Warsaw Defense Grounds Eagles
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
Led by strong backcourt play from junior Nic Moore and sophomore Jordyn Coon, as well as a stingy defensive effort over the final three quarters, the Tigers beat host Columbia City 52-40 Saturday night at Donald S. Weeks Gymnasium.[[In-content Ad]]Though it was just the second game of the season for both teams, the game had an atmosphere more like that of a state-tournament contest.
Among the story lines, veteran coach Chris Benedict returned to the Columbia City program after stepping away and coaching at Valparaiso for two seasons.
As if that fact alone wasn't exciting enough for the Eagles' fans, Columbia City snapped a three-game losing streak to county rival Whitko Wednesday night.
And oh yeah, long-time U.S. 30 rival Warsaw brought its talented team to town, and it made for an exciting evening - from the start of the junior varsity contest until the final second ticked off the scoreboard of the varsity game.
"We talked about that," Warsaw coach Doug ogle said of the hostile environment. "We knew it could be like that, especially with Columbia City beating Whitko in their first game and with Coach Benedict coming back. We knew Columbia City's fan base would be excited. It was a great atmosphere, and I'm proud of the way our players battled."
Warsaw, which opened the season with a win in front of a lively crowd at county rival Tippecanoe Valley Wednesday, got 18 points from Moore and 15 points from Coon.
Moore added five rebounds, four assists and three steals to his stat line. Those numbers have become average for the ultra-talented junior.
For Coon, who scored six points in his first varsity start Wednesday, his performance against Columbia City was evidence as to why Ogle put him in the starting lineup this season with fellow sophomore Lucas Grose.
"Jordyn Coon played very well tonight," said Ogle. "He has very good potential as a basketball player. This should be a good confidence builder for him."
The 6-foot-3 Coon, who adds a different dimension to Warsaw's defensive play with his length, was 6 of 7 from the field and 3 of 4 from the free throw line. He added four rebounds an a pair of steals.
A pair of old-fashioned three-point plays by Coon in the third quarter helped the Tigers put the game away.
The first came with 3:43 to play in the quarter when Coon got a rebound, went up with his shot, drew contact and still got his shot to fall. He added the free throw to give the Tigers a 34-26 advantage.
Coon's second three-point play of the quarter came with 2:29 remaining in the frame, as he made a steal, drove in for a layup and again drew contact. He converted the free throw attempt to Warsaw a 40-28 advantage, which at the time was the Tigers' biggest lead of the game.
Senior Andy Conrad scored seven points in the win, while Grose chipped in with six points and seven rebounds.
Junior Jalen Roscoe and senior Justin Clemens scored two points each, while senior Zack Linky chipped in with a free throw and three assists.
Though Clemens didn't have the scoring performance he did when he scored 15 points against Tippecanoe Valley in the season opener, the four-year starter did come up big with seven rebounds and five assists.
Warsaw trailed 16-14 after one quarter of play, but really clamped down on defense after that, outscoring the Eagles 29-14 in the second and third quarters combined and holding them to 10 points in the fourth quarter.
"We had to switch to the zone when Nic (Moore) got his second foul," said Ogle. "I thought our defense was good, especially in the last three quarters. We concentrated on not letting them get easy looks, and I don't think they got many easy looks. That, along with our transition offense, were big for us tonight. Those two things allowed us to capture the game."
In their win over Whitko, the Eagles connected on eight three-point field goals.
Against Warsaw, they finished the game 4 of 18 from behind the arc, including an 0-of-7 effort from senior starter Brice Lantz.
In all, the Eagles were 14 of 35 (40 percent) from the field, while the Tigers were 21 of 39 (54 percent).
"We knew Columbia City made 8 of 16 three-point attempts against Whitko," said Ogle. "We talked about how three-point shooting was their strength. We didn't want to give them a bunch of open looks. I thought we defended them pretty well. I was pleased with our defense, even moreso tonight."
Senior Matt Schmidt was the only Columbia City player who scored in double figures, leading the way with 13 points. Freshman Derek Hinen and senior Chris Bachelder chipped in with six points each, while Lantz added four points. Freshman Drew Benedict, sophomore Brandon Gay and junior Tyler Mosher scored three points each for the Eagles, who were outrebounded 30-18 by the Tigers.
Warsaw will play at Fort Wayne South Friday, while Columbia City travels to Northfield Friday.
WARSAW 52, COLUMBIA CITY 40
War 14 15 14 9 - 52
CC 16 7 7 10 - 40
Warsaw - Andy Conrad 3-8 1-2 7, Joey Sparkman 0-0 0-0 0, Justin Clemens 1-5 0-0 2, Brock Davis 0-0 0-0 0, Nic Moore 7-12 3-6 18, Christopher O'Hara 0-0 1-2 1, Jordyn Coon 6-7 3-4 15, Zack Linky 0-2 1-2 1, Lucas Grose 3-4 0-0 6, Cody Bragg 0-0 0-0 , Jalen Roscoe 1-1 0-2 2. Totals 21-39 9-18 52.
Col. City - Brice Lantz 0-7 4-4 4, Brandon Gay 1-4 1-4 3, Drew Benedict 1-5 0-0 3, Andy Moog 0-0 0-0 0, Matt Schmidt 6-9 0-0 13, Drew Hinen 2-3 0-0 6, Max McConnell 1-1 0-1 2, Chris Bachelder 2-3 2-4 6, Cole Smith 0-2 0-0 0, Tyler Mosher 1-1 1-2 3. Totals 14-35 8-15 40.
Three-point goals - Warsaw 1 (Moore), Col. City 4 (Hinen 2, Benedict, Schmidt). Rebounds - Warsaw 30 (Clemens 7, Grose 7), Col. City 18 (Schmidt 4, Mosher 4). Turnovers - Warsaw 14, Col. City 13. Fouls - Warsaw 18, Col. City 16. Fouled out - None. Records: Warsaw 2-0, Col. City 1-1.
JV - Col. City 37, Warsaw 33
Warsaw (1-1) - Bennett Hollar 6, Clay Anderson 6, Travis Thomas 6, Jay Holladay 5, Rhett Kesler 4, Zach Rooney 4, Jordan Wray 2
Led by strong backcourt play from junior Nic Moore and sophomore Jordyn Coon, as well as a stingy defensive effort over the final three quarters, the Tigers beat host Columbia City 52-40 Saturday night at Donald S. Weeks Gymnasium.[[In-content Ad]]Though it was just the second game of the season for both teams, the game had an atmosphere more like that of a state-tournament contest.
Among the story lines, veteran coach Chris Benedict returned to the Columbia City program after stepping away and coaching at Valparaiso for two seasons.
As if that fact alone wasn't exciting enough for the Eagles' fans, Columbia City snapped a three-game losing streak to county rival Whitko Wednesday night.
And oh yeah, long-time U.S. 30 rival Warsaw brought its talented team to town, and it made for an exciting evening - from the start of the junior varsity contest until the final second ticked off the scoreboard of the varsity game.
"We talked about that," Warsaw coach Doug ogle said of the hostile environment. "We knew it could be like that, especially with Columbia City beating Whitko in their first game and with Coach Benedict coming back. We knew Columbia City's fan base would be excited. It was a great atmosphere, and I'm proud of the way our players battled."
Warsaw, which opened the season with a win in front of a lively crowd at county rival Tippecanoe Valley Wednesday, got 18 points from Moore and 15 points from Coon.
Moore added five rebounds, four assists and three steals to his stat line. Those numbers have become average for the ultra-talented junior.
For Coon, who scored six points in his first varsity start Wednesday, his performance against Columbia City was evidence as to why Ogle put him in the starting lineup this season with fellow sophomore Lucas Grose.
"Jordyn Coon played very well tonight," said Ogle. "He has very good potential as a basketball player. This should be a good confidence builder for him."
The 6-foot-3 Coon, who adds a different dimension to Warsaw's defensive play with his length, was 6 of 7 from the field and 3 of 4 from the free throw line. He added four rebounds an a pair of steals.
A pair of old-fashioned three-point plays by Coon in the third quarter helped the Tigers put the game away.
The first came with 3:43 to play in the quarter when Coon got a rebound, went up with his shot, drew contact and still got his shot to fall. He added the free throw to give the Tigers a 34-26 advantage.
Coon's second three-point play of the quarter came with 2:29 remaining in the frame, as he made a steal, drove in for a layup and again drew contact. He converted the free throw attempt to Warsaw a 40-28 advantage, which at the time was the Tigers' biggest lead of the game.
Senior Andy Conrad scored seven points in the win, while Grose chipped in with six points and seven rebounds.
Junior Jalen Roscoe and senior Justin Clemens scored two points each, while senior Zack Linky chipped in with a free throw and three assists.
Though Clemens didn't have the scoring performance he did when he scored 15 points against Tippecanoe Valley in the season opener, the four-year starter did come up big with seven rebounds and five assists.
Warsaw trailed 16-14 after one quarter of play, but really clamped down on defense after that, outscoring the Eagles 29-14 in the second and third quarters combined and holding them to 10 points in the fourth quarter.
"We had to switch to the zone when Nic (Moore) got his second foul," said Ogle. "I thought our defense was good, especially in the last three quarters. We concentrated on not letting them get easy looks, and I don't think they got many easy looks. That, along with our transition offense, were big for us tonight. Those two things allowed us to capture the game."
In their win over Whitko, the Eagles connected on eight three-point field goals.
Against Warsaw, they finished the game 4 of 18 from behind the arc, including an 0-of-7 effort from senior starter Brice Lantz.
In all, the Eagles were 14 of 35 (40 percent) from the field, while the Tigers were 21 of 39 (54 percent).
"We knew Columbia City made 8 of 16 three-point attempts against Whitko," said Ogle. "We talked about how three-point shooting was their strength. We didn't want to give them a bunch of open looks. I thought we defended them pretty well. I was pleased with our defense, even moreso tonight."
Senior Matt Schmidt was the only Columbia City player who scored in double figures, leading the way with 13 points. Freshman Derek Hinen and senior Chris Bachelder chipped in with six points each, while Lantz added four points. Freshman Drew Benedict, sophomore Brandon Gay and junior Tyler Mosher scored three points each for the Eagles, who were outrebounded 30-18 by the Tigers.
Warsaw will play at Fort Wayne South Friday, while Columbia City travels to Northfield Friday.
WARSAW 52, COLUMBIA CITY 40
War 14 15 14 9 - 52
CC 16 7 7 10 - 40
Warsaw - Andy Conrad 3-8 1-2 7, Joey Sparkman 0-0 0-0 0, Justin Clemens 1-5 0-0 2, Brock Davis 0-0 0-0 0, Nic Moore 7-12 3-6 18, Christopher O'Hara 0-0 1-2 1, Jordyn Coon 6-7 3-4 15, Zack Linky 0-2 1-2 1, Lucas Grose 3-4 0-0 6, Cody Bragg 0-0 0-0 , Jalen Roscoe 1-1 0-2 2. Totals 21-39 9-18 52.
Col. City - Brice Lantz 0-7 4-4 4, Brandon Gay 1-4 1-4 3, Drew Benedict 1-5 0-0 3, Andy Moog 0-0 0-0 0, Matt Schmidt 6-9 0-0 13, Drew Hinen 2-3 0-0 6, Max McConnell 1-1 0-1 2, Chris Bachelder 2-3 2-4 6, Cole Smith 0-2 0-0 0, Tyler Mosher 1-1 1-2 3. Totals 14-35 8-15 40.
Three-point goals - Warsaw 1 (Moore), Col. City 4 (Hinen 2, Benedict, Schmidt). Rebounds - Warsaw 30 (Clemens 7, Grose 7), Col. City 18 (Schmidt 4, Mosher 4). Turnovers - Warsaw 14, Col. City 13. Fouls - Warsaw 18, Col. City 16. Fouled out - None. Records: Warsaw 2-0, Col. City 1-1.
JV - Col. City 37, Warsaw 33
Warsaw (1-1) - Bennett Hollar 6, Clay Anderson 6, Travis Thomas 6, Jay Holladay 5, Rhett Kesler 4, Zach Rooney 4, Jordan Wray 2
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