The two things veteran coach Doug Ogle thought would be the strength of his Warsaw boys basketball team have led the Tigers to a 5-1 record, despite not playing a game yet with a full roster.
Warsaw’s latest victory came in the form of a 50-38 win Saturday night over the visiting Crown Point Bulldogs.
The Tigers led just 8-7 after one quarter of play and 19-17 at halftime but pulled away in the second half to complete a weekend sweep of teams from the region.
Warsaw won 71-61 at Lake Central Friday night.
“We’ve had four different guys score at least 18 points in a game this season,” said Ogle, who will coach his 400th varsity game with the Tigers Friday when they welcome Wawasee to the Tiger Den for the Northern Lakes Conference opener.
“I wouldn’t have thought that. I mean, that’s pretty good. How many high school teams right now have had four different guys score at least 18 points through six games? We’ve also had four different leading scorers in six games.
“We thought last summer that our balance and depth could be our strength, and it’s kind of worked out that way so far.”
Senior Jaylen Coon led the hosts with 14 points Saturday night, while junior Luke Adamiec added 11 points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals and a pair of blocks.
Junior Brock Poe tallied nine points and six boards, and seniors Blake Marsh, Keagan Larsh, and Wyatt Amiss, and junior Bishop Walters rounded out a balanced effort with four points each.
The 6-foot-4 Adamiec, like Marsh, Larsh, Amiss and Jackson Dawson, was a standout on Warsaw’s first football sectional championship team in the fall.
Adamiec missed the first four basketball games serving a suspension, but added a spark off the bench - especially with the 6-6 Dawson out with a knee injury and not expected back until mid-January. Adamiec tallied a total of 22 points and 11 rebounds in two games over the weekend.
“His athleticism, he’s a good cutter … defensively, he can guard, and he just helps our offense,” said Ogle when asked what Adamiec brings to the Tigers, who will get junior Ben Bergen in one more game after the 6-0 guard completes a seven-game suspension.
“Adamiec can do a little bit of everything. You know, he hasn’t been playing, so he was ready to go this weekend because he had to sit out the first four games. So he was very excited, and you could tell he was a little fresher and ready to go.”
Saturday’s game was the fifth meeting in the all-time series between Warsaw and Crown Point.
The Bulldogs lead the series 3-2. The Tigers were winners in the 2016 regional, and the teams have met in the regular season each year since.
Junior Ty Smith led Crown Point with 20 points Saturday, while senior Mike Lubbers scored 11 points.
Warsaw won the JV game 43-39, as Jaxson Gould and Judah Simfukwe scored 17 points each.
