Warriors Fall To Elmhurst
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
In the day's opening game in Hartford City, Wawasee overcame a 50-41 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger 65-62, advancing to the night's championship game.[[In-content Ad]]In the title game, Wawasee and the ninth-ranked Fort Wayne Elmhurst Trojans went back-and-forth all night, before Elmhurst lifted the trophy following an 88-85 victory.
"That's a team that has the potential to win a state championship," Wawasee coach Phil Mishler said about Elmhurst. "We were right there. If a shot falls or we get a call here or there on a charge, it's a different game."
And if the Warriors had found a way to prevent 6-foot-5 Elmhurst senior Pervis Hall from routinely taking shots inside the lane, things may have been differently as well.
"We work on getting him and (Evan) Cleveland in transition, because they're matchup nightmares with their length, size and ability to slash," Elmhurst coach Shabaz Khaliq said. "(Hall) kept us in it all through the third quarter. That's the best I've seen him play all season."
Hall's slashing ability helped him score 35 points on 15-for-24 shooting.
"He did an extremely good job of recognizing that he needed to get some things done," Mishler said about Hall. "He put them on his shoulders and attacked. We just weren't able to stop the penetration. It's not like we didn't try. He's just a very good, good, solid player."
Wawasee showed it too had a very solid player in freshman Jake Thompson, who scored 33 points himself, including a 7-for-12 effort from three-point land.
"He's the type of player that's competitive and he wants the ball in crunch-time situations," Mishler said about Thompson. "He's been responding with good play as well. That's exciting for the future of Wawasee basketball."
It wasn't just Thompson connecting on three-point shots, as Wawasee hit 19 of their 38 three-pointer, including a 5-for-9 night from junior Logan Hatfield en rout to 17 points.
"Those kids can shoot the lights out," Khaliq said. "I knew they could shoot, but I didn't think they could shoot that well."
Wawasee's 38-to-22 ratio of three-point attempts to two-point shots was understandable, as the Warriors hit just 22.7 percent of their two-point shots. The reason for that low number was Elmhurst's 6-foot-8 junior Antonio Wilson.
Wilson finished the game with just two points, but was a defensive beast with 14 rebounds and four blocked shots.
The Warriors three-point shooting helped them grab a 77-73 lead with 3:05 to play, but Elmhurst responded on scoring on its last seven possessions.
The loss was tough for the Warriors to handle, but considering they only lose one senior in Keegan Beer, things are looking up for the Wawasee program.
"It's unfortunate for him, but at the same time, he left a good, strong class behind him, even two classes behind him," Mishler said about the loss of Beer.
"We've got a lot of young kids who got a lot of good experience during this tournament run," Mishler said. "Obviously, we wanted to win. I thought we had our opportunities to win, but our guys put everything out there. They gave it everything they had."
The loss ends the career of one Warrior, but if Elmhurst had fallen, it may have been the last time an Elmhurst jersey had been worn.
Because of a funding shortfall, Fort Wayne Community Schools may have to close Elmhurst, but according to the student section Saturday, the school's still open.
"Not only is it driving them on the basketball court, but it's driving them to understand it's about more than us," Khaliq said. "It's about a lot of people that want to see us be successful - proud people that want to see us go out on top. We're not just playing for ourselves. We're playing for a whole group of people."
Elmhurst moves on to Saturday's semistate, when they'll play No. 5 Gary Wallace at 6:15 p.m. at the Lafayette Jefferson.
FW ELMHURST 88, WAWASEE 85
W 13 24 23 25 - 85
E 23 11 24 30 - 88
Elmhurst - Marquel Bright 2-2 3-3 7, Pervis Hall 15-24 4-8 35, Antonio Wilson 0-2 2-2 2, Kristian Gayday 6-11 5-6 21, Evan Cleveland 8-16 2-2 18, Nyree Robinson 0-0 1-2 1, Arrington Williams 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 33-48 17-23 88.
Wawasee - Keegan Beer 2-6 2-2 8, Trevor McKibben 4-13 2-2 12,. Jake Thompson 10-24 6-6 33, Riley Stichter 2-4 4-6 10, Cody McBride 0-1 2-2 2, Cody Blunk 0-0 0-1 0, Jake Clark 1-1 0-0 3, Logan Hatfield 5-9 2-3 17, Zac Patrick 0-0 0-0 0, Justin Fick 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-60 18-21 85.
Three-point goals - Elmhurst 5-12 (Gayday 4, Hall), Wawasee 19-38 (Thompson 7, Hatfield 5, Beer 2, McKibben 2, Stichter 2, Clark); Team Fouls (fouled out) - Elmhurst 19 (Wilson), Wawasee 21; Turnovers - Elmhurst 10, Wawasee 8; Rebounds - Elmhurst 38 (Wilson 14), Wawasee 29 (Thompson 6); Assists - Elmhurst 0, Wawasee 12 (Beer 4); Steals - Elmhurst 5 (Cleveland 3), Wawasee 2; Blocks - Elmhurst 4 (Wilson 4), Wawasee 0; Records: Elmhurst 18-5, Wawasee 17-8
In the 10 a.m. game Saturday, Wawasee jumped out to a 21-6 lead on Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, but had to work hard to win 65-62.
"We hit shots early, and that really gave us a false sense of security," Mishler said. "Our guys knew it was going to be tough, even when we had that lead. Dwenger's a real strong team and is hard to stop inside."
After building that 16-point lead, Wawasee allowed Dwenger to outscore them 42-20 over the next two quarters, finding themselves in a 48-41 hole to open the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, Wawasee scored on five-straight possessions, taking a 55-53 lead with 4:08 to play.
Battling back-and-forth, Dwenger tied the game at 62-62 with 32 seconds remaining, but Beer broke the tie with an assist to a wide-open Jake Clark with 16 seconds to play.
Following a defensive stop, Clark made one of two free throws to build the lead to 65-62 and a three-point attempt by Dwenger's Jalen West was off the mark, giving Wawasee the victory.
"This was probably the most physical team we've played all year, and I think our kids responded the best I've seen all year," Mishler said. "When you're younger, and not physically as mature, it can affect you."
Playing a team with a four seniors in the starting lineup, the Warriors had to overcome the size of the Dwenger Saints, who sported a frontline of 6-foot-5 Scott Kohne, 6-4 Wade Markley and 6-3 Mike Mugg.
The inside presence of the Saints resulted in 17 offensive rebounds and a 14-0 edge in second-chance points.
"We knew the paint was their strength," Mishler said. "We worked on digging, diving, denying and doubling the whole week of practice to try to counter that. We did for the most part, but you're going to have to give some of that up, especially with the pace we play."
Wawasee did give up a 35-26 edge on the boards, but did shoot 30 free throws to Dwenger's 12.
The biggest beneficiary at the charity stripe was junior Trevor McKibben, who hit 14 of 15 on his way to a game-high 20 points.
On the year, McKibben had connected on just 61 percent of his free throws, but following a practice session at Blackford High School on Friday, Mishler had faith in him.
"He was in here last night and hit 50 for 50, so we were pretty confident with him going to the line," he said.
WAWASEE 65, FW BISHOP DWENGER 62
W 21 6 14 24 - 65
D 9 16 23 14 - 62
Wawasee - Keegan Beer 3-7 3-4 12, Trevor McKibben 3-4 14-15 20, Jake Thompson 5-12 2-2 15, Riley Stichter 1-4 4-4 6, Cody McBride 0-0 1-2 1, Cody Blunk 0-0 0-0 0, Jake Clark 2-5 1-3 5, Logan Hatfield 2-5 0-0 6, Zac Patrick 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-37 25-30 65.
Dwenger - Landon Feichter 1-6 0-0 3, Jalen West 4-12 1-2 9, Wade Markley 3-10 4-6 10, Scott Kohne 6-12 3-3 15, Mike Mugg 4-6 0-0 8, Zach Welkin 0-2 0-0 0, Michael Kindler 1-4 0-1 3, Spencer Bonahoom 6-8 0-0 14, Wilson Ganga 0-1 0-0 0, Evan Feichter 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-61 8-12 62.
Three-point goals - Wawasee 8-19 (Beer 3, Thompson 3, Hatfield 2), Dwenger 4-16 (Bonahoom 2, Feichter, Kindler); Team Fouls (fouled out) - Wawasee 14, Dwenger 27 (Feichter); Turnovers - Wawasee 19, Dwenger 18; Rebounds - Wawasee 26 (Stichter 7), Dwenger 35 (Markley 10); Assists - Wawasee 9 (Beer 5), Dwenger 9 (Markley 3); Steals - Wawasee 3, Dwenger 10 (West 4); Blocks - Wawasee 1, Dwenger 1; Records: Wawasee 17-7, Dwenger 14-9
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In the day's opening game in Hartford City, Wawasee overcame a 50-41 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger 65-62, advancing to the night's championship game.[[In-content Ad]]In the title game, Wawasee and the ninth-ranked Fort Wayne Elmhurst Trojans went back-and-forth all night, before Elmhurst lifted the trophy following an 88-85 victory.
"That's a team that has the potential to win a state championship," Wawasee coach Phil Mishler said about Elmhurst. "We were right there. If a shot falls or we get a call here or there on a charge, it's a different game."
And if the Warriors had found a way to prevent 6-foot-5 Elmhurst senior Pervis Hall from routinely taking shots inside the lane, things may have been differently as well.
"We work on getting him and (Evan) Cleveland in transition, because they're matchup nightmares with their length, size and ability to slash," Elmhurst coach Shabaz Khaliq said. "(Hall) kept us in it all through the third quarter. That's the best I've seen him play all season."
Hall's slashing ability helped him score 35 points on 15-for-24 shooting.
"He did an extremely good job of recognizing that he needed to get some things done," Mishler said about Hall. "He put them on his shoulders and attacked. We just weren't able to stop the penetration. It's not like we didn't try. He's just a very good, good, solid player."
Wawasee showed it too had a very solid player in freshman Jake Thompson, who scored 33 points himself, including a 7-for-12 effort from three-point land.
"He's the type of player that's competitive and he wants the ball in crunch-time situations," Mishler said about Thompson. "He's been responding with good play as well. That's exciting for the future of Wawasee basketball."
It wasn't just Thompson connecting on three-point shots, as Wawasee hit 19 of their 38 three-pointer, including a 5-for-9 night from junior Logan Hatfield en rout to 17 points.
"Those kids can shoot the lights out," Khaliq said. "I knew they could shoot, but I didn't think they could shoot that well."
Wawasee's 38-to-22 ratio of three-point attempts to two-point shots was understandable, as the Warriors hit just 22.7 percent of their two-point shots. The reason for that low number was Elmhurst's 6-foot-8 junior Antonio Wilson.
Wilson finished the game with just two points, but was a defensive beast with 14 rebounds and four blocked shots.
The Warriors three-point shooting helped them grab a 77-73 lead with 3:05 to play, but Elmhurst responded on scoring on its last seven possessions.
The loss was tough for the Warriors to handle, but considering they only lose one senior in Keegan Beer, things are looking up for the Wawasee program.
"It's unfortunate for him, but at the same time, he left a good, strong class behind him, even two classes behind him," Mishler said about the loss of Beer.
"We've got a lot of young kids who got a lot of good experience during this tournament run," Mishler said. "Obviously, we wanted to win. I thought we had our opportunities to win, but our guys put everything out there. They gave it everything they had."
The loss ends the career of one Warrior, but if Elmhurst had fallen, it may have been the last time an Elmhurst jersey had been worn.
Because of a funding shortfall, Fort Wayne Community Schools may have to close Elmhurst, but according to the student section Saturday, the school's still open.
"Not only is it driving them on the basketball court, but it's driving them to understand it's about more than us," Khaliq said. "It's about a lot of people that want to see us be successful - proud people that want to see us go out on top. We're not just playing for ourselves. We're playing for a whole group of people."
Elmhurst moves on to Saturday's semistate, when they'll play No. 5 Gary Wallace at 6:15 p.m. at the Lafayette Jefferson.
FW ELMHURST 88, WAWASEE 85
W 13 24 23 25 - 85
E 23 11 24 30 - 88
Elmhurst - Marquel Bright 2-2 3-3 7, Pervis Hall 15-24 4-8 35, Antonio Wilson 0-2 2-2 2, Kristian Gayday 6-11 5-6 21, Evan Cleveland 8-16 2-2 18, Nyree Robinson 0-0 1-2 1, Arrington Williams 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 33-48 17-23 88.
Wawasee - Keegan Beer 2-6 2-2 8, Trevor McKibben 4-13 2-2 12,. Jake Thompson 10-24 6-6 33, Riley Stichter 2-4 4-6 10, Cody McBride 0-1 2-2 2, Cody Blunk 0-0 0-1 0, Jake Clark 1-1 0-0 3, Logan Hatfield 5-9 2-3 17, Zac Patrick 0-0 0-0 0, Justin Fick 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-60 18-21 85.
Three-point goals - Elmhurst 5-12 (Gayday 4, Hall), Wawasee 19-38 (Thompson 7, Hatfield 5, Beer 2, McKibben 2, Stichter 2, Clark); Team Fouls (fouled out) - Elmhurst 19 (Wilson), Wawasee 21; Turnovers - Elmhurst 10, Wawasee 8; Rebounds - Elmhurst 38 (Wilson 14), Wawasee 29 (Thompson 6); Assists - Elmhurst 0, Wawasee 12 (Beer 4); Steals - Elmhurst 5 (Cleveland 3), Wawasee 2; Blocks - Elmhurst 4 (Wilson 4), Wawasee 0; Records: Elmhurst 18-5, Wawasee 17-8
In the 10 a.m. game Saturday, Wawasee jumped out to a 21-6 lead on Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, but had to work hard to win 65-62.
"We hit shots early, and that really gave us a false sense of security," Mishler said. "Our guys knew it was going to be tough, even when we had that lead. Dwenger's a real strong team and is hard to stop inside."
After building that 16-point lead, Wawasee allowed Dwenger to outscore them 42-20 over the next two quarters, finding themselves in a 48-41 hole to open the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, Wawasee scored on five-straight possessions, taking a 55-53 lead with 4:08 to play.
Battling back-and-forth, Dwenger tied the game at 62-62 with 32 seconds remaining, but Beer broke the tie with an assist to a wide-open Jake Clark with 16 seconds to play.
Following a defensive stop, Clark made one of two free throws to build the lead to 65-62 and a three-point attempt by Dwenger's Jalen West was off the mark, giving Wawasee the victory.
"This was probably the most physical team we've played all year, and I think our kids responded the best I've seen all year," Mishler said. "When you're younger, and not physically as mature, it can affect you."
Playing a team with a four seniors in the starting lineup, the Warriors had to overcome the size of the Dwenger Saints, who sported a frontline of 6-foot-5 Scott Kohne, 6-4 Wade Markley and 6-3 Mike Mugg.
The inside presence of the Saints resulted in 17 offensive rebounds and a 14-0 edge in second-chance points.
"We knew the paint was their strength," Mishler said. "We worked on digging, diving, denying and doubling the whole week of practice to try to counter that. We did for the most part, but you're going to have to give some of that up, especially with the pace we play."
Wawasee did give up a 35-26 edge on the boards, but did shoot 30 free throws to Dwenger's 12.
The biggest beneficiary at the charity stripe was junior Trevor McKibben, who hit 14 of 15 on his way to a game-high 20 points.
On the year, McKibben had connected on just 61 percent of his free throws, but following a practice session at Blackford High School on Friday, Mishler had faith in him.
"He was in here last night and hit 50 for 50, so we were pretty confident with him going to the line," he said.
WAWASEE 65, FW BISHOP DWENGER 62
W 21 6 14 24 - 65
D 9 16 23 14 - 62
Wawasee - Keegan Beer 3-7 3-4 12, Trevor McKibben 3-4 14-15 20, Jake Thompson 5-12 2-2 15, Riley Stichter 1-4 4-4 6, Cody McBride 0-0 1-2 1, Cody Blunk 0-0 0-0 0, Jake Clark 2-5 1-3 5, Logan Hatfield 2-5 0-0 6, Zac Patrick 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-37 25-30 65.
Dwenger - Landon Feichter 1-6 0-0 3, Jalen West 4-12 1-2 9, Wade Markley 3-10 4-6 10, Scott Kohne 6-12 3-3 15, Mike Mugg 4-6 0-0 8, Zach Welkin 0-2 0-0 0, Michael Kindler 1-4 0-1 3, Spencer Bonahoom 6-8 0-0 14, Wilson Ganga 0-1 0-0 0, Evan Feichter 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-61 8-12 62.
Three-point goals - Wawasee 8-19 (Beer 3, Thompson 3, Hatfield 2), Dwenger 4-16 (Bonahoom 2, Feichter, Kindler); Team Fouls (fouled out) - Wawasee 14, Dwenger 27 (Feichter); Turnovers - Wawasee 19, Dwenger 18; Rebounds - Wawasee 26 (Stichter 7), Dwenger 35 (Markley 10); Assists - Wawasee 9 (Beer 5), Dwenger 9 (Markley 3); Steals - Wawasee 3, Dwenger 10 (West 4); Blocks - Wawasee 1, Dwenger 1; Records: Wawasee 17-7, Dwenger 14-9
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