ELKHART – As a heavy snow fell outside, senior Jared Bloom helped the Warsaw Tigers weather a storm inside historic North Side Gym. Playing the host Elkhart Central Blue Blazers in the opener of Class 4A Sectional 4, the Tigers trailed by 10 points in the first quarter and by eight in the fourth quarter. That’s when Bloom took over, scoring 10 of his game-high 17 points in the fourth quarter, and later the game-winning free throw with one second left in the second overtime as the Tigers pulled out a 45-44 win. “A sectional game is plenty of motivation,” Bloom said of his heroics, and the thought of Tuesday’s contest possibly being the last of his prep career. “I’ve been on the varsity team three years, and we’d never won a sectional game. I couldn’t leave without winning one.” The thrilling rally and victory improved Warsaw to 11-10 on the season and advanced the Tigers to Friday’s 6 p.m. semifinal against Concord (19-1). Goshen, a 44-42 winner over Elkhart Memorial in Tuesday’s other first-round game, will play Northridge in Friday’s second semifinal. “We’re looking forward to playing Friday night,” said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle, whose Tigers extended the program’s win streak over Central to 11 games. “We have to play a lot, lot better. Concord will be the heavy favorite. We don’t have anything to lose. We just need to come out and be ready to play.” After advancing to the state finals in 2010, Warsaw lost in the sectional opener the past two seasons. Bloom made sure that didn’t happen again this year. “I’m happy for our guys, and proud of them for battling,” said Ogle. “We were due to win a game like this. It would have been easy for them to fold, and say ‘here we go again.’ But they hung in there and battled. We did enough to win.” The Blue Blazers, who fell 47-45 to Warsaw during the regular season, got 15 points from Blake Brouwer and 10 from Terrell Street. Central finished the season with a 6-15 record. It was the sixth time this season the Blue Blazers led at halftime or after the third quarter, only to lose. Central led 12-8 after one quarter of play, 25-21 at halftime and 35-32 at the end of the third quarter. The Blue Blazers held a 40-32 advantage midway through the fourth quarter, but from that point on, including two four-minute overtime sessions, Warsaw outscored Central 13-4. The teams were tied 42-42 at the end of regulation and the first overtime. Central’s John Stahl scored the first two points of the second overtime, and a bucket by Warsaw tied the game again. Bloom was later fouled while shooting with one second remaining. The 6-foot guard calmly made the first charity toss, and then while trying to miss the second attempt on purpose missed the rim. The Blue Blazers had one last chance, but after inbounding the ball they missed a desperation heave at the buzzer. “This is the fourth time this season Jared Bloom has made a game-winning free throw or shot in the finals seconds,” said Ogle. “I was happy we had the ball in our best player’s hands on the last possession. He did a good job attacking the basket, and they about had to foul him.” To go with Bloom’s 17 points, the Tigers also got 15 points from sophomore Rashaan Jackson and nine from senior Taylor Cone. Senior John Swanson rounded out the Tigers’ scoring with four points.
WARSAW 45, ELKHART CENTRAL 44 (2OT) EC 12 13 10 7 0 2 – 44 War 8 13 11 10 0 3 – 45 Central – Genoris Crawford 0-2 0-0 0, Terrell Street 4-13 1-3 10, John Stahl 2-8 2-2 6, Jaron Walters 0-2 0-0 0, Tre Taylor 2-6 3-3 7, Blake Brouwer 5-5 1-2 15, Brian Harter 3-4 0-0 6. Totals 16-40 7-10 44. Warsaw – Jared Bloom 5-9 5-7 17, John Swanson 2-3 0-0 4, Nate Pearl 0-0 0-0 0, Jason Ferguson 0-1 0-0 0, Taylor Cone 4-7 1-1 9, Jordan Stookey 0-8 0-0 0, Rashaan Jackson 7-9 0-0 15. Totals 18-37 6-8 45. Three-pointers – Central 5 (Brouwer 4, Street), Warsaw 3 (Bloom 2, Jackson); Rebounds – Central 24 (Taylor 5, Brouwer 5), Warsaw 23 (Bloom 4, Stookey 4); Turnovers – Central 16, Warsaw 15; Fouls – Central 14, Warsaw 12; Records: Central 6-15, Warsaw 11-10
