Tigers Take First Class Title
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
The nickname is Minutemen, named after the men who would be ready at a minute's notice to pluck their guns out of a haystack or barn or wherever and go to war.
The war in front of the Concord Minutemen was not on a battlefield but on a basketball court against Warsaw. And for 12 minutes against Warsaw, the Minutemen fired nothing but blanks.
The fruitless stretch was too much to overcome as Warsaw, a team with eight seniors on its roster, beat a Concord team with three seniors 53-42 in Saturday's Elkhart 4A Sectional championship. The sectional title is Warsaw's first in the class system and first since 1997. Elkhart Central ousted Warsaw in the sectional the last two years.
"For me, this sectional championship is special for a lot of reasons," Warsaw coach Al Rhodes said. "I believe it's my 14th in 20 years at Warsaw. With this format, this is like winning a regional now. It's tougher to win a 4A sectional.
"Now you have only four games left, just like after the regional in the old system."
Warsaw outscored Concord 15-1 during a stretch from the 5:29 mark of the third quarter until the 1:22 mark of the fourth. What was a 34-30 Concord lead evaporated into a 45-35 Warsaw lead with less than 90 seconds left.
Warsaw, now 18-4, was expected to be in the title game; Concord, which finished its season 8-15, was not.
But the young, energetic Minutemen played as if being chased with a branding iron, beating Goshen then host school Elkhart Central before winding up in the championship.
"We had the ups and downs of a first-year program, but all along, I said that our team had potential to do what we did in the sectional," first-year coach Ryan Culp said. "We came in believing we would win this game.
"The way we played the whole week, with intensity, fire, passion and a great effort ... these guys accomplished a lot that people didn't expect."
Asked if Warsaw felt pressure because the Tigers were expected to win this sectional, senior center Zach Nelson said, "No, not really. We were pretty loose coming into this game.
"I think the whole team, the offense and the defense, is coming together. We have individuals helping off the bench a lot."
Out of the teams in the other bracket - Concord, Elkhart Central, Elkhart Memorial and Goshen - Concord was the last team Rhodes expected to see in the championship.
"I felt Goshen, with the way they had been playing, would come out of that bracket. But Concord came into the sectional with enthusiasm and a competitive nature, and they caught fire to come out of that bracket."
Senior guard Ross Kesler, who attacked the basket throughout the game, led Warsaw with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Senior guard Chris Wiggins, who hit just 2 of 10 from the field but 8 of 10 at the free throw line, added 14 points and five rebounds. Nelson scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds.
Except for a quicker pace, the game paralleled Friday's game against East Noble.
Opposing team takes early lead. Warsaw hits free throws, plays suffocating half-court man-to-man defense and shuts opposing team down in second half to pull away.
"We went 12 minutes with one point," Culp said. "Obviously, that hurt. We weren't setting as good of screens as we had been."
Afterward, each coach talked about positioning as the key during the stretch. Six-foot-9 sophomore center John Morningstar scored 17 against Elkhart Central the night before; the Tigers refused to let him be a factor inside in their game. Josh Staley and Morningstar each scored 10 to lead Concord.
The talented Morningstar, who has turned into Concord's go-to player, picked up his second foul with 54 seconds to go in the first quarter. He left the game and didn't return until the third quarter.
"During the 15-1 stretch, we toughened up in the post and forced Morningstar out on the perimeter," Rhodes said. "We alternated Steve Siebenmorgen and Zach Nelson on Morningstar and left Josh Buck in for a quicker defensive player on Staley. We forced Morningstar out of the post area, and we kept Steve and Zach fresh by rotating them."
Just how much were the Minutemen shoved out of position? Concord finished the game 14 of 36 (39 percent) from the field, but in an unusual statistic, shot much better from beyond the three-point arc. The Minutemen hit 6 of 12 (50 percent) three-pointers; they hit just eight two-point field goals in the game and finished 8 of 24 (33 percent).
Culp, unaware what Rhodes had said, repeated nearly the same thing.
"Offensively, we had trouble getting into a rhythm," he said. "Guys were out of position, and that's because Warsaw forced us away from the basket. We played on the perimeter a lot more than we wanted to.
"We just couldn't score points in the second half. There's a lot of experience over there, a lot of seniors who know how coach Rhodes wants things done."
Against East Noble, Warsaw held the Knights to 6-of-19 (32 percent) shooting from the field in the second half and outscored them 26-15. Against Concord, Warsaw held the Minutemen to 6-of-18 (33 percent) shooting in the second half and outscored them 25-16.
For the second straight night, the Tigers were money at the free throw line. They hit 16 of 20 (80 percent) in the win over East Noble and hit 22 of 27 (81 percent) in the win over Concord. Concord hit 8 of 10 free throws, and the reason for the disparity was that Concord fouled to stop the clock in the fourth quarter. Warsaw shot 15 of its 27 in the final quarter.
The Minutemen came out like gangbusters to start, kicking up their heels and pumping their fists. They sped out to a 12-4 lead, but Warsaw methodically worked its way back into the game and took a 15-14 lead on a Jason Henthorn three-pointer as the first-quarter horn sounded.
"Based on (Concord's) record, they weren't expected to be here," Wiggins said. "They started out quick, which was to be expected, because it was a big game for them and for us."
As the Tigers did against East Noble, they went to their stall tactics late, and again they paid off in the form of open layups after defensive breakdowns.
"We got the lead in the fourth and pulled the ball out again and opened up the lane," Rhodes said. "We had a couple of good opportunities."
And the Tigers had their first Class 4A sectional championship.
"I'm happy for my eight seniors," Rhodes said. "We came her the last two years in the sectional and Mr. (James) Scott (of Elkhart Central), and Indiana All-Star, took care of us."
WARSAW 53, CONCORD 42
Warsaw (18-4) 15 13 11 14 - 53
Concord (8-15) 14 12 8 8 - 42
Warsaw FG FT A S R Pts.
Kesler (G) 5-11 4-6 4 1 7 14
Wiggins (G) 2-10 8-10 2 0 5 14
Nelson (C) 3-7 5-5 0 1 6 11
Siebenmorgen (F) 2-4 4-4 2 0 1 8
B. Seiss (G) 0-2 1-2 1 2 3 1
Henthorn 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 3
Buck 1-3 0-0 0 2 7 2
Finnegan 0-0 0-0 0 0 2 0
Martin 0-1 0-0 1 1 0 0
G. Seiss 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Walmer 0-1 0-0 0 0 1 0
Rhodes 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Totals 14-40 22-27 10 7 32 53
Concord FG FT A S R Pts.
Martin (G) 4-7 0-0 5 3 3 11
Morningstar (C) 3-6 3-4 0 0 4 10
Staley (F) 4-9 2-2 0 0 4 10
Fowler (G) 2-7 0-0 1 1 6 6
Lugbill (G) 1-4 0-0 2 3 3 2
Rider 0-1 2-2 0 1 0 2
Kelly 0-1 1-2 0 0 2 1
McGraw 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
J. Casey 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Nelson 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
M. Staley 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0
Totals 14-36 8-10 8 8 22 42
Three-point goals -ÊConcord 6-12 (Martin 3-4, Fowler 2-4, Morningstar 1-2, Rider 0-1, M. Staley 0-1), Warsaw 3-9 (Wiggins 2-7, Henthorn 1-1, B. Seiss 0-1). Fouled out - J. Staley. Total fouls - Warsaw 12, Concord 23. Turnovers - Warsaw 12, Concord 11. Officials -ÊTim Smith, Ronald Gradless. [[In-content Ad]]
The nickname is Minutemen, named after the men who would be ready at a minute's notice to pluck their guns out of a haystack or barn or wherever and go to war.
The war in front of the Concord Minutemen was not on a battlefield but on a basketball court against Warsaw. And for 12 minutes against Warsaw, the Minutemen fired nothing but blanks.
The fruitless stretch was too much to overcome as Warsaw, a team with eight seniors on its roster, beat a Concord team with three seniors 53-42 in Saturday's Elkhart 4A Sectional championship. The sectional title is Warsaw's first in the class system and first since 1997. Elkhart Central ousted Warsaw in the sectional the last two years.
"For me, this sectional championship is special for a lot of reasons," Warsaw coach Al Rhodes said. "I believe it's my 14th in 20 years at Warsaw. With this format, this is like winning a regional now. It's tougher to win a 4A sectional.
"Now you have only four games left, just like after the regional in the old system."
Warsaw outscored Concord 15-1 during a stretch from the 5:29 mark of the third quarter until the 1:22 mark of the fourth. What was a 34-30 Concord lead evaporated into a 45-35 Warsaw lead with less than 90 seconds left.
Warsaw, now 18-4, was expected to be in the title game; Concord, which finished its season 8-15, was not.
But the young, energetic Minutemen played as if being chased with a branding iron, beating Goshen then host school Elkhart Central before winding up in the championship.
"We had the ups and downs of a first-year program, but all along, I said that our team had potential to do what we did in the sectional," first-year coach Ryan Culp said. "We came in believing we would win this game.
"The way we played the whole week, with intensity, fire, passion and a great effort ... these guys accomplished a lot that people didn't expect."
Asked if Warsaw felt pressure because the Tigers were expected to win this sectional, senior center Zach Nelson said, "No, not really. We were pretty loose coming into this game.
"I think the whole team, the offense and the defense, is coming together. We have individuals helping off the bench a lot."
Out of the teams in the other bracket - Concord, Elkhart Central, Elkhart Memorial and Goshen - Concord was the last team Rhodes expected to see in the championship.
"I felt Goshen, with the way they had been playing, would come out of that bracket. But Concord came into the sectional with enthusiasm and a competitive nature, and they caught fire to come out of that bracket."
Senior guard Ross Kesler, who attacked the basket throughout the game, led Warsaw with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Senior guard Chris Wiggins, who hit just 2 of 10 from the field but 8 of 10 at the free throw line, added 14 points and five rebounds. Nelson scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds.
Except for a quicker pace, the game paralleled Friday's game against East Noble.
Opposing team takes early lead. Warsaw hits free throws, plays suffocating half-court man-to-man defense and shuts opposing team down in second half to pull away.
"We went 12 minutes with one point," Culp said. "Obviously, that hurt. We weren't setting as good of screens as we had been."
Afterward, each coach talked about positioning as the key during the stretch. Six-foot-9 sophomore center John Morningstar scored 17 against Elkhart Central the night before; the Tigers refused to let him be a factor inside in their game. Josh Staley and Morningstar each scored 10 to lead Concord.
The talented Morningstar, who has turned into Concord's go-to player, picked up his second foul with 54 seconds to go in the first quarter. He left the game and didn't return until the third quarter.
"During the 15-1 stretch, we toughened up in the post and forced Morningstar out on the perimeter," Rhodes said. "We alternated Steve Siebenmorgen and Zach Nelson on Morningstar and left Josh Buck in for a quicker defensive player on Staley. We forced Morningstar out of the post area, and we kept Steve and Zach fresh by rotating them."
Just how much were the Minutemen shoved out of position? Concord finished the game 14 of 36 (39 percent) from the field, but in an unusual statistic, shot much better from beyond the three-point arc. The Minutemen hit 6 of 12 (50 percent) three-pointers; they hit just eight two-point field goals in the game and finished 8 of 24 (33 percent).
Culp, unaware what Rhodes had said, repeated nearly the same thing.
"Offensively, we had trouble getting into a rhythm," he said. "Guys were out of position, and that's because Warsaw forced us away from the basket. We played on the perimeter a lot more than we wanted to.
"We just couldn't score points in the second half. There's a lot of experience over there, a lot of seniors who know how coach Rhodes wants things done."
Against East Noble, Warsaw held the Knights to 6-of-19 (32 percent) shooting from the field in the second half and outscored them 26-15. Against Concord, Warsaw held the Minutemen to 6-of-18 (33 percent) shooting in the second half and outscored them 25-16.
For the second straight night, the Tigers were money at the free throw line. They hit 16 of 20 (80 percent) in the win over East Noble and hit 22 of 27 (81 percent) in the win over Concord. Concord hit 8 of 10 free throws, and the reason for the disparity was that Concord fouled to stop the clock in the fourth quarter. Warsaw shot 15 of its 27 in the final quarter.
The Minutemen came out like gangbusters to start, kicking up their heels and pumping their fists. They sped out to a 12-4 lead, but Warsaw methodically worked its way back into the game and took a 15-14 lead on a Jason Henthorn three-pointer as the first-quarter horn sounded.
"Based on (Concord's) record, they weren't expected to be here," Wiggins said. "They started out quick, which was to be expected, because it was a big game for them and for us."
As the Tigers did against East Noble, they went to their stall tactics late, and again they paid off in the form of open layups after defensive breakdowns.
"We got the lead in the fourth and pulled the ball out again and opened up the lane," Rhodes said. "We had a couple of good opportunities."
And the Tigers had their first Class 4A sectional championship.
"I'm happy for my eight seniors," Rhodes said. "We came her the last two years in the sectional and Mr. (James) Scott (of Elkhart Central), and Indiana All-Star, took care of us."
WARSAW 53, CONCORD 42
Warsaw (18-4) 15 13 11 14 - 53
Concord (8-15) 14 12 8 8 - 42
Warsaw FG FT A S R Pts.
Kesler (G) 5-11 4-6 4 1 7 14
Wiggins (G) 2-10 8-10 2 0 5 14
Nelson (C) 3-7 5-5 0 1 6 11
Siebenmorgen (F) 2-4 4-4 2 0 1 8
B. Seiss (G) 0-2 1-2 1 2 3 1
Henthorn 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 3
Buck 1-3 0-0 0 2 7 2
Finnegan 0-0 0-0 0 0 2 0
Martin 0-1 0-0 1 1 0 0
G. Seiss 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Walmer 0-1 0-0 0 0 1 0
Rhodes 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Totals 14-40 22-27 10 7 32 53
Concord FG FT A S R Pts.
Martin (G) 4-7 0-0 5 3 3 11
Morningstar (C) 3-6 3-4 0 0 4 10
Staley (F) 4-9 2-2 0 0 4 10
Fowler (G) 2-7 0-0 1 1 6 6
Lugbill (G) 1-4 0-0 2 3 3 2
Rider 0-1 2-2 0 1 0 2
Kelly 0-1 1-2 0 0 2 1
McGraw 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
J. Casey 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Nelson 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
M. Staley 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0
Totals 14-36 8-10 8 8 22 42
Three-point goals -ÊConcord 6-12 (Martin 3-4, Fowler 2-4, Morningstar 1-2, Rider 0-1, M. Staley 0-1), Warsaw 3-9 (Wiggins 2-7, Henthorn 1-1, B. Seiss 0-1). Fouled out - J. Staley. Total fouls - Warsaw 12, Concord 23. Turnovers - Warsaw 12, Concord 11. Officials -ÊTim Smith, Ronald Gradless. [[In-content Ad]]