GOSHEN – Warsaw’s offense, as coach Doug Ogle put it, wasn’t anything to write home about Friday night. Stingy play on the defensive end of the floor, however, led the Tigers to a 36-28 win over the Goshen Redskins. In a Northern Lakes Conference clash in the Maple City, Warsaw made just 11 of 30 attempts from the field overall, 2 of 12 from the arc, and committed 15 turnovers. The Tigers were able to overcome their offensive woes, though, by holding the host Redskins 27 points below their season scoring average, and with a 30-19 advantage on the boards. “It wasn’t anything to write home about,” said Ogle. “We really struggled offensively. We didn’t shoot well. We didn’t handle the ball well. “Goshen’s defense was good, but we really struggled offensively,” added Ogle. “I like coming here, but, for whatever reason, we don’t shoot well here.” Though he was disappointed in his team’s offensive performance, Ogle had reason to smile in that his team found a way to win. The Tigers, ranked 11th in the latest Class 4A statewide poll, are now 11-1 overall, 2-0 in NLC play, and on a nine-game win streak. “Not only did we shoot bad, we had 15 turnovers,” said Ogle. “But, our players are battlers, and I thought we were poised late in the game when we had to be.” Warsaw led 10-8 after one quarter of play, 18-11 at halftime and 22-19 at the end of the third quarter. The teams were tied at 22 and 24 in the final frame before the Tigers went on an 8-0 run. Warsaw scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, 10 of which were at the free throw line. The Tigers, in fact, were 12 of 15 from the charity stripe in Friday’s win. They were 10 of 12 in the fourth quarter. “Getting to the free throw line was big,” said Ogle. “They had to foul us when we got ahead, but our ability to get to the free throw line was the difference ... that and rebounding.” Sophomore Kyle Mangas led Warsaw with nine points and six rebounds, while senior Tim Swanson, who made 5 of 6 charity tosses in the fourth quarter, chipped in with eight points. Senior Rashaan Jackson finished the game with six points and five boards, while classmate Jake Mangas chipped in with five points and junior Riley Rhoades added four points. Junior point guard Paul Marandet took just one shot the entire game, converting it for two points, but came up huge for the Tigers with a game-high seven rebounds and three steals. The Redskins, who fell to 5-6 overall and 1-2 in the NLC after shooting just 27 percent from the field overall and making just 3 of 19 attempts from the arc, got 10 points from junior Brady Bechtel and nine from senior Jack Gingerich. Hitting the road for the third time in five days, the Tigers play at Fort Wayne Snider tonight. After a 13-point win over South Side Friday night, Snider is 9-3 on the season. “Snider is really good, and it’ll be our third road game in five days,” said Ogle. “We’re gonna have to spread our minutes out a bit. Snider is a very long team ... they go 6-11, 6-7, 6-7. They have a lot of length.”
