ELKHART – The Elkhart Memorial Crimson Chargers welcomed a scoring addition, while the Warsaw Tigers played a third-straight game without one of their offensive standouts. That scenario went a long way in deciding Friday night’s high school boys basketball game at historic North Side Gym, as the host Chargers beat Warsaw 59-53 in a back and forth game that featured 10 lead changes and two ties. Junior Cameron Maxwell led Memorial with 18 points and five assists, while classmate Dimitri Giger chipped in with 16 points and seven rebounds. The welcomed addition was senior Tre Qualls, who contributed 15 points, six rebounds and three assists in just his second game this season after transferring from crosstown rival Central. Qualls scored 14 of his 15 points in the second half. “They added a scoring punch to their team,” Warsaw coach Doug Ogle said of Qualls’ performance. “He’s a nice addition. Memorial was already a tough team at home, and then they added a player like Qualls. He makes them better.” With the win, Memorial snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 7-9 overall and 4-2 in the Northern Lakes Conference standings. Warsaw, on the other hand, saw its losing streak extended to four games, as it fell to 9-7 and 2-4. The Tigers got 22 points, five rebounds and three assists from senior Jordan Stookey and 12 points from junior Tim Swanson. Junior Jake Mangas added eight points and five boards in the loss, while senior Nate Pearl chipped in with six points. Missing from the lineup again was Warsaw’s second-leadinging scorer, 6-foot-2 junior Rashaan Jackson, who has missed the last three games for what Ogle said was a “violation of the athletic code.” The Tigers not only missed Jackson’s scoring ability, but also his athleticism, physical play and rebounding prowess. “I told the guys, this is our third game without Rashaan,” said Ogle. “We have a smaller lineup. That hurts our rebounding. That hurts us as far as being physical.” Memorial outrebounded Warsaw 24-15, and also shot 58 percent from the field. The Crimson Chargers were 18 of 31 from the field overall, 8 of 13 from the arc, and 15 of 20 from the free throw line. The Tigers finished the game 18 of 36 overall, 5 of 15 from three-point range, and 12 of 17 at the charity stripe. “Memorial played better than us,” said Ogle. “They made more plays.” The Crimson Chargers led 20-15 after one quarter of play, 28-27 at halftime and 39-34 at the end of the third. Memorial held an eight-point advantage early in the final frame, but the Tigers cut the deficit to two before the hosts were able to put the game away. “We battled,” said Ogle. “We got down eight in the first half, and again in the fourth quarter. The kids battled back, I’m proud of them for that. “We had some defensive breakdowns, that’s why they got open shots,” added Ogle. “We bring out the best in their three-point shooting. Memorial made a lot of threes against us last year.” Maxwell was 5 of 7 from the arc for Memorial, while Warsaw was 5 of 15 as a team. After last week’s loss at NorthWood, Ogle said the suspension for Jackson and classmate Nick Sands, who also violated the athletic code but hasn’t played this season due to a knee injury, would “likely be 10 games.” Asked about the situation again after the loss to Memorial, Ogle said he didn’t know how long the suspension would be, and that the situation is still being looked at. At any rate, the Tigers have four games remaining before they defend their sectional championship. Warsaw hosts Plymouth Thursday, followed by home games with Elkhart Christian (Feb. 18) and Fort Wayne Luers (Feb. 21) and a trip to Carroll (Feb. 28). “We’re still trying to find our way,” said Ogle. “We have four games left to get ready for the sectional. Hopefully we’ll get a break from the weather. We’re looking forward to getting some time to practice.” Memorial is in action again Thursday at NorthWood.
ELKHART MEMORIAL 59, WARSAW 53 W 15 12 7 19 – 53 EM 20 8 11 20 – 59 Warsaw – Paul Marandet 1-1 0-0 2, Peyton Long 1-1 0-0 3, Cameron Hoskins 0-0 0-0 0, Nate Pearl 2-3 0-0 6, Tim Swanson 5-10 0-0 12, Jake Mangas 1-3 6-7 8, Moses Marandet 0-0 0-0 0, Jordan Stookey 8-18 6-10 22, Riley Rhoades 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-36 12-17 53. Memorial – Dimitri Giger 6-9 4-6 16, Cameron Maxwell 6-8 1-1 18, Austin Miller 0-2 0-0 0, Tre Qualls 4-9 5-7 15, A.J. Gary 2-3 0-0 5, Jon Bailey 0-0 0-0 0, Rashad Murphy 0-0 1-2 1, Michael O’Toole 0-0 4-4 4. Totals 18-31 15-20 59. Three-pointers – Warsaw 5 (Pearl 2, Swanson 2, Long), Memorial 8 (Maxwell 5, Qualls 2, Gary); Rebounds – Warsaw 15 (Mangas 5, Stookey 5), Memorial 24 (Giger 7); Turnovers – Warsaw 12, Memorial 17; Fouls – Warsaw 14, Memorial 17; Fouled out – P. Marandet, Murphy; Records: Warsaw 9-7 (2-4 NLC), Memorial 7-9 (4-2 NLC) JV – Memorial 39, Warsaw 34 Warsaw (11-3) – Kyle Mangas 20, Tyler Packard 7, Luke Wilson 3, Jeremy David 2
