AKRON – With just over three minutes remaining in Wednesday's high school boys basketball season opener, members of Warsaw's student section started chanting “this is our house.” The game was played at Tippecanoe Valley, but yes, the Tigers made themselves right at home, as they cruised to a 60-35 win over the Vikings. A night before families everywhere carved up turkeys and hams to celebrate Thanksgiving, Warsaw simply carved up its Kosciusko County rival. Doing the most damage was the dynamic backcourt duo of junior Kyle Mangas and senior Paul Marandet, who scored 28 of the Tigers’ first 32 points and finished with a combined 37 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Mangas, who made his first six shots, including a trio of three-pointers, led all scorers with 21 points, while Marandet muscled his 6-foot frame into the lane time and time again en route to 16 points. “Kyle Mangas was hot ... those threes at the start were rainbows,” Warsaw coach Doug Ogle said with a smile. “And then, Paul inside. Kyle outside, and Paul inside. They're just a formidable combination offensively, especially when Kyle shoots from outside like he did tonight.” Senior Evan Schmidt, junior Braxton Minix and sophomore Ross Johnson chipped in with six points each for the Tigers, who were 23 of 41 from the field overall, 5 of 7 from the arc, and outrebounded an undersized Valley team 30-17. “We played really well offensively in the first half, really well,” said Ogle. “I wasn't expecting us to shoot that well, but I'm glad we did. We haven't been shooting that well in practice.” Valley was able to stay close early, and the teams were tied 7-7. The Tigers closed the first quarter on a 10-0 run, however, led 36-22 at halftime and gave up just 13 points in the second half - three of which came on a buzzer-beating trey to end the game. “They're just bigger, stronger and more physical than we are, more experienced,” said Valley coach Bill Patrick, whose team was 13 of 39 from the field overall, including a 6-of-17 effort from the arc. “We were down 10 in the first quarter, but I thought we played well the first quarter. I thought we handled the ball well, didn't many turnovers in the first half. “We just didn't get a lot of good looks. Our half-court offense struggled. I think, physically, Warsaw just wore us down a little bit, even early in the game.” Junior Alec Craig led the Vikings with 15 points. He scored 10 of Valley's 13 second-half points. Senior Neil Clampitt and junior Keith Wright chipped in with eight and six points, respectively, in the loss. Warsaw is in action again Saturday at Columbia City, while Valley travels to Argos Tuesday. The Tigers had a definite height advantage over the Vikings Wednesday. That won't be the case Saturday against a Columbia City team that opened the season with a 69-51 win over Whitko. “Outside of the Hazen brothers, they have other big players,” Ogle said of Columbia City. “It's going to be an exciting game over there. We're really looking forward to it. We knew that of the two games this week that Columbia City was going to be a stronger opponent, and that's nothing against Valley. We're happy to come through this one healthy.”
WARSAW 60, TIPPECANOE VALLEY 35 War 17 19 11 13 – 60 TV 7 15 5 8 – 35 Warsaw – Kyle Mangas 8-12 2-3 21, Paul Marandet 6-14 4-4 16, Jeremy David 1-2 0-2 2, Sam Miller 0-1 0-1 0, Jack Rhoades 0-1 0-0 0, Aaron Sandoval 0-0 0-0 0, Ross Johnson 2-3 2-2 6, Jaceb Burish 0-0 1-2 1, Evan Schmidt 2-2 0-0 6, Braxton Minix 3-4 0-0 6, Asher Blum 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 23-41 9-14 60. Valley – Brandon Webster 0-2 0-0 0, Trevor Neeley 1-3 0-0 3, Keith Wright 2-3 0-0 6, DeSean Heckaman 0-0 0-0 0, Alec Craig 6-14 0-0 15, Gavin Bussard 0-8 1-2 1, Jarod Duzenberry 1-1 0-0 2, Bryce Webster 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-39 3-4 35. Three-pointers – Warsaw 5 (Mangas 3, Schmidt 2), Valley 6 (Craig 3, Wright 2, Neeley); Rebounds – Warsaw 30 (Marandet 5, David 5), Valley 17 (Craig 5); Turnovers – Warsaw 5, Valley 9; Fouls – Warsaw 11, Valley 13; Fouled out – none; Records: Warsaw 1-0, Valley 0-1 JV – Warsaw 44, Valley 23 Warsaw – Asher Blum 13, Zach Riley 10, Shane Powers 6, Landen Ferber 4, Jack Rhoades 4, Jack Grose 3, Nick Marsh 2, Tristan Frye 2 Valley – Jake Gearhart 13, Dakota Parker 4, DeSean Heckaman 3, Caleb Bandow 2, Ivan Santiago 1
