HUNTERTOWN — A sluggish start proved too much for the Warsaw boys basketball team to overcome in Friday night’s regular season finale in Huntertown, as the Tigers fell 44-40 to Carroll. Entering the game with two-straight victories, Warsaw (11-9) only put up 10 first-half field goals and entered the half down 23-11 to the host Chargers (14-8). Playing with more life in the second half, Warsaw got within four points on six separate occasions in the fourth quarter, but the last time ended up being the final score. “I’m proud of how we played in the second half,” Warsaw coach Doug Ogle said. “It’s a pretty good team Carroll has. It’s strong and aggressive. This is a good learning experience for all of our players.” After hitting 4 of 10 shots for 11 points in the opening half and committing nine turnovers, Warsaw turned it around in the second, making 10 of 19 shots for 29 points and turning the ball over three times. “We just didn’t handle the ball well enough in the first half,” Ogle said. “If we had handled the ball decent, we would have had 15 shots or 14 shots. Their defensive pressure and athleticism is good, but I thought we’d be able to handle it better. “We got back into the game and made it competitive,” he added. “So that part was good. But if we had handled the ball in the first half like we did in the second, we would have had a chance to win.” Senior Jordan Stookey was the biggest reason for the Warsaw turnaround, scoring all 12 of his points in the second half, while also putting pressure on the Carroll defense with his driving ability. With Stookey drawing the defense, junior Jake Mangas was able to take advantage inside, scoring a game-high 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Despite the loss, the second-half surge gave Ogle optimism going into Tuesday’s Sectional 4 matchup with Goshen (11-9) at Elkhart’s North Side Gym. “This was a good game for us, as far as getting defensive pressure, to get us ready for the sectional,” he said. “I’m not sure there’s anyone in our sectional quite like (Carroll), in terms of their ability to apply pressure. I think the second half gives our players something to be encouraged by.” Ogle also hopes to have starting senior guard Nate Pearl back on the court Tuesday, as he wasn’t even dressed for the Carroll game after being out of school all week with the flu. “We hope to get him back in practice (today) and hopefully we can get him, somewhat, ready to go for Tuesday,” Ogle said.
