Warriors Knock Off Top-Ranked Vikings
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
SYRACUSE -ÊAll in all it's been a pretty good week for the Wawasee boys basketball team. Tuesday night the Warriors knocked off 4A No. 3 Columbia City 52-46. They followed that up with a 54-49 win over the top-ranked in 3A Valley Vikings Friday night. Those rankings are just numbers to head coach Phil Mishler.
"The rankings are for the media," said Mishler after the game. "We're not concerned with that."
That may be the case, but with two big times wins to advance Wawasee's record to 16-4 the media and those who read newspapers and listen to radio are going to notice the Warriors.
The excitement was palpable in the Warrior gym and most were expecting a close game. In the first half it seemed as though Wawasee wasn't going to cooperate and run away with it.
The Warriors jumped out to a 23-11 lead after one quarter.
Wawasee was hot with a capital 'H' in the first half.
And leading the way was senior James Ward. Prior to Friday night's contest Ward was the lone senior basketball star to be honored for senior night.
One definitely was not a lonley number for Ward.
Ward finished the game with 15 points and eight rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. He used his athleticism and quick first step to control the boards and maneuver around the basketball with the utmost precision.
Ward scored seven points in the first quarter but it was his first two of the evening that sent the home crowd into hysterics. With 1:58 left in the quarter a loose ball found its way into the hands of the 6-foot-5 center. Ward turned, drove down the lane and went up with two hands for a dunk that sent a vibration through the gym that caused Hoosier 103.5's Bill Dixon to lose the connection from his soundboard for the rest of the first half.
The second quarter saw Valley move to a zone in the hopes of neutralizing the play of Ward and junior Ryan Kauchak. While it did that, it also slowed the pace of the game down to the point of nearly stopping.
Add in fact the continued sharp-shooting of the Warriors saw them extend their lead.
Junior Kory Lantz nailed three three-pointers with Michael Conrad, Austin Kaiser, and Austin Gerber each adding a trifecta of their own thus nullifying the Valley zone.
For Valley, the issue wasn't so much shooting as it was total execution. Wawasee threw a full-court press at the Vikings, which got Valley completely out of any offensive rhythm.
This in spite of the fact Valley coach Bill Patrick had his team do 7-on-5 drills in practice to prep for said press.
"We just weren't attacking the basket. We were doing too much dribbling and not enough passing or attacking," said Patrick after the game.
Interestingly enough, the press wasn't an issue for Valley in the second half, something Mishler isn't used ot.
"It's ironic. The press works better in the second half," said Mishler. "It usually wears down the team we're playing. Give credit to Coach Patrick for making adjustments at halftime."
Down 37-21 at halftime Valley looked to be out of it. Luckily sophomore David Lash and his cohorts didn't see things that way.
Lash, who at 6-4, is the protype for a slashing wing player, got hot in the second half scoring 11 of his game-high 18 points in the second half.
But it was fellow sophomore Shane Drudge who led a mini-charge in the third quarter. The 6-6 Drudge got himself position in the post forcing the defense to center on him. That opened up the floor for the rest the Vikings. After 24 minutes Valley only wittled Wawasee's lead to 13.
The fourth quarter saw the type of fireworks usually reserved for the Fourth of July on Lake Wawasee.
With 5:40 left in the game a Lash floater in the lane cut Wawasee's lead to seven. Two minutes later confusion ensued when on a one-and-one try, only Lash came off the blocks for the rebound of Kory Lantz's attempt. He pushed the ball down court and found senior Cory Vanlaningham who drew the foul and nailed two charity tosses to make the game 48-42.
With 1:19 to play Lash drove the lane for another floater and was fouled in the process.
After Lash connected on the free throw to make it 52-47, Wawasee attempted to inbound. But Valley's full court press, something that had bothered the Vikings earlier in the night, forced the Warriors into a bad inbounds pass and a turnover.
The Vikings converted quickly when junior John Gibson drew contact in the lane, though no foul was called, and kissed the ball high off the glass to make the score 52-49 with 1:01 left to play.
After a timeout, Wawasee brought the ball across the half court line and into a swarming Viking defense. After 30 seconds of ball movement the Valley bench began to bark directions at who to foul. The Warrior ball movement was too crisp, however, as Valley scrambled to foul and stop the clock.
Finally, with a paltry 12.2 seconds left to play Jeff Parker fouled Michael Conrad, who nailed both free throws, essentially putting the proverbial nail in the coffin.
"We weren't mentally ready to play tonight," said Patrick after the game. "(Wawasee) just wanted the game more than we did."
As for the idea that a loss before the tournament is good for a team, well Patrick rubishes that but does so an upside.
"I hope it'll be a wake up call," he said. "You have to play 32 minutes."
Valley ends the regular season 18-2 and will play agaist Whitko Tuesday night in the first round of the Fort Wayne Wayne sectional.
The 16-4 record marks the best regular season finish in Wawasee school history as the Warriors enter the Northwood sectional Tuesday night where they will face off against Angola.
WAWASEE 54
3A No. 1 T. VALLEY 49
Wawasee 23 14 8 9 - 54
Valley 11 10 11 17 - 49
Wawasee FG FT A S R Pts.
Lantz 5-10 0-1 1 0 3 11
Kaiser 2-5 2-2 2 1 2 7
Conrad 2-4 2-2 3 2 3 5
Ward 6-7 3-4 2 2 8 15
Kauchak 1-4 1-2 1 2 3 3
Gerber 4-6 2-2 1 0 1 11
Mock 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 2
Totals 21-37 10-13 10 7 20 54
Valley FG FT A S R Pts.
Parker 1-4 1-2 2 2 0 3
Vnlghm 1-5 3-3 2 0 2 5
Lash 8-17 2-2 2 1 4 18
Jackson 0-2 1-2 0 1 0 1
Drudge 4-11 2-3 1 0 4 10
Denny 2-3 2-2 0 0 2 6
Gibson 3-5 0-1 0 1 5 6
Totals 19-47 11-15 7 5 17 49
Three-point goals - Wawasee 6-12 (Lantz 3-5, Kaiser 1-2, Conrad 1-1, Gerber 1-2) Valley 0-4. Turnovers - Wawasee 14 Valley 12. Fouls - Wawasee 17 Valley 17. Fouled out - None.
JV- Valley 40,Wawasee 35
Wawasee Leading Scorers: Harkleroad 10, Mock 7, Garland 5.
Valley Leading Scorers: Reed 17, Domenico 12, Thompson 7. [[In-content Ad]]
SYRACUSE -ÊAll in all it's been a pretty good week for the Wawasee boys basketball team. Tuesday night the Warriors knocked off 4A No. 3 Columbia City 52-46. They followed that up with a 54-49 win over the top-ranked in 3A Valley Vikings Friday night. Those rankings are just numbers to head coach Phil Mishler.
"The rankings are for the media," said Mishler after the game. "We're not concerned with that."
That may be the case, but with two big times wins to advance Wawasee's record to 16-4 the media and those who read newspapers and listen to radio are going to notice the Warriors.
The excitement was palpable in the Warrior gym and most were expecting a close game. In the first half it seemed as though Wawasee wasn't going to cooperate and run away with it.
The Warriors jumped out to a 23-11 lead after one quarter.
Wawasee was hot with a capital 'H' in the first half.
And leading the way was senior James Ward. Prior to Friday night's contest Ward was the lone senior basketball star to be honored for senior night.
One definitely was not a lonley number for Ward.
Ward finished the game with 15 points and eight rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. He used his athleticism and quick first step to control the boards and maneuver around the basketball with the utmost precision.
Ward scored seven points in the first quarter but it was his first two of the evening that sent the home crowd into hysterics. With 1:58 left in the quarter a loose ball found its way into the hands of the 6-foot-5 center. Ward turned, drove down the lane and went up with two hands for a dunk that sent a vibration through the gym that caused Hoosier 103.5's Bill Dixon to lose the connection from his soundboard for the rest of the first half.
The second quarter saw Valley move to a zone in the hopes of neutralizing the play of Ward and junior Ryan Kauchak. While it did that, it also slowed the pace of the game down to the point of nearly stopping.
Add in fact the continued sharp-shooting of the Warriors saw them extend their lead.
Junior Kory Lantz nailed three three-pointers with Michael Conrad, Austin Kaiser, and Austin Gerber each adding a trifecta of their own thus nullifying the Valley zone.
For Valley, the issue wasn't so much shooting as it was total execution. Wawasee threw a full-court press at the Vikings, which got Valley completely out of any offensive rhythm.
This in spite of the fact Valley coach Bill Patrick had his team do 7-on-5 drills in practice to prep for said press.
"We just weren't attacking the basket. We were doing too much dribbling and not enough passing or attacking," said Patrick after the game.
Interestingly enough, the press wasn't an issue for Valley in the second half, something Mishler isn't used ot.
"It's ironic. The press works better in the second half," said Mishler. "It usually wears down the team we're playing. Give credit to Coach Patrick for making adjustments at halftime."
Down 37-21 at halftime Valley looked to be out of it. Luckily sophomore David Lash and his cohorts didn't see things that way.
Lash, who at 6-4, is the protype for a slashing wing player, got hot in the second half scoring 11 of his game-high 18 points in the second half.
But it was fellow sophomore Shane Drudge who led a mini-charge in the third quarter. The 6-6 Drudge got himself position in the post forcing the defense to center on him. That opened up the floor for the rest the Vikings. After 24 minutes Valley only wittled Wawasee's lead to 13.
The fourth quarter saw the type of fireworks usually reserved for the Fourth of July on Lake Wawasee.
With 5:40 left in the game a Lash floater in the lane cut Wawasee's lead to seven. Two minutes later confusion ensued when on a one-and-one try, only Lash came off the blocks for the rebound of Kory Lantz's attempt. He pushed the ball down court and found senior Cory Vanlaningham who drew the foul and nailed two charity tosses to make the game 48-42.
With 1:19 to play Lash drove the lane for another floater and was fouled in the process.
After Lash connected on the free throw to make it 52-47, Wawasee attempted to inbound. But Valley's full court press, something that had bothered the Vikings earlier in the night, forced the Warriors into a bad inbounds pass and a turnover.
The Vikings converted quickly when junior John Gibson drew contact in the lane, though no foul was called, and kissed the ball high off the glass to make the score 52-49 with 1:01 left to play.
After a timeout, Wawasee brought the ball across the half court line and into a swarming Viking defense. After 30 seconds of ball movement the Valley bench began to bark directions at who to foul. The Warrior ball movement was too crisp, however, as Valley scrambled to foul and stop the clock.
Finally, with a paltry 12.2 seconds left to play Jeff Parker fouled Michael Conrad, who nailed both free throws, essentially putting the proverbial nail in the coffin.
"We weren't mentally ready to play tonight," said Patrick after the game. "(Wawasee) just wanted the game more than we did."
As for the idea that a loss before the tournament is good for a team, well Patrick rubishes that but does so an upside.
"I hope it'll be a wake up call," he said. "You have to play 32 minutes."
Valley ends the regular season 18-2 and will play agaist Whitko Tuesday night in the first round of the Fort Wayne Wayne sectional.
The 16-4 record marks the best regular season finish in Wawasee school history as the Warriors enter the Northwood sectional Tuesday night where they will face off against Angola.
WAWASEE 54
3A No. 1 T. VALLEY 49
Wawasee 23 14 8 9 - 54
Valley 11 10 11 17 - 49
Wawasee FG FT A S R Pts.
Lantz 5-10 0-1 1 0 3 11
Kaiser 2-5 2-2 2 1 2 7
Conrad 2-4 2-2 3 2 3 5
Ward 6-7 3-4 2 2 8 15
Kauchak 1-4 1-2 1 2 3 3
Gerber 4-6 2-2 1 0 1 11
Mock 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 2
Totals 21-37 10-13 10 7 20 54
Valley FG FT A S R Pts.
Parker 1-4 1-2 2 2 0 3
Vnlghm 1-5 3-3 2 0 2 5
Lash 8-17 2-2 2 1 4 18
Jackson 0-2 1-2 0 1 0 1
Drudge 4-11 2-3 1 0 4 10
Denny 2-3 2-2 0 0 2 6
Gibson 3-5 0-1 0 1 5 6
Totals 19-47 11-15 7 5 17 49
Three-point goals - Wawasee 6-12 (Lantz 3-5, Kaiser 1-2, Conrad 1-1, Gerber 1-2) Valley 0-4. Turnovers - Wawasee 14 Valley 12. Fouls - Wawasee 17 Valley 17. Fouled out - None.
JV- Valley 40,Wawasee 35
Wawasee Leading Scorers: Harkleroad 10, Mock 7, Garland 5.
Valley Leading Scorers: Reed 17, Domenico 12, Thompson 7. [[In-content Ad]]