DUNLAP – “Take your time.” Wawasee coach Jon Everingham implored his Warriors to be patient, and that’s just what they were Friday in a Northern Lakes Conference boys basketball game at McCuen Gym. The Warriors made extra pass after extra pass until they got the matchup they wanted against the Minutemen. The approach helped Wawasee take a 24-16 lead in the fourth quarter before a pressing Concord squad came back with Denzel Halliburton hitting a go-ahead shot, cause a turnover and then catch the inbounds pass and dribble out the clock in the final four seconds of a 29-28 Minutemen victory. It was the only points of the night for Halliburton. “We put a gameplan together that surprised Concord a little bit in terms of how deliberate and how patient we were,” Everingham said. “We had specific things we had in mind in terms of matchups. “Once we got those and executed, we built up an eight-point lead, so I’m very happy with the gameplan and very happy with the execution. I’m just proud of my guys for doing it. “We forced Concord into a desperation mode and it was successful for them.” Wawasee trailed 10-3 at the end of the first quarter only to pull even at 13-all by halftime. The Warriors made five three-pointers in the loss. While Concord improved to 6-8 overall and 2-3 in the NLC, Wawasee fell to 5-9 and 0-5. “We got close, but we still have some work to do,” Everingham said. “We are progressing into a competitive basketball team.” Brandon Emerick tossed in all four of Concord’s three-pointers and wound up with a game-high 14 points. Cedric Mitchell tallied seven (five in the fourth quarter) and Matt Auger canned six (four in the final period). Both teams are in action again today, with Wawasee at Lakeland and Concord at LaPorte.
