Tigers Have Success On Senior Night
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
To some, it may seem like one of the simplest things to do in a game of basketball - make a free throw.
Warsaw's boys basketball team made it look easy Friday night in a 53-46 win at home over Kokomo on senior night.
The Tigers shot 29 of 34 (85.3 percent) from the charity stripe in pushing their overall season record to 16-4. Kokomo, who committed 25 fouls and made good on 6 of 11 charity tosses, finishes the regular season with a 13-7 record.
Warsaw was whistled for eight fouls.
"That's tremendous," said Warsaw coach Al Rhodes of his team's performance at the free throw line. "I thought it was an excellent game for Kokomo and us. It was a very physical game. Kokomo had flurries where they rebounded well. Actually, in the first three quarters I thought we shot a pretty poor field goal percentage, but we showed good persistance in getting after the ball."
The Tigers finished the game 17 of 45 (37.8 percent) from the field after a 6-of-19 performance in the first two quarters.
Of Warsaw's six first-half field goals, four came in the opening quarter. And two of those came from Jason Henthorn, who started because it was senior night.
The 6-foot-2 guard connected on two three-pointers in the first 2:10 of the game, fueling an 8-2 Tiger spurt. Henthorn finished the game with 10 points.
Rhodes also honored seniors Greg Seiss, Jon Walmer and Chris Rhodes by penciling them in the starting lineup. Steve Siebenmorgen, a normal starter, rounded out the lineup.
"It thought the starting lineup in the first three minutes played good defense," said Rhodes. "Jason has been coming on here at the end of the year, and he did good tonight."
Siebenmorgen was the only other Tiger to score in double figures, finishing with 12. The 6'5" frontliner was 10 of 12 at the charity stripe, including 7 of 8 in the second half.
"Siebenmorgen really played solid in the post, earning free throws," said Rhodes.
Seniors Ross Kesler and Zach Nelson scored nine points each in the win, while senior Chris Wiggins added seven points and six rebounds. Kesler led the Tigers with 11 rebounds; Nelson added six of his own, as Warsaw outrebounded the Wildkats 35-21.
Kokomo senior Joe Thatcher led all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-21 shooting from the field. The 6'3" forward also pulled down four rebounds and made two steals.
"Ross and Chris did a good job chasing 41 (Thatcher) and 22 (Blair Crawford)," said Rhodes. "Thatcher can really shoot the ball."
Crawford was the only other Wildkat in double figures, chipping in with 13 points.
The Tigers clung to a 13-10 lead after one quarter of play, before being outscored 10-7 in the second stanza.
"We got off to a great start," said Rhodes. "Credit Kokomo, they got back in it and made it 20-20 at halftime. It was a battle of wills. In the third quarter I thought we outplayed them we just missed around the basket."
Warsaw outscored Kokomo 11-9 in the third quarter despite shooting 3 of 11 from the field, with Nelson, Kesler, Wiggins and Siebenmorgen all missing easy shots in the paint.
The Wildkats pulled to within three, 47-44, with 2:10 remaining in the final frame when Thatcher connected on his third three-pointer of the game, but Warsaw forged ahead by doing what they did all night - hitting free throws.
The Tigers were 18 of 19 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter. Wiggins and Siebenmorgen were each 4 of 4 at the free throw line in the final frame.
Warsaw, who ends the regular season with a six-game winning streak, now has until Friday to prepare for a matchup with East Noble in the Elkhart Central Sectional.
"Even more than the win, I've been pleased that we're improving," said Rhodes. "We had some great offensive rebounding posessions tonight. Our tenacity on the boards is improving. I feel like we're in a good position going into the tournament. This game should do nothing but build confidence." [[In-content Ad]]
To some, it may seem like one of the simplest things to do in a game of basketball - make a free throw.
Warsaw's boys basketball team made it look easy Friday night in a 53-46 win at home over Kokomo on senior night.
The Tigers shot 29 of 34 (85.3 percent) from the charity stripe in pushing their overall season record to 16-4. Kokomo, who committed 25 fouls and made good on 6 of 11 charity tosses, finishes the regular season with a 13-7 record.
Warsaw was whistled for eight fouls.
"That's tremendous," said Warsaw coach Al Rhodes of his team's performance at the free throw line. "I thought it was an excellent game for Kokomo and us. It was a very physical game. Kokomo had flurries where they rebounded well. Actually, in the first three quarters I thought we shot a pretty poor field goal percentage, but we showed good persistance in getting after the ball."
The Tigers finished the game 17 of 45 (37.8 percent) from the field after a 6-of-19 performance in the first two quarters.
Of Warsaw's six first-half field goals, four came in the opening quarter. And two of those came from Jason Henthorn, who started because it was senior night.
The 6-foot-2 guard connected on two three-pointers in the first 2:10 of the game, fueling an 8-2 Tiger spurt. Henthorn finished the game with 10 points.
Rhodes also honored seniors Greg Seiss, Jon Walmer and Chris Rhodes by penciling them in the starting lineup. Steve Siebenmorgen, a normal starter, rounded out the lineup.
"It thought the starting lineup in the first three minutes played good defense," said Rhodes. "Jason has been coming on here at the end of the year, and he did good tonight."
Siebenmorgen was the only other Tiger to score in double figures, finishing with 12. The 6'5" frontliner was 10 of 12 at the charity stripe, including 7 of 8 in the second half.
"Siebenmorgen really played solid in the post, earning free throws," said Rhodes.
Seniors Ross Kesler and Zach Nelson scored nine points each in the win, while senior Chris Wiggins added seven points and six rebounds. Kesler led the Tigers with 11 rebounds; Nelson added six of his own, as Warsaw outrebounded the Wildkats 35-21.
Kokomo senior Joe Thatcher led all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-21 shooting from the field. The 6'3" forward also pulled down four rebounds and made two steals.
"Ross and Chris did a good job chasing 41 (Thatcher) and 22 (Blair Crawford)," said Rhodes. "Thatcher can really shoot the ball."
Crawford was the only other Wildkat in double figures, chipping in with 13 points.
The Tigers clung to a 13-10 lead after one quarter of play, before being outscored 10-7 in the second stanza.
"We got off to a great start," said Rhodes. "Credit Kokomo, they got back in it and made it 20-20 at halftime. It was a battle of wills. In the third quarter I thought we outplayed them we just missed around the basket."
Warsaw outscored Kokomo 11-9 in the third quarter despite shooting 3 of 11 from the field, with Nelson, Kesler, Wiggins and Siebenmorgen all missing easy shots in the paint.
The Wildkats pulled to within three, 47-44, with 2:10 remaining in the final frame when Thatcher connected on his third three-pointer of the game, but Warsaw forged ahead by doing what they did all night - hitting free throws.
The Tigers were 18 of 19 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter. Wiggins and Siebenmorgen were each 4 of 4 at the free throw line in the final frame.
Warsaw, who ends the regular season with a six-game winning streak, now has until Friday to prepare for a matchup with East Noble in the Elkhart Central Sectional.
"Even more than the win, I've been pleased that we're improving," said Rhodes. "We had some great offensive rebounding posessions tonight. Our tenacity on the boards is improving. I feel like we're in a good position going into the tournament. This game should do nothing but build confidence." [[In-content Ad]]