One of the biggest surprises in Kosciusko County hoops last year happened in mid December when Wawasee pulled off a massive upset over Warsaw in boys basketball. Just over a year later, the two teams met once again on Friday night. This time around, The Tigers were prepared from the jump, going up early and staying there in a 67-48 win in the Northern Lakes Conference opener for both teams.
“No matter who we play, we’re going to get that team’s best shot,” Warsaw head coach Matt Moore said after the game. “We’re the hunted. It’s hard to realize that regardless of a team’s talent level, they’re going to give you all they have. I’m really happy with how we settled in tonight.”
Luke Bricker played a big part in the Tigers enjoying a quick start to the game, hitting a three on the team’s first trip down the court before coming up with a steal that led to an easy layup for Mydin Burgher. That was just the beginning of a lightning-quick start for the visitors, as Brandy Martin followed it up with four quick points to put Warsaw up 9-2 just three minutes into the game.
Five points for Kane Dukes on the other end made it a four-point game not long after. Each time it looked as if the Tigers were preparing to pull away, the Warriors answered with a big shot to show they were sticking around. Next up was Nolan Holzwart with an and-one to make it a three-point game.
Martin continued to have the hot hand for Warsaw early, scoring 10 in the first six minutes of the game. Holzwart was just as effective, hitting a three on the other end in the final minute to get his team to within two, but Bricker hit his second three of the game in the final seconds to put the visitors up 20-15 after one.
Bricker and Holzwart each hit the 10-point mark early in the second as both offenses continued to get anything they wanted. Warsaw finally started to find the separation it had been searching for about three minutes into the quarter, as a three from Robbie Finlinson, the former Wawasee transfer, put them up by 10.

    Wawasee senior Kane Dukes gets by Warsaw's Robbie Finlinson during Friday night's game at Wawasee...Nieter

The half-court defense was sharpening up for the Tigers at this point, but Wawasee was continuing to hit shots with a degree of difficulty to stay within striking distance. In addition, Warsaw committed its fifth team foul with two minutes to go in the half, allowing the home side to come back from the charity stripe.
Just minutes after going up by 10, the Tigers found themselves in a one-possession game once again. Bricker put a stamp on his fantastic first half in the final seconds of the quarter, hitting a gorgeous midrange fadeaway over a pair of defenders to give him 17 points and put his team up 37-31 as they headed to the locker room.
“We shot pretty well in the first half, and they did too. You have to give them credit,” Moore said. “I think that was the half they wanted and I’m proud of how we dealt with their runs and weren’t getting too high or too low.”
It was the Warrior defense that tightened up to begin the second half, as it took two minutes for the Tigers to put any points on the board in the third quarter. Once they did get on the board though, they were able to get rolling again. A steal and score for Burgher put the visitors back up by 10 with four and a half minutes to go.
They didn’t stop there. Outside of some foul issues persisting, the Warsaw defense was as sharp as a tack, preventing the home side from getting into any type of rhythm on offense. This allowed them to finally start pulling away, with the lead now at 14 and the last Warrior bucket coming more than three minutes ago.
The lead got all the way up to 16 during the final minute of the third, with Bricker adding to his total with his 22nd and 23rd points of the night on a contested layup. The last-second shot attempt for Wawasee was no good, putting the Tigers up 53-37 heading into the fourth.
Foul trouble continued to plague the visitors in the final quarter of play, as Warsaw picked up four quick ones in the first three minutes. While none of them resulted in free throws, it gave the Warriors plenty of opportunities to mount a comeback.
With things starting to trend in the direction of the home side, Bricker hit a big shot for Warsaw to extend the lead back to 15. With time running out quickly, it seemed like that would be the final nail in the coffin. With a little under three minutes to go in the game, Warsaw emptied the bench for the final stretch.
Bricker led all scorers with 26. Martin had 14 while Burgher added 10. Holzwart had 20 to lead Wawasee while Weston Hoffert had eleven.
Warsaw (5-0, 1-0 NLC) is at home Saturday against Carroll, while the Warriors (2-5, 0-1 NLC) are off until next Saturday when they take on Central Noble.
“They’re going to be well coached. They’ll minimize possessions and get good shots,” Moore said. “We’ll need to stack stops together. They’ll be a tough test.”