Zach Owens, Anthony Tolson and Ross Miller did nearly all they could to keep Tippecanoe Valley in the game against Kosciusko County rival Warsaw Wednesday evening.
In the end, however, the host Tigers just had too much firepower.Owens, Tolson and Miller combined to score all but seven of the Vikings' points, but it was the trio of Nic Moore, Andy Conrad and Ryne Robinson that did more, leading the Tigers to a 76-49 win in the season opener for both high school boys basketball teams.
"I think we kind of wore them down," said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle, whose team led 40-29 at halftime and then outscored Valley 36-20 in the second half. "We were just bigger, stronger and deeper than they were."
Moore, Warsaw's dazzling 5-foot-9 sophomore who burst onto the varsity scene by averaging 17 points per game last season, led all scorers Wednesday with 25 points.
He also dished out seven assists, made six steals and pulled down five rebounds.
"I was happy with his floor game," Ogle said of Moore. "He's hard to guard, and he was also able to do some things defensively that really helped us."
As a team, the Tigers made 16 teals. Valley turned the ball over 18 times, and Warsaw converted those turnovers into 28 points.
Conrad came off the bench to score 18 points for Warsaw, finishing the game 7 of 10 from the field and 4 of 5 from the free throw line.
Robinson chipped with 15 points.
"We got tired physically," said Valley coach Bill Patrick, whose team had to replace all five starters from last season's 16-5 team, as well as play Wednesday's game with players in street clothes because of injuries. "We haven't had a lot of kids in practice because of injuries and illness."
"Warsaw is a really good team," Patrick added. "Nic Moore is tough. He played a solid game. He's so quick, he really hurt us on defense. Ryan Robinson played well. Conrad came off the bench and gave them a big boost. Warsaw is a good team."
Owens, who played on the junior varsity team last season at Warsaw, led Valley in scoring with 17 points.
When Owens touched the ball, Warsaw's student section booed him.
When he shot free throws in front of the Tiger cheerblock during the first half, Warsaw's students chanted things like "trader" and "we don't need you."
Tolson, who scored Valley's first eight points of the game, finished 13, while Miller scored 12 points for the Vikings.
Valley's other seven points in the loss were scored by Devin Vogel (4), Brad Shepherd (2) and Dan Kitch (1).
Despite their inexperience, the Vikings were able to keep the score close through the majority of the first quarter.
With the game tied at 13-all, however, the Tigers closed the opening quarter on a 7-0 run and led by as much as 12 in the second quarter.
A field goal by Vogel cut Warsaw's advantage to eight, 45-37, with 5:14 to play in the third quarter, but the Tigers responded with a 17-4 run that the Vikings had no answer for.
"I thought we played well in the first quarter," said Patrick. "We came back and played fairly solid in the second quarter. We just gave up too many points. I think if you take six or eight minutes out of the game, we were fairly even. There were just stretches where they were better than us."
Warsaw led 64-45 after three quarters and the Vikings failed to convert a field goal attempt in the fourth quarter, as they scored just four free throws in the final eight minutes of action.
Taylor Long added nine points for Warsaw, while Justin Clemens scored five points and Chase Byerly and Zack Linky scored two points each.
Warsaw hosts Columbia City Saturday, while Valley hosts Argos Tuesday.
