attempts from the floor for the game, including a 10-of-19 performance in the second half.
"I thought we moved the ball pretty well on offense and did shoot well," said Ogle. "That was key to shoot so well from the outside."
Junior Steve Lemasters, making his first varsity start, hit four three-pointers for Warsaw, three in the first half, and finished with 14 points and five rebonds.
"Steve didn't shoot well in the intrasquad scrimmage or in the Fairfield scrimmage," said Ogle. "He is a good shooter. I told him to keep shooting when he was open, and he hit some big shots for us."
Seniors John-Wesley Maierle and Cabrera each hit two three-pointers for the Tigers, while classmate Colin Clemens hit a three-pointer in the second quarter that gave Warsaw a 27-26 lead.
Clemens scored a team-high 18 points and pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds. He also had two steals and two assists, one of his dishes a no-look, behind-the-back pass to junior Tommy Reinholt.
Maierle finished with 10 points and four steals.
Reinholt scored just two points, converting the only shot he took in the game, but did have five rebounds and three assists.
"Maierle made a lot of plays for us," said Ogle. "Tommy Reinholt did a lot of things for us off the bench. He only scored two points, but his five rebounds and three assists were big. Also, Miles Plumlee played some solid minutes for us.
Plumlee, a 6-foot-7 junior who Ogle said was one of the most improved players in the program, came off the bench and had two points and two rebounds in his first varsity appearance.
Behind Drudge and Lash, the Vikings led 22-16 after the first quarter.
The duo scored 10 points each in the quarter.
"We didn't do a good enough job in the first quarter keeping track of Lash and Drudge," said Ogle. "Our game plan was to collapse on them, make them pass it and make others beat us."
After scoring 22 points in the first quarter, Valley scored just 22 points the rest of the game, netting eight points in both the second and third quarters and six points in the fourth quarter.
"For whatever reason we didn't play as hard the rest of the game as we did in the first quarter," said Patrick. "Our legs weren't there. We didn't get back on defense. We got outhustled. Warsaw got every loose ball. We're not conditioned. The football players aren't in condition. We've got to get kids in condition."
After shooting nearly 44 percent from the field in the first half, Valley made just 5 of 19 field goal attempts in the second half.
For the game, the Vikings were 15 of 42 (35.7 percent) from the field.
To go with the 18 points each from Lash and Drudge, Valley got five points off the bench from Steven Tillman and three points from starting guard Kevin Kindig.
Lash pulled down 14 rebounds for the Vikings.
The Tigers led 33-30 at halftime and 46-38 after the third quarter.
Warsaw is in action again Saturday at Columbia City, while the Vikings play at Wabash Tuesday.
WARSAW 54, T. VALLEY 44
Warsaw 16 17 13 8 - 54
Valley 22 8 8 6 - 44
Warsaw FG FT R S Pts.
* Cabrera 3-8 0-1 4 0 8
* Maierle 4-6 0-0 0 4 10
* Lemasters 5-10 0-0 5 0 14
* M. Reinholt 0-1 0-0 1 0 0
* Clemens 8-15 1-3 11 0 18
Truman 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
Plumlee 1-2 0-0 2 0 2
T. Reinholt 1-1 0-0 5 0 2
Blanton 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Fuller 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Team 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
Totals 22-43 1-4 30 4 54
Valley FG FT R S Pts.
* Neeley 0-3 0-0 0 0 0
* Lash 7-14 3-6 14 2 18
* Kindig 1-2 1-4 2 0 3
* Kelley 0-3 0-0 1 1 0
* Drudge 5-14 5-8 4 1 18
Tillman 2-3 0-0 0 0 5
Parker 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
Nelson 0-2 0-0 0 1 0
Team 0-0 0-0 6 0 0
Totals 15-42 9-18 27 5 44
Three-point goals - Warsaw 9-17 (Lemasters 4-8, Cabrera 2-4, Maierle 2-3, Clemens 1-2), Valley 5-18 (Dridge 3-6, Tillman 1-2, Lash 1-2, Kelley 0-3, Neeley 0-2, Nelson 0-2, Kindig 0-1). Turnovers - Warsaw 9, Valley 8. Assists - Warsaw 19 (Cabrera 5, Clemens 4, T. Reinholt 3, Maierle 3), Valley 7 (Kindig 4). Fouls - Warsaw 17, Valley 13. Fouled out - Kelley.
JV - T. Valley 42, Warsaw 40
Warsaw scoring - West 11, Plumlee 8, Chambers 6, Waikel 4, Harman 3, Higgins 3, Long 3, Poe 2
Valley scoring - Scherzer 11, Ritchey 9, Boggs 5, Salyer 4, Hardesty 4, Smith 4, Tillman 3, Beyers 2 [[In-content Ad]]
Two of the things fourth-year coach Doug Ogle said he really likes about his varsity Warsaw boys basketball team - depth and experience - led the Tigers to a 10-point victory over Kosciusko County opponent Tippecanoe Valley Wednesday evening.
In the season opener for both teams, as well as the first time the two programs squared off in five years, the visiting Tigers used both depth and experience to beat the Class 3A No. 9 Vikings 54-44 in front of a near-capacity crowd.
While the Vikings got 36 of their 44 points from two players and were without the services of senior Aaron Reed and sophomore Chad Hoffer, the Tigers had three playes in double figures and got eight points and five assists from point guard Shawn Cabrera.
"It was really important for us to win this game," said Ogle when asked how big of a win it was over the Vikings, who won the sectional championship last year and finished the season with a 21-2 record. "Valley is a tough place to play. Valley was playing with inexperienced players at the guard spots. (Shane) Denny, (John) Gibson and (Michael) Domenico were three very good players. You don't just snap your fingers and replace players like that."
Denny, Gibson and Domenico all graduated, leaving veteran coach Bill Patrick to replace three starters.
As if that wasn't enough, Reed, who Patrick said would have started, is out with a broken leg suffered in football practice. On top of that, Hoffer, who was to start in place of Reed, was suspended for disciplinary reasons.
"Reed was a big loss," said Patrick, who was vying for his 605th career victory. "He's one of the keys to our defense. He plays solid defense and he could've scored eight points for us. Then today we lost Hoffer. He was going to guard Cabrera, he's as quick as him."
Without a deep bench, the Vikings struggled to score points when senior standouts Shane Drudge and David Lash, who scored 18 points each, didn't have their shots falling.
The Tigers on the other hand, moved the ball well the majority of the game, finishing the contest with 17 assists to just nine turnovers.
Warsaw's ability to move the ball around and look for a good shot led to eight first-half three-pointers. The Tigers were 8 of 14 from the arc in the first half and made 22 of 43 (51.2 percent) attempts from the floor for the game, including a 10-of-19 performance in the second half.
"I thought we moved the ball pretty well on offense and did shoot well," said Ogle. "That was key to shoot so well from the outside."
Junior Steve Lemasters, making his first varsity start, hit four three-pointers for Warsaw, three in the first half, and finished with 14 points and five rebonds.
"Steve didn't shoot well in the intrasquad scrimmage or in the Fairfield scrimmage," said Ogle. "He is a good shooter. I told him to keep shooting when he was open, and he hit some big shots for us."
Seniors John-Wesley Maierle and Cabrera each hit two three-pointers for the Tigers, while classmate Colin Clemens hit a three-pointer in the second quarter that gave Warsaw a 27-26 lead.
Clemens scored a team-high 18 points and pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds. He also had two steals and two assists, one of his dishes a no-look, behind-the-back pass to junior Tommy Reinholt.
Maierle finished with 10 points and four steals.
Reinholt scored just two points, converting the only shot he took in the game, but did have five rebounds and three assists.
"Maierle made a lot of plays for us," said Ogle. "Tommy Reinholt did a lot of things for us off the bench. He only scored two points, but his five rebounds and three assists were big. Also, Miles Plumlee played some solid minutes for us.
Plumlee, a 6-foot-7 junior who Ogle said was one of the most improved players in the program, came off the bench and had two points and two rebounds in his first varsity appearance.
Behind Drudge and Lash, the Vikings led 22-16 after the first quarter.
The duo scored 10 points each in the quarter.
"We didn't do a good enough job in the first quarter keeping track of Lash and Drudge," said Ogle. "Our game plan was to collapse on them, make them pass it and make others beat us."
After scoring 22 points in the first quarter, Valley scored just 22 points the rest of the game, netting eight points in both the second and third quarters and six points in the fourth quarter.
"For whatever reason we didn't play as hard the rest of the game as we did in the first quarter," said Patrick. "Our legs weren't there. We didn't get back on defense. We got outhustled. Warsaw got every loose ball. We're not conditioned. The football players aren't in condition. We've got to get kids in condition."
After shooting nearly 44 percent from the field in the first half, Valley made just 5 of 19 field goal attempts in the second half.
For the game, the Vikings were 15 of 42 (35.7 percent) from the field.
To go with the 18 points each from Lash and Drudge, Valley got five points off the bench from Steven Tillman and three points from starting guard Kevin Kindig.
Lash pulled down 14 rebounds for the Vikings.
The Tigers led 33-30 at halftime and 46-38 after the third quarter.
Warsaw is in action again Saturday at Columbia City, while the Vikings play at Wabash Tuesday.
WARSAW 54, T. VALLEY 44
Warsaw 16 17 13 8 - 54
Valley 22 8 8 6 - 44
Warsaw FG FT R S Pts.
* Cabrera 3-8 0-1 4 0 8
* Maierle 4-6 0-0 0 4 10
* Lemasters 5-10 0-0 5 0 14
* M. Reinholt 0-1 0-0 1 0 0
* Clemens 8-15 1-3 11 0 18
Truman 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
Plumlee 1-2 0-0 2 0 2
T. Reinholt 1-1 0-0 5 0 2
Blanton 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Fuller 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Team 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
Totals 22-43 1-4 30 4 54
Valley FG FT R S Pts.
* Neeley 0-3 0-0 0 0 0
* Lash 7-14 3-6 14 2 18
* Kindig 1-2 1-4 2 0 3
* Kelley 0-3 0-0 1 1 0
* Drudge 5-14 5-8 4 1 18
Tillman 2-3 0-0 0 0 5
Parker 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
Nelson 0-2 0-0 0 1 0
Team 0-0 0-0 6 0 0
Totals 15-42 9-18 27 5 44
Three-point goals - Warsaw 9-17 (Lemasters 4-8, Cabrera 2-4, Maierle 2-3, Clemens 1-2), Valley 5-18 (Dridge 3-6, Tillman 1-2, Lash 1-2, Kelley 0-3, Neeley 0-2, Nelson 0-2, Kindig 0-1). Turnovers - Warsaw 9, Valley 8. Assists - Warsaw 19 (Cabrera 5, Clemens 4, T. Reinholt 3, Maierle 3), Valley 7 (Kindig 4). Fouls - Warsaw 17, Valley 13. Fouled out - Kelley.
JV - T. Valley 42, Warsaw 40
Warsaw scoring - West 11, Plumlee 8, Chambers 6, Waikel 4, Harman 3, Higgins 3, Long 3, Poe 2
Valley scoring - Scherzer 11, Ritchey 9, Boggs 5, Salyer 4, Hardesty 4, Smith 4, Tillman 3, Beyers 2 [[In-content Ad]]