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Third-year Warsaw boys basketball coach Doug Ogle said it wasn't his team's style, but that they took them because they were open.
Ogle's Tigers took and made more three-pointers Tuesday than they had in any single game this season, and when all was said and done, came away with a 64-50 win over the visiting Gary Wirt Troopers.
Behind a solid three-point performance from senior Michael Wienhorst, who hit five of the eight treys he attempted, the host Tigers finished the game 10 of 22 (45.5 percent) from the the arc en route to the 14-point win.
"That's not really us, but they were giving them to us so we took them," Ogle said of the high number of three-pointers by his team. "There were a few I wasn't crazy about, but we shot 45 percent behind the arc. I really liked the way Michael Wienhorst started out the game. I think tonight our outside shooting was a positive."
The 6-foot-2 Wienhorst, a senior who came into Tuesday night's contest averaging 15 points in the fourth quarter the previous three games, came out in the first quarter and hit a trio of three-pointers and scored 11 points in the first quarter as the Tigers led by five after the first quarter and 10, 34-24, at halftime.
"We shot pretty well behind the (three-point) line in the first half," said Ogle. "We played pretty well in the first half except for our defensive rebouding, which continues to be an area of concern."
The Tigers hit 6 of 10 three-pointers in the first half and were 11 of 20 (55 percent) from the field overall.
As has been the case with Gary Wirt and Gary Wallace over the years they have traveled to Warsaw, they were able to stay in the game in the first half with their athleticism, but lapses of bad play in the second half did them in.
The Tigers turned a 10-point lead at halftime into an 18-point advantage going into the fourth quarter and led by as much as 22, 61-39, in the final frame.
Wienhorst scored a game-high 21 points for the Tigers, hitting 7 of 14 shots overall, including a 5-for-8 performance from three-point range. Eighteen of Wienhorst's points came in the first half.
When Wirt changed up defenses and tried to contain Wienhorst in the second half, other players hit shots for Warsaw, which now has 10 consecutive victories over the Troopers.
"Other guys made some shots," said Ogle, whose Tigers are on a three-game win streak with one regular season contest remaining, a home game Friday with Carroll. "It was important that we showed if teams want to box-and-one or throw some other type of defense at Michael Wienhorst that we have other guys that can score."
Shaun Cabrera, Andrew Holladay, Jordan Fuller and Mitchell Reinholt all scored eight points, while Colin Clemens scored seven. Erik Kleinhans and John-Wesley Maierle scored two points each for the Tigers.
The win improved Warsaw to 12-7, while Gary Wirt fell to 8-11.
Michael McLaurin led the Troopers with 12 points, while Isaac Johnson added 10 and Kevin White and Marcus Allen six points each.
Warsaw finished the game 21 of 43 (48.8 percent) from the field, while Wirt was 21 of 62 (33.9 percent) from the field overall, including a dismal 2 of 13 from three-point range.
The Tigers are in action again Friday when they host Carroll in the regular season finale.
"Friday will be senior night," said Ogle. "I want to send our seniors out on a bright note and continue building momentum for the sectional. I think tonight our outside shooting was a positive. We'll need that against East Noble in the sectional. They'll play a lot of 2-3 zone."
Warsaw opens play in the Class 4A DeKalb Sectional Sectional against East Noble Tuesday.
WARSAW 64, GARY WIRT 50
Gary Wirt 12 12 9 17 - 50
Warsaw 17 17 17 13 - 64
Wirt FG FT R S Pts.
* Hester 1-2 0-0 0 0 2
* White 2-9 2-2 1 0 6
*McLaurin 5-12 2-2 3 2 12
* M. Allen 3-7 0-0 7 3 6
* Warren 1-2 0-0 2 0 2
Cobb 1-4 0-0 2 1 2
I. Johnson 4-10 0-0 3 1 10
D. Allen 2-9 0-0 2 0 4
Leggett 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
J.Johnson 1-5 2-4 6 2 4
Watts 1-2 0-0 2 0 2
Totals 21-62 6-8 28 9 50
Warsaw FG FT R S Pts.
* Cabrera 3-10 0-0 2 0 8
* Holladay 3-7 1-2 2 0 8
* Maierle 1-2 0-1 3 0 2
*Wnhorst 7-14 2-2 3 2 21
* Clemens 3-5 0-0 5 0 7
Kleinhans 0-0 2-2 1 0 2
Junker 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Conley 0-1 0-0 3 0 0
Fuller 2-2 3-6 2 1 8
Reinholt 2-2 4-5 6 2 8
Wood 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 21-43 12-18 27 5 64
Three-point goals - Wirt 2-12 (I. Johnson 2-5, White 0-4, D. Allen 0-3), Warsaw 10-22 (Wienhorst 5-8, Cabrera 2-7, Holladay 1-3, Clemens 1-2, Fuller 1-1). Turnovers - Wirt 10, Warsaw 15. Fouls - Wirt 17, Warsaw 13. Fouled out - none.
JV - Gary Wirt 45, Warsaw 38
