Tigers Cash In Despite Struggles At Charity Stripe
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Dale Hubler-dhubler@timesuniononline.com
Despite a free throw shooting performance that was as frigid as the temperature outside, Warsaw’s varsity boys basketball team kept its winning streak intact Friday night. Hosting the Triton Trojans, Warsaw was just 6 of 19 at the charity stripe. The Tigers did enough, however, to score a 40-33 victory and extend their winning streak to six. Warsaw is now 7-2, while Triton fell to 4-3 with its second-straight loss. “For the season, we were shooting 73 percent from the line,” said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle. “Last week at the Hamilton Heights Tournament, we were 38 of 47 (in two games). Tonight, we got on a roll where everybody was missing. It started in the first half. Things would have been more comfortable if we had shot free throws better. I don’t know how to explain that. Sometimes missing free throws can be a mental snowball after a while.” Warsaw’s struggles at the free throw line, which included a 5-of-15 effort in the fourth quarter, allowed Triton to stay close. The Trojans, however, had their own problems, mainly shooting and turning the ball over. Triton finished the game 12 of 36 (33 percent) from the field overall, 4 of 14 from the arc, and committed 16 turnovers to Warsaw’s nine. “They’re good defensively,” Triton coach Jason Groves said of the Tigers. “I knew that coming in. Defensively, they’re really good. We’re still trying to figure out who we are and find an identity. Playing at Warsaw is not the place to do that. It wasn’t a lack of effort. It’s not that the kids aren’t trying. We played hard enough to win, we just need to make better decisions.” Friday’s game featured seven ties and 12 lead changes. Triton led 11-8 after one quarter of play and 17-15 at halftime. Of the Trojans’ 17 first-half points, nine were scored by senior Tanner Shepherd. Shepherd finished the game with 15 points and nine rebounds, but Ogle said playing tougher defense on him in the second half helped the Tigers win. “Tanner Shepherd controlled things in the first half,” said Ogle. “He kept them in the game. We put Stookey on him, and our defense on him was much better in the second half.” Junior Joey Corder scored six points for Triton, while senior Darren Harrell chipped in with five. Not only did Stookey play solid defense on Shepherd, he had an all-around solid game, outside of going 0 of 7 at the charity stripe. Stookey led Warsaw with 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. “This was one of Jordan Stookey’s best games, other than being 0 of 7 at the line,” said Ogle. “He did a nice job.” One of his eight assists was an alley oop to junior Rashaan Jackson, who threw down a rim-rocking dunk that brought Warsaw’s fans to their feet. Junior Tim Swanson scored seven points in the win, while Jackson and junior Jake Mangas added six each and senior Nate Pearl finished with five. “We’re balanced offensively,” said Ogle. “Up until tonight, we’ve made our free throws. That’s been a big part of our success.” Outside of Stookey and Jackson, and Pearl to some degree, Warsaw didn’t have a lot of varsity experience on its roster at the beginning of the season. Now Ogle finds his team at 7-2 overall and 1-0 going into Friday’s Northern Lakes Conference clash at Northridge. “We’re looking forward to what’s going to be a really important game in the Northern Lakes Conference,” said Ogle. “I think it’s going to be difficult to run the table. Northridge and NorthWood are very good, but I think it’s going to be difficult to run the table. If you had said to me, ‘Doug, you’re gonna be 7-2 in your first nine games,’ I’d have taken it.” The Trojans will try and get back in the win column Thursday when they travel to Elkhart Christian.
WARSAW 40, TRITON 33 Tri 11 6 10 6 – 33 War 8 7 13 12 – 40 Triton – Joey Corder 3-9 0-1 6, Darren Harrell 2-3 0-0 5, Jordan Anderson 1-7 0-0 3, Mason Yeo 0-0 0-0 0, Austin Sellers 0-2 1-2 1, Tanner Shepherd 5-11 4-4 15, Skyler Reichert 1-4 0-0 3. Totals 12-36 5-7 33. Warsaw – Paul Marandet 1-3 0-0 2, Peyton Long 0-1 0-0 0, Cameron Hoskins 0-1 0-0 0, Nate Pearl 1-3 2-6 5, Tim Swanson 2-6 1-2 7, Jake Mangas 2-4 2-2 6, Moses Marandet 0-0 1-2 1, Jordan Stookey 6-11 0-7 13, Rashaan Jackson 3-5 0-0 6. Totals 15-34 6-19 40. Three-pointers – Triton 4 (Harrell, Anderson, Shepherd, Reichert), Warsaw 4 (Swanson 2, Pearl, Stookey); Rebounds – Triton 26 (Shepherd 9), Warsaw 26 (Stookey 8); Turnovers – Triton 16, Warsaw 9; Fouls – Triton 20, Warsaw 10; Fouled out – Reichert; Records: Triton 4-3, Warsaw 7-2 JV – Warsaw 42, Triton 22 Warsaw – Lucas Cone 10, Evan Schmidt 8, Jeremy David 6, Kyle Mangas 5, Ben Linky 5, Matt Anthony 4, Xavier Lynch 4 Triton – Landon Kaufman 11, Jarrett Kreft 5, Blake Johnson 4, Spencer Glingle 2
