Senior Rules For Wawasee
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
SYRACUSE - Hoosier Hysteria came four days early as the No. 8 (3A) Wawasee Warriors defended their home block in a 63-50 win over county rival Tippecanoe Valley on senior night Friday.
With a Hardwood Tepee packed chalk full of rabid fans of both teams, the two squads got a taste of what sectional play, which starts Tuesday for both teams, will be like.
Wawasee senior John Adams picked up his first start of the season as he and fellow upperclassmen Michael Conrad were honored before the game.
Conrad ended his Wawasee home career in style as he scored a team-high 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting while pulling down five rebounds to lead the Warriors to victory.
Conrad scored seven points in the third quarter as Wawasee extended its lead to 42-34.
The Warriors were effective with their passing and dribble penetration and played with patience as they forced Valley to play a slow-down game instead of the Vikings' up-and-down pace.
"They handled the ball real well," said eighth-year Valley head coach Bill Patrick. "I think they wanted to cut down on possesions tonight and they were able to do that."
The Vikings were held to just five field goal attempts in the second quarter. Valley stayed within striking distance as it hit 7 of 8 from the free throw line.
While Valley was able to shoot 46 percent (18 of 39) from the field, the Vikings were 13 points below its season average of 63.4.
"Tippecanoe Valley wasn't shooting the ball well in the first half and we were able to take advantage of that," said sixth-year Wawasee head coach Phil Mishler. "And we were also able to control the tempo."
The Vikings did play better at times in the second half but could never close within five points.
Valley trailed 35-30 with 2:21 left in the third quarter after senior Bryce Kelley hit two free throws.
Conrad then hit two free throws of his own that were followed by an Adams three-pointer that whipped the Warrior crowd into a frenzy.
6-foot-6 senior Shane Drudge kept the Vikings afloat as he scored 11 points in the third quarter and a team-high 17 for the game.
After going 1 of 4 from the field in the first half, Drudge heated up and shot 6 of 14 in the second half while pulling down nine rebounds for the game.
Fellow senior David Lash, Valley's leading scorer at more than 15 points per contest, scored all nine of his points in the first half and shot the ball just twice in the second.
Sophomore Chad Hoffer scored well below his season average of 10 points per game as he went 2 of 2 to finish with four points.
"We never got our scorers involved like we need to," said Patrick.
While Valley struggled to get its top scorers into a rhythm, Wawasee overcame having its leading score on the bench for most of the game.
Junior guard Andrew Mock picked up two fouls in the first quarter then his third in the second quarter.
After hitting a three-pointer at the beginning of the third quarter, he quickly picked up his fourth.
In limited action Mock, who averages 15.5 points per game for Wawasee, scored nine points on 2-of-7 shooting.
With Mock out of commission juniors Joe Leach and Lance Zimmerman picked up the slack.
Zimmerman, a physical 6-4 post player, scored 15 points as he went 7 of 9 from the field and finished with a double-double pulling down 10 rebounds.
Leach dropped 16 points on Valley and along with Zimmerman and Conrad was integral in keeping Valley from closing within five points.
"We got a little complacent with (Mock) out," said Patrick. "They had some kids who stepped up, played defense and competed. Leach did a nice job for them and we just didn't do a very good job on Zimmerman."
For Mishler, he was glad to see his team respond to the loss of their leading scorer and point guard against a good team with an even stronger effort.
"It's a very good feeling knowing when Andrew had to sit out and these guys come in against a very good team and extend the lead," said Mishler.
The game was tied after the first quarter and Wawasee led by six at halftime after Zimmerman got an offensive board and put back to close out the first half.
Adams finished with four points and usual starter Brandon Geiger added two to round out the scoring for Wawasee.
Kelley scored 12 points, as he was the only other Viking player besides Drudge to finish with double-digit scoring. Jerrod Parker finished with six while Steven Tillman had two points.
The Warriors finish their regular season with a record of 16-4. Wawasee is in action Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the NorthWood Sectional against Lakeland and Western Michigan-bound Jon Workman. The Warriors defeated Lakeland 51-40 earlier in the year as they held Workman to just one point.
The Vikings also finish the regular season with a record of 16-4. Valley plays host to a sectional this year for the first time in school history. The Vikings get the action started at 6 p.m. Tuesday against Peru. Valley defeated Peru 63-54 at home earlier in the year.
WAWASEE 63, T. VALLEY 50
T. Valley 10 9 15 16 - 50
Wawasee 10 15 17 21 - 63
T. Valley FG FT R S Pts.
*Lash 2-6 5-6 4 1 9
*Parker 2-4 2-2 1 0 6
*Kindig 0-3 0-0 0 0 0
*Kelley 3-5 3-4 2 1 12
*Drudge 8-18 0-1 9 2 17
Hoffer 2-2 0-0 0 0 4
Tillman 1-1 0-0 2 0 2
Reed 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 18-39 10-13 18 4 50
Wawasee FG FT R S Pts.
*Mock 2-7 3-4 0 0 9
*Conrad 6-9 2-2 5 3 17
*Leach 6-10 4-6 1 4 16
*Adams 1-2 1-2 2 1 4
*Z'erman 7-9 1-5 10 0 15
Geiger 1-2 0-1 2 1 2
Singrey 0-1 0-0 1 0 0
Richardson 0-2 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 23-42 11-20 21 9 63
Three-point goals - T. Valley 4-12 (Kelley 3-5, Drudge 1-3), Wawasee 6-11 (Conrad 3-5, Mock 2-3, Adams 1-1). Turnovers - T. Valley 13, Wawasee 9. Fouls - T. Valley 18, Wawasee 15. Fouled out - None.
JV - Wawasee 48, T. Valley 42 [[In-content Ad]]
SYRACUSE - Hoosier Hysteria came four days early as the No. 8 (3A) Wawasee Warriors defended their home block in a 63-50 win over county rival Tippecanoe Valley on senior night Friday.
With a Hardwood Tepee packed chalk full of rabid fans of both teams, the two squads got a taste of what sectional play, which starts Tuesday for both teams, will be like.
Wawasee senior John Adams picked up his first start of the season as he and fellow upperclassmen Michael Conrad were honored before the game.
Conrad ended his Wawasee home career in style as he scored a team-high 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting while pulling down five rebounds to lead the Warriors to victory.
Conrad scored seven points in the third quarter as Wawasee extended its lead to 42-34.
The Warriors were effective with their passing and dribble penetration and played with patience as they forced Valley to play a slow-down game instead of the Vikings' up-and-down pace.
"They handled the ball real well," said eighth-year Valley head coach Bill Patrick. "I think they wanted to cut down on possesions tonight and they were able to do that."
The Vikings were held to just five field goal attempts in the second quarter. Valley stayed within striking distance as it hit 7 of 8 from the free throw line.
While Valley was able to shoot 46 percent (18 of 39) from the field, the Vikings were 13 points below its season average of 63.4.
"Tippecanoe Valley wasn't shooting the ball well in the first half and we were able to take advantage of that," said sixth-year Wawasee head coach Phil Mishler. "And we were also able to control the tempo."
The Vikings did play better at times in the second half but could never close within five points.
Valley trailed 35-30 with 2:21 left in the third quarter after senior Bryce Kelley hit two free throws.
Conrad then hit two free throws of his own that were followed by an Adams three-pointer that whipped the Warrior crowd into a frenzy.
6-foot-6 senior Shane Drudge kept the Vikings afloat as he scored 11 points in the third quarter and a team-high 17 for the game.
After going 1 of 4 from the field in the first half, Drudge heated up and shot 6 of 14 in the second half while pulling down nine rebounds for the game.
Fellow senior David Lash, Valley's leading scorer at more than 15 points per contest, scored all nine of his points in the first half and shot the ball just twice in the second.
Sophomore Chad Hoffer scored well below his season average of 10 points per game as he went 2 of 2 to finish with four points.
"We never got our scorers involved like we need to," said Patrick.
While Valley struggled to get its top scorers into a rhythm, Wawasee overcame having its leading score on the bench for most of the game.
Junior guard Andrew Mock picked up two fouls in the first quarter then his third in the second quarter.
After hitting a three-pointer at the beginning of the third quarter, he quickly picked up his fourth.
In limited action Mock, who averages 15.5 points per game for Wawasee, scored nine points on 2-of-7 shooting.
With Mock out of commission juniors Joe Leach and Lance Zimmerman picked up the slack.
Zimmerman, a physical 6-4 post player, scored 15 points as he went 7 of 9 from the field and finished with a double-double pulling down 10 rebounds.
Leach dropped 16 points on Valley and along with Zimmerman and Conrad was integral in keeping Valley from closing within five points.
"We got a little complacent with (Mock) out," said Patrick. "They had some kids who stepped up, played defense and competed. Leach did a nice job for them and we just didn't do a very good job on Zimmerman."
For Mishler, he was glad to see his team respond to the loss of their leading scorer and point guard against a good team with an even stronger effort.
"It's a very good feeling knowing when Andrew had to sit out and these guys come in against a very good team and extend the lead," said Mishler.
The game was tied after the first quarter and Wawasee led by six at halftime after Zimmerman got an offensive board and put back to close out the first half.
Adams finished with four points and usual starter Brandon Geiger added two to round out the scoring for Wawasee.
Kelley scored 12 points, as he was the only other Viking player besides Drudge to finish with double-digit scoring. Jerrod Parker finished with six while Steven Tillman had two points.
The Warriors finish their regular season with a record of 16-4. Wawasee is in action Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the NorthWood Sectional against Lakeland and Western Michigan-bound Jon Workman. The Warriors defeated Lakeland 51-40 earlier in the year as they held Workman to just one point.
The Vikings also finish the regular season with a record of 16-4. Valley plays host to a sectional this year for the first time in school history. The Vikings get the action started at 6 p.m. Tuesday against Peru. Valley defeated Peru 63-54 at home earlier in the year.
WAWASEE 63, T. VALLEY 50
T. Valley 10 9 15 16 - 50
Wawasee 10 15 17 21 - 63
T. Valley FG FT R S Pts.
*Lash 2-6 5-6 4 1 9
*Parker 2-4 2-2 1 0 6
*Kindig 0-3 0-0 0 0 0
*Kelley 3-5 3-4 2 1 12
*Drudge 8-18 0-1 9 2 17
Hoffer 2-2 0-0 0 0 4
Tillman 1-1 0-0 2 0 2
Reed 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 18-39 10-13 18 4 50
Wawasee FG FT R S Pts.
*Mock 2-7 3-4 0 0 9
*Conrad 6-9 2-2 5 3 17
*Leach 6-10 4-6 1 4 16
*Adams 1-2 1-2 2 1 4
*Z'erman 7-9 1-5 10 0 15
Geiger 1-2 0-1 2 1 2
Singrey 0-1 0-0 1 0 0
Richardson 0-2 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 23-42 11-20 21 9 63
Three-point goals - T. Valley 4-12 (Kelley 3-5, Drudge 1-3), Wawasee 6-11 (Conrad 3-5, Mock 2-3, Adams 1-1). Turnovers - T. Valley 13, Wawasee 9. Fouls - T. Valley 18, Wawasee 15. Fouled out - None.
JV - Wawasee 48, T. Valley 42 [[In-content Ad]]