Wawasee Tops NLC Foe Memorial
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Cliff Tanner-
Wawasee High School's varsity boys team died by it for most of the game, but lived when it counted Friday night.
The Warriors came back in the fourth quarter to earn a 43-39 victory over Elkhart Memorial in a Northern Lakes Conference game.[[In-content Ad]]"I have told the guys all year that a good team lives by defense. Tonight they learned that lesson with experience to help us get this victory tonight," Wawasee coach Phil Mishler said.
Wawasee used a 20-point fourth quarter performance to squeak by the Crimson Chargers. The Warriors came from a 10-point deficit early in the quarter, holding the Chargers to eight points.
"Memorial has some excellent talent on their team, but I think their inexperience helped us hang around at the end tonight. If they played tonight like they did in the holiday tournament this game is over. Luckily we played here at home and that didn't happen tonight," Mishler said.
It looked as though Memorial was going to run away with the game early in the first half. The Chargers held Wawasee to a woeful 1 of 21 shooting, along with 0 of 14 from three-point range in the first half. Wawasee didn't get its first field goal until Chas Amadeo connected with 5:16 left in the second quarter.
Wawasee shot 9 of14 from the free-throw line, led by Wesley Kaiser's 4 of 6 to help the Warriors hang around for the first half. Memorial led 19-11 at the break.
"We just couldn't get the ball in the basket in the first half. I think I was much more frustrated than they were. They just never gave up. Tonight was a good lesson for the guys on how teamwork helps," Mishler said.
Brandon Geiger came out in the second half and scored Wawasee's first basket with less than a minute gone to pull to within six. Geiger would finish with 15 points in the game, including 11 in the second half. He also iced two free throws to seal the game late in the fourth.
Down by eight points in the fourth quarter, Grant Ruch hit two-straight three-point baskets to bring the Warriors to with in four at 35-31 with 4:03 left in the game.
The Warrior defense continued to plug up the middle to keep the Chargers from penetrating into the middle for easy baskets. Wawasee continued to use full-court pressure to deny any easy baskets.
"We used defense to win this game. Memorial has guys like Karvel Anderson and Lavarius Macon that can help a team win games. We just never gave up and continued to deny them the ball," Mishler said.
Ross Stichter and Ruch each scored eight points to help the Warriors cause. Kaiser added seven, while Stichter and Geiger also had two steals apiece.
Anderson led all scorers with 16 points. Lavarius Macon added 10 and led all players with seven rebounds.
Geiger gave Wawasee the lead when he hit two free throws with 1:01 left in the game for their first lead of the game. He also scored the last six points from the free-throw line.
WAWASEE 43, ELKHART MEMORIAL 39
M 7 12 12 8 - 39
W 3 8 12 20 - 43
Memorial - Cooper 0-1 0-0 0, Fitzsimmons 1-4 0-0 3, Macon 4-11 0-1 10, White 0-2 2-2 2, Anderson 7-17 1-2 16, Johnson 1-2 0-0 2, Kibloski 2-3 2-4 6. Totals 15-40 5-9 39.
Wawasee - Stichter 3-13 0-0 8, Kaiser 1-6 4-6 7, Granger 0-2 0-0 0, Ruch 3-9 0-0 8, Amadeo 1-5 0-1 2, Geiger 2-10 11-14 15, Ringler 1-1 0-0 2, Jenkins 0-0 1-2 1.
3-point goals - Memorial 4-13 (Macon 2, Fitzsimmons, Anderson), Wawasee 6-25 (Stichter 2, Ruch 2, Kaiser). Rebounds - Memorial 28 (Macon 7, White 5, Kibloski 5), Wawasee 21 (Amadeo 7, Geiger 4, Kaiser 4). Team Fouls (fouled out) - Memorial 23 (Kibloski), Wawasee 14. Turnovers - Memorial 12, Wawasee 7. Records - Memorial 5-5 (1-2 NLC), Wawasee 8-3 (2-1 NLC).
JV - Memorial 49, Wawasee 37
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Wawasee High School's varsity boys team died by it for most of the game, but lived when it counted Friday night.
The Warriors came back in the fourth quarter to earn a 43-39 victory over Elkhart Memorial in a Northern Lakes Conference game.[[In-content Ad]]"I have told the guys all year that a good team lives by defense. Tonight they learned that lesson with experience to help us get this victory tonight," Wawasee coach Phil Mishler said.
Wawasee used a 20-point fourth quarter performance to squeak by the Crimson Chargers. The Warriors came from a 10-point deficit early in the quarter, holding the Chargers to eight points.
"Memorial has some excellent talent on their team, but I think their inexperience helped us hang around at the end tonight. If they played tonight like they did in the holiday tournament this game is over. Luckily we played here at home and that didn't happen tonight," Mishler said.
It looked as though Memorial was going to run away with the game early in the first half. The Chargers held Wawasee to a woeful 1 of 21 shooting, along with 0 of 14 from three-point range in the first half. Wawasee didn't get its first field goal until Chas Amadeo connected with 5:16 left in the second quarter.
Wawasee shot 9 of14 from the free-throw line, led by Wesley Kaiser's 4 of 6 to help the Warriors hang around for the first half. Memorial led 19-11 at the break.
"We just couldn't get the ball in the basket in the first half. I think I was much more frustrated than they were. They just never gave up. Tonight was a good lesson for the guys on how teamwork helps," Mishler said.
Brandon Geiger came out in the second half and scored Wawasee's first basket with less than a minute gone to pull to within six. Geiger would finish with 15 points in the game, including 11 in the second half. He also iced two free throws to seal the game late in the fourth.
Down by eight points in the fourth quarter, Grant Ruch hit two-straight three-point baskets to bring the Warriors to with in four at 35-31 with 4:03 left in the game.
The Warrior defense continued to plug up the middle to keep the Chargers from penetrating into the middle for easy baskets. Wawasee continued to use full-court pressure to deny any easy baskets.
"We used defense to win this game. Memorial has guys like Karvel Anderson and Lavarius Macon that can help a team win games. We just never gave up and continued to deny them the ball," Mishler said.
Ross Stichter and Ruch each scored eight points to help the Warriors cause. Kaiser added seven, while Stichter and Geiger also had two steals apiece.
Anderson led all scorers with 16 points. Lavarius Macon added 10 and led all players with seven rebounds.
Geiger gave Wawasee the lead when he hit two free throws with 1:01 left in the game for their first lead of the game. He also scored the last six points from the free-throw line.
WAWASEE 43, ELKHART MEMORIAL 39
M 7 12 12 8 - 39
W 3 8 12 20 - 43
Memorial - Cooper 0-1 0-0 0, Fitzsimmons 1-4 0-0 3, Macon 4-11 0-1 10, White 0-2 2-2 2, Anderson 7-17 1-2 16, Johnson 1-2 0-0 2, Kibloski 2-3 2-4 6. Totals 15-40 5-9 39.
Wawasee - Stichter 3-13 0-0 8, Kaiser 1-6 4-6 7, Granger 0-2 0-0 0, Ruch 3-9 0-0 8, Amadeo 1-5 0-1 2, Geiger 2-10 11-14 15, Ringler 1-1 0-0 2, Jenkins 0-0 1-2 1.
3-point goals - Memorial 4-13 (Macon 2, Fitzsimmons, Anderson), Wawasee 6-25 (Stichter 2, Ruch 2, Kaiser). Rebounds - Memorial 28 (Macon 7, White 5, Kibloski 5), Wawasee 21 (Amadeo 7, Geiger 4, Kaiser 4). Team Fouls (fouled out) - Memorial 23 (Kibloski), Wawasee 14. Turnovers - Memorial 12, Wawasee 7. Records - Memorial 5-5 (1-2 NLC), Wawasee 8-3 (2-1 NLC).
JV - Memorial 49, Wawasee 37
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