Warsaw Boys Win Regional Title
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
The Class 4A No. 6 Tigers certainly showed their mental toughness Saturday night, as they overcame an early 10-2 deficit and beat the fourth-ranked Munster Mustangs 40-31 in the championship game of the Michigan City Regional on a night standout junior Nic Moore was held scoreless through three quarters.[[In-content Ad]]"People think if a team shuts down Nic they're automatically going to beat us," said senior Justin Clemens, who shouldered much of the offensive load in the low-scoring affair with a game-high 15 points. "We proved them wrong. We have other guys on this team that can step up and score."
Moore, who scored 28 points earlier in the day in a 64-56 semifinal win over Merrillville as assistant coaches from Division I programs Louisville, Ball State, Evansville and IPFW looked on, scored nine points in the fourth quarter as Warsaw won its 15th straight game and advanced to the semistate for the first time since 2000.
"Nic was patient tonight," said Ogle, whose team improved to 22-2 on the season. "He didn't force any shots. Nic doesn't have to score a lot to be effective."
The Mustangs, who were held to 21 points over the final three quarters after they jumped out to their quick 10-2 lead, finished the season with a 24-3 record.
Warsaw will play Carroll (21-3) Saturday at approximately 3:30 p.m. in the semistate championship at Huntington North High School. The Tigers beat Carroll 66-57 in the regular season finale on Feb. 26 at the Memorial Coliseum.
"I couldn't be any happier for all the people connected to Tiger Basketball," said Ogle. "It means a lot to the players and coaches to have everyone come up here and support us the way they did."
Sophomores Lucas Grose and Jordyn Coon chipped in with seven and five points, respectively, while senior Andy Conrad added four points.
Munster led 10-4 after the first quarter, but the Tigers went on a 14-5 run and took their first lead when Clemens completed an old-fashioned three-point play with 2:35 remaining.
Clemens scored nine points in the first half, helping Warsaw to an 18-17 lead after two quarters of play.
"Justin Clemens played like a guy who has started for four years," said Ogle. "Justin and Lucas Grose were big for us today. Our interior defense has been pretty solid. If you look at the big guys they've guarded in the tournament, I think Justin Clemens and Lucas Grose have only given up about 20 points in the tournament. Our interior defense has been very good."
After scoring 14 points each in the semifinal win over Merrillville, Clemens and Grose combined to scored 22 of Warsaw's 40 points in the championship game.
"We knew we had to step up, and we did," Grose said of Clemens and himself coming up big while Moore was held scoreless for the first thee quarters. "Coach said we needed to get the ball inside. He said that was the soft spot in their armor."
The two teams battled back and forth in the third quarter, and Coon knotted the game at 27-all with a three-pointer to open the fourth quarter.
Moore scored his first points of the game with 5:54 remaining, and back-to-back baskets by the standout junior gave Warsaw a lead it didn't relinquish, as the Tigers outscored the Mustangs 16-4 in the fourth quarter en route to the program's 13th regional championship.
"I've dreamed of this my whole life," said Clemens, whose father Gordy played on Warsaw's regional championship team in 1976.
Justin Gill led Munster with 12 points, while Joe Crisman added eight points and Brian Stolarz and Ricky Carbajal chipped in with five and four points, respectively.
Kyle Ritz rounded out Munster's scoring with two points.
WARSAW 40, MUNSTER 31
M 10 7 10 4 - 31
W 4 14 6 16 - 40
Munster - Joe Crisman 4-11 0-0 8, Kyle Ritz 1-7 0-0 2, Brian Stolarz 2-5 0-0 5, Justin Gill 5-6 1-2 12, Pellar 0-0 0-0 0, Ricky Carbajal 2-2 0-3 4. Totals 14-31 1-4 31.
Warsaw - Andy Conrad 2-2 0-0 4, Justin Clemens 6-8 3-4 15, Nic Moore 3-8 3-4 9, Jordyn Coon 1-4 2-2 5, Zack Linky 0-1 0-0 0, Lucas Grose 3-5 1-1 7, Jalen Roscoe 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-28 9-11 40.
Three-point goals - Munster 2 (Stolarz, Gill), Warsaw 1 (Coon). Rebounds - Munster 15 (Gill 5), Warsaw 19 (Coon 5). Turnovers - Munster 7, Warsaw 6. Fouls - Munster 13, Warsaw 7. Fouled out - none. Records: Munster 24-3, Warsaw 22-2.
(Semifinal)
In the morning semifinal game against the Merrillville Pirates (20-4), Warsaw led 14-11 after the first quarter and 26-20 at halftime.
In closing the third quarter on a 17-8 run, Merrillville led 37-36 heading into the fourth quarter, but the second half belonged to Moore, as he and the Tigers put up 28 points in the final frame en route to the eight-point win.
Moore finished with a game-high 28 points, including 20 in the second half. He was 18 of 20 at the free throw line, while Warsaw was 29 of 35 from the charity stripe as a team.
Moore also dished out seven assists, and it was the Tigers' transition game that Ogle said led to the victory.
"The reason we won this game was our transition offense," said Ogle. "Nic did a great job running our team, and was able to create some easy baskets for Justin Clemens and Lucas Grose."
Clemens and Grose scored 14 points each in the win over Merrillville.
Warsaw's two leading scorers by average, Moore at 21 points per game and Clemens at 12 points per game, combined to scored 42 points.
Merrillville's two leading scorers by average, however, combined to score just 18 points.
Jeremiah Jones, who came in averaging 20 points per game, finished 2 of 13 from the field and 5 of 7 from the free throw line for nine points.
Brandon Clark also scored nine points, finishing 3 of 12 from the field.
Picking up the scoring slack for the Pirates was Rico Spikes, who was 9 of 11 from the field and 6 of 7 at the free throw line for 24 points.
The Tigers shot 50 percent from the field in the win, while Merrillville was just 19 of 50 (38 percent) from the field overall and 3 of 21 from three-point range.
"We played pretty well," said Ogle. "Our defense was solid. We wanted to keep them out of the basket area, and they were only 3 of 21 from the three. Our defense was pretty solid."
Munster beat South Bend Washington 48-42 in the other morning semifinal.
WARSAW 64, MERRILLVILLE 56
W 14 12 10 28 - 64
M 11 9 17 19 - 56
Warsaw - Andy Conrad 0-3 1-3 1, Joey Sparkman 0-0 0-0 0, Justin Clemens 6-9 2-2 14, Nic Moore 5-11 18-20 28, Jordyn Coon 1-2 0-0 2, Zack Linky 1-3 2-2 5, Lucas Grose 4-5 6-8 14, Cody Bragg 0-0 0-0 0, Jalen Roscoe 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-34 29-35 64.
Merrillville - Brandon Clark 3-12 1-2 9, Brandon Smith 2-4 3-4 7, Anton Redman 0-1 0-0 0, Jeremiah Jones 2-13 5-7 9, Rico Spikes 9-11 6-7 24, Joshua Hogan 2-5 0-0 5, La'quon Clark 0-0 0-0 0, Andre Ross 0-0 0-0 0, Vincent Dorsey 0-0 0-0 0, Tokumbo Fashawe 1-1 0-0 2, Edward Seay 0-3 0-0 0, Jason Simpson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-50 15-20 56.
Three-point goals - Warsaw 1 (Linky), Merrillville 3 (Clark 2, Hogan). Rebounds - Warsaw 31 (Conrad 7, Grose 7), Merrillville 22 (Spikes 8). Turnovers - Warsaw 12, Merrillville 9. Fouls - Warsaw 19, Merrillville 26. Fouled out - Coon, Clark. Records: Warsaw 21-2, Merrillvile 20-4.
The Class 4A No. 6 Tigers certainly showed their mental toughness Saturday night, as they overcame an early 10-2 deficit and beat the fourth-ranked Munster Mustangs 40-31 in the championship game of the Michigan City Regional on a night standout junior Nic Moore was held scoreless through three quarters.[[In-content Ad]]"People think if a team shuts down Nic they're automatically going to beat us," said senior Justin Clemens, who shouldered much of the offensive load in the low-scoring affair with a game-high 15 points. "We proved them wrong. We have other guys on this team that can step up and score."
Moore, who scored 28 points earlier in the day in a 64-56 semifinal win over Merrillville as assistant coaches from Division I programs Louisville, Ball State, Evansville and IPFW looked on, scored nine points in the fourth quarter as Warsaw won its 15th straight game and advanced to the semistate for the first time since 2000.
"Nic was patient tonight," said Ogle, whose team improved to 22-2 on the season. "He didn't force any shots. Nic doesn't have to score a lot to be effective."
The Mustangs, who were held to 21 points over the final three quarters after they jumped out to their quick 10-2 lead, finished the season with a 24-3 record.
Warsaw will play Carroll (21-3) Saturday at approximately 3:30 p.m. in the semistate championship at Huntington North High School. The Tigers beat Carroll 66-57 in the regular season finale on Feb. 26 at the Memorial Coliseum.
"I couldn't be any happier for all the people connected to Tiger Basketball," said Ogle. "It means a lot to the players and coaches to have everyone come up here and support us the way they did."
Sophomores Lucas Grose and Jordyn Coon chipped in with seven and five points, respectively, while senior Andy Conrad added four points.
Munster led 10-4 after the first quarter, but the Tigers went on a 14-5 run and took their first lead when Clemens completed an old-fashioned three-point play with 2:35 remaining.
Clemens scored nine points in the first half, helping Warsaw to an 18-17 lead after two quarters of play.
"Justin Clemens played like a guy who has started for four years," said Ogle. "Justin and Lucas Grose were big for us today. Our interior defense has been pretty solid. If you look at the big guys they've guarded in the tournament, I think Justin Clemens and Lucas Grose have only given up about 20 points in the tournament. Our interior defense has been very good."
After scoring 14 points each in the semifinal win over Merrillville, Clemens and Grose combined to scored 22 of Warsaw's 40 points in the championship game.
"We knew we had to step up, and we did," Grose said of Clemens and himself coming up big while Moore was held scoreless for the first thee quarters. "Coach said we needed to get the ball inside. He said that was the soft spot in their armor."
The two teams battled back and forth in the third quarter, and Coon knotted the game at 27-all with a three-pointer to open the fourth quarter.
Moore scored his first points of the game with 5:54 remaining, and back-to-back baskets by the standout junior gave Warsaw a lead it didn't relinquish, as the Tigers outscored the Mustangs 16-4 in the fourth quarter en route to the program's 13th regional championship.
"I've dreamed of this my whole life," said Clemens, whose father Gordy played on Warsaw's regional championship team in 1976.
Justin Gill led Munster with 12 points, while Joe Crisman added eight points and Brian Stolarz and Ricky Carbajal chipped in with five and four points, respectively.
Kyle Ritz rounded out Munster's scoring with two points.
WARSAW 40, MUNSTER 31
M 10 7 10 4 - 31
W 4 14 6 16 - 40
Munster - Joe Crisman 4-11 0-0 8, Kyle Ritz 1-7 0-0 2, Brian Stolarz 2-5 0-0 5, Justin Gill 5-6 1-2 12, Pellar 0-0 0-0 0, Ricky Carbajal 2-2 0-3 4. Totals 14-31 1-4 31.
Warsaw - Andy Conrad 2-2 0-0 4, Justin Clemens 6-8 3-4 15, Nic Moore 3-8 3-4 9, Jordyn Coon 1-4 2-2 5, Zack Linky 0-1 0-0 0, Lucas Grose 3-5 1-1 7, Jalen Roscoe 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-28 9-11 40.
Three-point goals - Munster 2 (Stolarz, Gill), Warsaw 1 (Coon). Rebounds - Munster 15 (Gill 5), Warsaw 19 (Coon 5). Turnovers - Munster 7, Warsaw 6. Fouls - Munster 13, Warsaw 7. Fouled out - none. Records: Munster 24-3, Warsaw 22-2.
(Semifinal)
In the morning semifinal game against the Merrillville Pirates (20-4), Warsaw led 14-11 after the first quarter and 26-20 at halftime.
In closing the third quarter on a 17-8 run, Merrillville led 37-36 heading into the fourth quarter, but the second half belonged to Moore, as he and the Tigers put up 28 points in the final frame en route to the eight-point win.
Moore finished with a game-high 28 points, including 20 in the second half. He was 18 of 20 at the free throw line, while Warsaw was 29 of 35 from the charity stripe as a team.
Moore also dished out seven assists, and it was the Tigers' transition game that Ogle said led to the victory.
"The reason we won this game was our transition offense," said Ogle. "Nic did a great job running our team, and was able to create some easy baskets for Justin Clemens and Lucas Grose."
Clemens and Grose scored 14 points each in the win over Merrillville.
Warsaw's two leading scorers by average, Moore at 21 points per game and Clemens at 12 points per game, combined to scored 42 points.
Merrillville's two leading scorers by average, however, combined to score just 18 points.
Jeremiah Jones, who came in averaging 20 points per game, finished 2 of 13 from the field and 5 of 7 from the free throw line for nine points.
Brandon Clark also scored nine points, finishing 3 of 12 from the field.
Picking up the scoring slack for the Pirates was Rico Spikes, who was 9 of 11 from the field and 6 of 7 at the free throw line for 24 points.
The Tigers shot 50 percent from the field in the win, while Merrillville was just 19 of 50 (38 percent) from the field overall and 3 of 21 from three-point range.
"We played pretty well," said Ogle. "Our defense was solid. We wanted to keep them out of the basket area, and they were only 3 of 21 from the three. Our defense was pretty solid."
Munster beat South Bend Washington 48-42 in the other morning semifinal.
WARSAW 64, MERRILLVILLE 56
W 14 12 10 28 - 64
M 11 9 17 19 - 56
Warsaw - Andy Conrad 0-3 1-3 1, Joey Sparkman 0-0 0-0 0, Justin Clemens 6-9 2-2 14, Nic Moore 5-11 18-20 28, Jordyn Coon 1-2 0-0 2, Zack Linky 1-3 2-2 5, Lucas Grose 4-5 6-8 14, Cody Bragg 0-0 0-0 0, Jalen Roscoe 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-34 29-35 64.
Merrillville - Brandon Clark 3-12 1-2 9, Brandon Smith 2-4 3-4 7, Anton Redman 0-1 0-0 0, Jeremiah Jones 2-13 5-7 9, Rico Spikes 9-11 6-7 24, Joshua Hogan 2-5 0-0 5, La'quon Clark 0-0 0-0 0, Andre Ross 0-0 0-0 0, Vincent Dorsey 0-0 0-0 0, Tokumbo Fashawe 1-1 0-0 2, Edward Seay 0-3 0-0 0, Jason Simpson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-50 15-20 56.
Three-point goals - Warsaw 1 (Linky), Merrillville 3 (Clark 2, Hogan). Rebounds - Warsaw 31 (Conrad 7, Grose 7), Merrillville 22 (Spikes 8). Turnovers - Warsaw 12, Merrillville 9. Fouls - Warsaw 19, Merrillville 26. Fouled out - Coon, Clark. Records: Warsaw 21-2, Merrillvile 20-4.
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