Facing off in each team’s Northern Lakes Conference opener at the Tiger Den Friday night, the Warsaw and Wawasee boys basketball teams dazzled spectators with a hard-fought, back-and-forth game that saw the Warriors pull off a shocking upset to win 56-51 and hand the Tigers their second straight loss.
The game’s first half looked and felt like a heavyweight fight. The two sides wasted no time getting going, dropping shots in the opening moments of the contest and not letting up from there. The teams were physical and efficient, effectively trading punches while trying to get the upper hand.
The Warriors enjoyed a very balanced scoring attack in the first quarter, having five players make shots in the opening eight minutes. The standout for Wawasee was sophomore Nolan Holzwart. The guard was a menace on both ends of the court, picking the pocket of Warsaw defenders and more often than not going coast to coast to convert with a layup.
After going back and forth for the first few minutes, it was the Warriors who seized the moment at the end of the first quarter, stringing together stops and scores to take a four point lead into the second. It would have been six if not for a last second layup by Warsaw’s Mydin Brugher.
After a quiet first quarter, the Tigers’ top two scorers, Luke Bricker and Brandt Martin, made their presence felt in the second. Bricker was a walking bucket, it didn’t matter how many defenders were on him or where on the court he was shooting from, the junior was able to get into a rhythm that was crucial in getting his team back into the game. Martin did most of his work inside, but was effective in doing so, scoring six points in the quarter.

    Warsaw junior Luke Bricker shoots during the first quarter of Friday night's home game against Wawasee. Photo by Gary Nieter

Despite Warsaw beginning to get it going offensively, the Warriors of Wawasee would not back down. The visitors were sure to respond to each made shot by the Tigers by getting one back on the other end. The story for Wawasee in the second was Collin Ziebarth, who killed the home side was a picture perfect jumper. After two threes and one from the elbow, Ziebarth was tied with Bricker for the game-high with eight first-half points.
As the game approached halftime, things remained as tight as ever. When it was time for the two opponents to head to their respective locker rooms, the Warriors still held a two-point advantage.
Wawasee remained in front as the third quarter got going, taking its biggest lead of the night so far at five with four minutes left, forcing the Tigers to call a timeout. Maddux Everingham, who hit two three pointers in the first half, led the charge here with a tough shot and a series of rebounds.
The lead was quickly cut down to just one on back-to-back buckets by Martin following the break in action. That would become the trend for the remainder of the quarter. Warsaw would hit a big shot to make it a one-possession game once more and gain some momentum back, followed by the Warriors getting that basket back on the other end to stay on top. A nice turnaround jumper by Robbie Finlinson would be the final bucket of the third quarter, making it a three-point game with Wawasee still on top.
An Everingham three in the opening minute of the fourth would bring the lead up to six, giving the packed Warrior student section an even greater reason to cheer. After three minutes had gone by Burgher finally gave the Tigers their first points of the quarter on a layup. It was followed up by another tough fadeaway by Finlinson to make it a two-point game once again with three minutes left.
Quiet thus far, Maddux’s twin brother Myles had his number called in the biggest moment of the game, scoring five straight points in a 30 second stretch to make it a seven-point game with time winding down. Warsaw would not go away quietly, making it a three-point game with just under 30 seconds left in the game.
The Tigers were almost able to get the ball back on a jump ball moments later, but a foul was called instead. Maddux Everingham would make both of the free throws that followed to make it a five-point game once more. The next Warsaw attempt, a long three by Bricker, would hit off the back iron and be rebounded by the Warriors to clinch a hard-earned victory.
Wawasee celebrated its victory by storming the court and celebrating at the Tiger logo. Maddux led the Warriors in scoring with 15 points to go with six rebounds. Holzwart finished with 14 points and four steals. Ziebarth added 13 while Myles scored seven.
For the Tigers, Bricker finished tied for the game-high with 15 points. Finlinson and Martin both added eleven, while Carson Guld scored eight and grabbed four boards.
Warsaw ( 3-2, 0-1 NLC) has a quick turnaround, facing off with South Bend Washington Saturday at Grace College for the Champions of Character Classic. Wawasee (4-2, 1-0 NLC) is off until Tuesday night’s home game against Columbia City.