Patience, as the old saying goes, is a virtue. Patience led Lake Central High School’s varsity boys basketball team to a 34-31 win over the Warsaw Tigers Friday night. After averaging 65 points in their first three games, the Indians were content in slowing things down and being more methodical. Lake Central only shot 36 percent from the field, making 12 of 33 attempts overall and 4 of 15 from three-point range, but it was enough to beat a struggling Warsaw team that only got nine points from senior standout Kyle Mangas and that shot just 34 percent in the comforts of the Tiger Den. “It’s not our goal to come out and limit possessions as much as it is to play smart and take what the defense gives us,” said Lake Central coach Dave Milausnic, whose team improved to 3-1. “We were averaging 65 points coming into this game. Our whole goal with this team, being 6-2 and 6-3 across the board, is trying to be versatile. “If we’re going to win our sectional ... it’s fun to score 65 at times, but you also have to show your opponent you’re willing to score 35 and win.” Lake Central led 10-8 after one quarter of play, 16-15 at halftime and 26-24 heading into the final frame. The Tigers, who won 42-38 in overtime at Lake Central last year, entered Friday’s contest averaging 56 points per game. Mangas was averaging just under 24 points per game by himself. Mangas never got going, and because of it, neither did the Tigers. Mangas finished the game 4 of 13 from the field, including 0 of 6 from the arc. As a team, Warsaw was 12 of 35 overall and 1 of 12 from the arc. “Their defense on Mangas was very good, very physical, I thought,” said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle, whose team fell to 4-2. “We just didn’t handle the ball well enough. We had 11 turnovers and four assists. We just weren’t solid enough offensively. “We weren’t patient enough, and our ball-handling is not good enough right now to beat a good defensive team. They were athletic, and they stayed in front of us. They held Kyle, they grabbed him. I thought they fouled more than what was called, but you have to adjust to the officiating. That was not the reason we lost the game. The reason we lost the game was because we missed too many shots in the basket area, and we didn’t handle the ball well enough.” Mangas scored two points in the second quarter, five in the third and two in the fourth. Though he struggled by his own standards, Mangas’ nine points were a game-high. Juniors Ross Johnson and Asher Blum scored five points each in the loss, while classmate Zach Riley finished with four points. Seniors Jeremy David and Jaceb Burish chipped in with three points each, and senior Braxton Minix rounded out the Tigers’ scoring with two points. For the Indians, Joe Graziano and Conner Tomasic scored eight points each, while Nick Bandura chipped in with seven. “Our team needs to become more mature emotionally,” said Ogle. “We’ve got to compete better all the time. I think we can do that. I hope with seven seniors we have enough that they can help us do that.” The Tigers will try and get back in the win column Friday when they open Northern Lakes Conference play at Wawasee. Warsaw takes a 14-game conference win streak into the contest in Syracuse.
