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Despite the score being tied at the end of the first quarter, Warsaw felt it was still in control over Wawasee.
In the second quarter, the Tigers made the scoreboard reflect that dominance.
The Tigers broke a 14-14 tie by scoring the first 16 points of the second quarter and survive a foul-plagued second half to roll to a 71-50 win over their Kosciusko County rivals from the north.
Warsaw clamped a halfcourt trap on Wawasee to start the second quarter, and the Warriors struggled with that defense. Wawasee missed its first 11 shots of the quarter and made only 1 of 13 from the field overall.
By the time Brody Stipp hit a free throw with 2:16 left in the period, Warsaw had the 16-0 run and built a 32-15 advantage. Jay Haugh hit a jumper with a minute left for Wawasee's lone field.
"It was a game we felt in control of most of the way, even in the first quarter," Warsaw coach Al Rhodes said. "We were putting them in foul trouble. In the second quarter, I thought our kids hustled and did a nice job (with the trap). That shut off some of their dribble penetration that was hurting us in the first quarter."
Wawasee had only two turnovers in the quarter, but it always seemed like the Warriors' offense couldn't find a good shot against the Tigers' defense.
"We had some thinking lapses there," Wawasee coach Jerry Davis said. "We knew they were going to do it (the trap). People we had in those positions didn't execute as they were supposed to."
In the second half, the officials' whistle blew almost as often as the two teams scored. In the third quarter alone, both teams were called for 21 fouls, compared to 22 in the first two quarters.
There was really no tempo in the second half as both teams just spent time trading free throw attempts. Overall in the second half, Warsaw was called for 15 fouls and Wawasee 14.
"It interrupts the whole rhythm of the game," Davis said. "The only thing you can do is continue to hit free throws because if you don't answer then you will be in trouble."
The fouls caught up a little more to Wawasee than Warsaw because of the Tigers' depth. Brad Brown fouled out early in the fourth quarter, and three other players ended up with four fouls each. Any chance of a Wawasee rally seemed to be dashed when Davis had to go to his bench.
"They have a lot of bodies that they can throw at you," Davis said of Warsaw. "When they substituted, you didn't see the same difference when we substituted. They are deep.
"I was proud of our kids for not backing off, but it became a free throw march," he said. "I don't think there were that many fouls. There were probably a few too many called, but that is just the way it goes."
Warsaw's lead in the second half ranged from 16-22 points.
"When they got the comfortable lead, they started running specials that we hadn't seen," Davis said. "We were able to cause their offense some difficulty scoring inside. But when he (Rhodes) had the opportunity to extend the lead he had the chance to call some things that we had seen, catching us offguard, and we were left scrambling."
Warsaw hit on 12 of 17 free throws in the second half, while Wawasee was 14 of 23.
"It is hard when you are up big to maintain your intensity," Rhodes said. "Both groups were very physical underneath, and that created a lot of fouls."
Warsaw opened up a quick 11-4 lead when Jason Alspaugh had a three and Chris Wiggins a jumper. But Wawasee got back into when Jared Mahnensmith hit two three-pointers and Jay Haugh closed out the quarter with four straight points for a 14-14 tie.
Luke Reed led Warsaw with 15 points, while Wiggins had 14 and Alspaugh 10. Wawasee got 18 points from Mahnensmith and 13 more from Haugh.
Warsaw won the rebound battle in a big way with a 37-21 advantage, led by Steve Siebenmorgen's nine boards and Reed's six.
Wawasee (0-4, 0-1) hosts Tippecanoe Valley Friday, while Warsaw (4-1, 2-0) travels to Fort Wayne North tonight.
