Lapses in defense, fifth-year coach Doug Ogle said it's been a common problem this season for his Warsaw boys basketball team.
Lapses in defense cost his team a shot at playing in tonight's Class 4A Warsaw Sectional championship game.The host Tigers, who led Carroll 12-6 after one quarter of play in Friday'second semifinal game, gave up 24 points in the second quarter and saw their season end with a 57-49 loss to the Chargers.
"We had a good first quarter," said Ogle, whose team finished the season with an 11-10 record. "In the second quarter, they just made a lot of shots. Defensively, it was a common problem we've had this year, defensive lapses. We didn't do a good job finding their scorers.
Carroll played really well in the second quarter. That was the game."
The Chargers, who beat Warsaw 61-53 in the regular season finale, outscored the Tigers 24-12 in the second quarter Friday night.
Carroll, which hit eight three-pointers in the eight-point win, made good on six three-point attempts in the second stanza. "Carroll is playing with a lot of confidence right now," said Ogle.
"They playe with more confidence than we did. They're on a big win streak. They're a good team. If they don't win the sectional, I'll be surprised. Carroll was a better team than us. I am proud of our seniors. I'm proud of the team for not giving up. We made a couple runs, Carroll just made more plays than we did."
With the win, Carroll improved to 16-6 on the season. The Chargers have won seven straight games and 10 of their past 11 contest.
Carroll and Northeast Hoosier Conference rival East Noble will play tonight at 7:30 p.m. for the sectional championship. The winner will play the Logansport Sectional winner next Saturday in the Marion Regional.
East Noble (16-5) advanced to tonight's sectional title tilt by beating conference foe Columbia City (16-5) 43-39 in Friday's first semifinal game.
During the regular season, East Noble beat Carroll 53-36 on Jan. 20.
Against Warsaw Friday night, the Chargers played up-close-and-personal defense, which led to 11 Warsaw turnovers in the first half. The Tigers finished the game with 16 turnovers.
"In the first half, we had too many turnovers of the unforced variety," said Ogle. "We sped up and didn't play with enough patience on offense."
Carroll turned the ball over 14 times in the game.
A field goal by sophomore Jesse Sharp gave Warsaw a 14-6 lead early in the second quarter, but the Chargers responded with an 8-0 run to tie the game.
A three-pointer from senior Steve Lemasters gave the Tigers a 23-22 advantage, but Carroll finished the half with a 7-2 run.
Six-foot-4 senior Zach Taylor shouldered a big part of the scoring load for the Chargers in the second quarter, scoring 11 of the team's 24 points in the frame.
Taylor hit three of Carroll's six thee-pointers in the eight-minute period.
He finished the game 7 of 16 from the field, 4 of 8 from the three-point arc, and 3 of 4 free throw attempts for 21 points. Taylor also pulled down five rebounds and made two steals.
"He's playing very well right now," Ogle said of Taylor. "Carroll is a very good team right now. Mitch Schaefer made some big plays for some offensive rebounds. Zach Taylor made a lot of big baskets." Schaefer finished with 14 points and seven rebounds for Carroll, while Max Killion and Jared Miller scored eight points each.
Lemasters led Warsaw with 21 points, while classmate Tommy Reinholt had 13 points and seven rebounds.
The Tigers trailed 42-32 after three quarters of play, but a pair of three-pointers from senior Eric Blanton cut the Chargers' lead to 42-38.
A pair of Reinholt free throws cut Carroll's advantage to four points, 49-45, with 1:24 remaining in the game.
"I'm proud of the team," said Ogle. "They didn't give up."
