MARION - As if Warsaw's boys basketball rivaly with Marion wasn't already dripping with history, drama and tradition.
Senior Ryne Robinson's buzzer-beating three-pointer only added to it Saturday night, as the Tigers beat the Class 4A No. 5 Giants 69-66 at Bill Green Athletic Arena."It was one heck of a shot fake," Warsaw coach Doug Ogle said of the 6-foot-4 Robinson's heroics. "The kid is clutch. If you look at the shot against Elkhart Central in last year's sectional championship, and now the shot here, he hits big-time shots."
Warsaw sophomore Nic Moore fouled out of the game with 14 seconds remaining, putting Marion senior Scott Wood at the free throw line.
The North Carolina State-bound Wood converted both charity tosses, tying the game at 66-all.
The Tigers inbounded the ball and called timeout with 13 seconds left, setting up what they hoped would be the winning play.
And it turned out to be that way, as Robinson ended up with the ball, dribbling around behind the three-point line, using a shot fake to get free from his defender with two seconds remaining and then sinking a three-pointer that snapped Marion's 28-game home win streak.
"I told Ryne to come get the ball," Ogle said of the final inbounds play. "I thought they would guard us closer. We wanted to get Taylor (Long) the ball and let him penetrate and kick it out to Ryne. We wanted Ryne to have the ball, it just happened quicker than we thought."
Prior to Saturday, the Giants hadn't lost a game at Bill Green Athletic Arena since Feb. 16, 2007, when they fell 55-48 to Muncie Central.
Leading by five, 60-55, just past the midway point of the fourth quarter, the Giants and their fans may have thought they were on their way to their 29th-straight home win.
Robinson didn't let that happen.
"Coach Ogle called a timeout with 13 seconds left, and I told him I wanted the ball," said Robinson, who hit a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer last season to give Warsaw the sectional championship over Elkhart Central. "I looked up at the clock and there was two seconds left. I pump faked and let it go. I knew I had to end it, I was cramping up bad."
Robinson finished the game with 21 points and five rebounds.
His heroics once again put his name in Tiger basketball lore with the likes of Todd Syzmanski and Jason McKenzie.
Syzmanski hit a game-winning three-pointer in an epic battle against Concord in 1991, while McKenzie hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer against Kokomo to send the Tigers to the 1992 state finals.
Just like those game-winning shots, Robinson's shot Saturday night will certainly be talked about for a long time.
"This team has toughness, we've got heart," Robinson said of the Tigers. "They were a top-five team, and we proved we could beat them. I think they underestimated us. We came out for the shootaround before the JV game and they (Marion's players) were dunking and wearing headphones. We were focused on the game."
Moore led Warsaw in scoring with a game-high 22 points. He also pulled down five rebounds and dished out five assists.
Junior Justin Clemens finished the game with 11 points and six rebounds.
A three-point play by Clemens gave the Tigers a 62-61 lead with 2:05 to play, but the Giants quickly regained the lead on a dunk by the 6-6 Wood.
Moore converted two free throws with 31 seconds left, giving the Tigers a 66-64 lead, as Marion frontliner Mikel Brigham fouled out.
And the rest, they say, is history.
Wood, who before the game was presented his McDonald's All-American nominee certificate, tied the game with a pair of free throws, and then it was who Robinson became the hero.
The Tigers improved to 13-1 on the season, while Marion fell to 13-2.
Snapping Marion's 28-game home win streak Saturday may have brought back memories of 1986 for some. Nearly a quarter century ago, during a time when the Marion-Warsaw rivalry was a good as any in the state, the Tigers snapped the Giants' 40-game win streak.
"This is a great win for our guys," said Ogle. "This should really help our confidence. Marion played well, it's not like they layed an egg. Marion is a great team, and this was a great high school game. Scott Wood and JaRob McCallum are very good, and Nic Moore and Ryne Robinson are pretty good, too."
McCallum, who scored 16 points in the first half, led Marion in scoring with a game-high 22 points, while Wood battled through a 6-of-18 effort from the field to score 21 points.
Brigham chipped in with 14 points and 11 rebounds and hit a shot to end the first half that cut Warsaw's lead to nine, 37-28.
Marion led 46-45 after three quarters.
"I'm so happy for our players," said Ogle. "I can't say enough about how hard they played."
Warsaw will be in action again Thursday at Northern Lakes Conference rival Plymouth, and then back at the Tiger Den Saturday at 2:30 p.m. for a rescheduled game with Fort Wayne South.
WARSAW 69, MARION 66
W 20 17 8 24 - 69
M 21 7 18 20 - 66
Warsaw - Clemens 5 1-1 11, Moore 6 9-9 22, Linky 0 0-0 0, Robinson 5 9-9 21, Tucker 0 0-0 0, Long 2 0-2 6, Byerly 2 0-0 5, Anglin 2 0-0 4. Totals 22 19-21 69.
