Teamwork Leads Warsaw To Win Over ValleyThe biggest difference in Wednesday night's county clash between the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings and Warsaw Tigers was one squad played team basketball, while the players on the other were more interested in playing as individuals. That was the assessment of Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame coach Bill Patrick, whose team trimmed a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to three, but fell 72-64 to the host Tigers in the season opener for both teams. "They played better team basketball and we play a lot of individual basketball,” Patrick said. "You can't win when you play as individuals. We've got enough talent, and we kept the game close, but you're not gonna beat Warsaw the way we played." The Tigers played an unselfish brand of basketball, finding open teammates time and time again for easy shots in the paint. As a result, Warsaw shot 60 percent from the field and had five players score in double figures. Senior Jared Bloom and junior Jordan Stookey led the way with 18 points each for the Tigers, while senior John Swanson added 16 and senior Taylor Cone and junior Nate Pearl chipped in 10 each. "This was a good team effort," said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle, whose team entered the season with little varsity experience other than that of Bloom and Stookey. "I thought this team could be an unselfish team. We played hard and we were able to take a lot of easy shots tonight." The Tigers finished the game 27 of 45 from the field overall, 4 of 7 from three-point range, and 14 of 16 from the free throw line. Not bad for a team that came into the season with very little hype, while Valley returned four starters and virtually everyone from last year's 16-5 team. "This was a heck of a game for us to win," said Ogle. "It's only one game, but I told our players they have every right to feel good about this game. Valley is not going to lose many games this season, I don't think." The score was knotted at 12-12 after one quarter of play, and then Warsaw led 28-24 at halftime and 48-40 heading into the final frame. The Tigers pushed the lead to 54-40 early in the fourth quarter, but the Vikings rallied to make things interesting, cutting the deficit to three, 63-60, with 2:11 remaining in the game. A quick 7-2 spurt, however, helped seal the deal for Warsaw, as the Tigers beat Valley for the sixth-straight time. Valley's last win over Warsaw came in 2005 when the Vikings were 63-59 victors in the Tiger Den. The biggest reason the Vikings kept things close Wednesday night against the unselfish Tigers was the play of 6-foot-3 junior Tanner Andrews. Andrews, also an all-conference football and baseball player, showed off his athleticism in getting to the basket. He finished the game 12 of 16 from the field en route to a game-high 25 points. He also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Junior Robby Groom and senior Nick Kindig scored 14 and 10 points, respectively, for the Vikings, who were 26 of 52 from the field overall, 4 of 13 from the arc, and 8 of 13 at the charity stripe. A key storyline from Wednesday's game was the production of seniors Kindig and Swanson. Kindig led Valley in scoring last season at 20 points per game and was on the Times-Union All-Area team. Against Warsaw, he was 3 of 11 from the field and missed all three of his attempts beyond the arc. Swanson, on the other hand, was on the junior varsity team last year and saw just 20 minutes of varsity action, scoring a total of nine points. In his first varsity start, however, he certainly looked like he belonged. En route to his 16 points, the 6-foot-5 Swanson was 8 of 10 from the field. He also grabbed three rebounds and made three steals. "He can play," Patrick said of Swanson. "He plays hard, and he's strong. He hurt us inside. He uses both hands well." Warsaw will be in action again Saturday when it hosts Columbia City, a 69-26 winner over Whitko in their county clash Wednesday. Valley hosts Argos Tuesday.
WARSAW 72, TIPPECANOE VALLEY 64 TV 12 12 16 24 – 64 W 12 16 20 24 – 72 Valley – Alex Thacker 2-4 0-1 4, Robby Groom 5-11 2-2 14, Jarred Littlejohn 0-0 0-0 0, Tanner Andrews 12-16 1-4 25, Jacob Ritchey 2-3 0-0 6, Chainey Zolman 0-1 0-0 0, Nick Kindig 3-11 4-4 10, Logan Britton 2-4 1-2 5, Derrick Cunningham 0-1 0-0 0, Ben Shriver 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-52 8-13 64. Warsaw – Jared Bloom 7-14 2-2 18, John Swanson 8-10 0-0 16, Trae Furnivall 0-0 0-0 0, Nate Pearl 1-2 7-8 10, Jason Ferguson 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor Cone 4-4 2-2 10, Jordan Stookey 7-14 3-4 18, Rashaan Jackson 0-0 0-0 0, Jonny Hollar 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-45 14-16 72. Three-point field goals – Valley 4 (Groom 2, Ritchey 2), Warsaw 4 (Bloom 2, Pearl, Stookey); Rebounds – Valley 22 (Andrews 9), Warsaw 27 (Cone 7); Turnovers – Valley 13, Warsaw 16; Team Fouls (fouled out) – Valley 18 (Groom), Warsaw 18 (Cone) Records: Valley 0-1, Warsaw 1-0 JV – Warsaw 20, Valley 19 Valley – Aaron Hoffman 6, Gavin Bussard 5, Jarred Littlejohn 4, Bryce Zimpleman 4 Warsaw – Nick Sands 8, Cameron Hoskins 4, Jake Mangas 4, Cody Freeman 2, Jonny Hollar 2
