FORT WAYNE - Trying to extend their winning streak to 10 games, the Warsaw Tigers came up short Saturday night. Playing their third road game in five days, the Tigers struggled to score inside over the much-taller Fort Wayne Snider Panthers, and as a result fell 48-40. It was Warsaw's first loss since Dec. 5, when they fell 60-59 to Class 4A No. 2 Homestead in their last trip to the Summit City. "This game didn't set up well for us," said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle, whose team fell to 11-2 on the season, while Snider improved to 9-3 with its fifth-straight win. "It took everything we had to win Tuesday (at Elkhart Central) and Friday (at Goshen). We put a lot of emotional effort into (last night's) win at Goshen. I was hoping we wouldn't come out flat against Snider, but we did. We just didn't have it tonight." The Tigers finished the game 29 of 44 (29 percent) from the field overall, 8 of 22 from three-point range, and 6 of 10 from the free throw line. Snider on the other hand, made 18 of 39 attempts overall, 3 of 7 shots from the arc, and 9 of 14 attempts from the charity stripe. The Panthers started three players listed as 6-foot-6 or taller in 6-6 senior Devlyn Williams, 6-7 senior Logan Godfrey and 6-11 sophomore Malik Williams. Snider also brought 6-7 juniors Devon Tennant and Li Donta Hicks-Gentry off the bench. At 6-4, junior Riley Rhoades is Warsaw's tallest player. At 6-3, senior Rashaan Jackson was the tallest Tiger in the starting lineup. Because of Snider's height advantage, Warsaw had no inside game to speak of. As a result, the Tigers shot a season-high 22 three-point attempts. The Tigers made two treys early, taking a 6-0 lead, but were just 6 of 20 from the arc after that. Inside the arc, Warsaw made just 5 of 22 attempts. "Snider's size and athleticism is a rare combination," said Ogle. "Their length was a problem for us. Beause of that, we got hesitant to take it inside, and our confidence just dropped. I told the guys at halftime we looked more like a 1-11 team than a team that was 11-1. The players feel humbled tonight." After the Tigers took the early 6-0 lead, Snider rattled off a 17-1 run and led 29-12 at halftime and 39-26 at halftime. "We just didn't have it tonight, but this one game isn't going to define our season," Ogle said. Sophomore Kyle Mangas led Warsaw with a game-high 16 points, while seniors Tim Swanson and Nick Sands scored nine and six points, respectively. Rhoades scored four points for the Tigers, while senior Jake Mangas and junior Paul Marandet rounded out Warsaw's offensive output with three and two points, respectively. For Snider, sophomore Jaylin Fowler led the way with 13 points, while Devlyn Williams scored 11 points and Malik Williams was just one board short of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. The Tigers will try and get back to their winning ways this week, as they host Concord Friday and entertain Northrop Saturday. FORT WAYNE SNIDER 48, WARSAW 40 War 7 5 14 14 – 40 Sni 9 20 10 9 – 48 Warsaw – Kyle Mangas 5-7 3-5 16, Paul Marandet 1-8 0-0 2, Peyton Long 0-0 0-0 0, Tim Swanson 3-6 0-0 9, Nick Sands 2-8 0-1 6, Jake Mangas 0-3 3-4 3, Rashaan Jackson 0-6 0-0 0, Riley Rhoades 2-6 0-0 4. Totals 13-44 6-10 40. Snider – Jessie Bates 1-6 3-5 5, Jordan Gorman 0-0 0-0 0, Jaylin Fowler 5-6 2-3 13, Conner Haxton 1-1 0-0 2, Logan Godfrey 3-8 1-3 7, Devlyn Williams 5-10 0-0 11, Malik Williams 3-8 3-3 10, Li Donta Hicks-Gentry 0-0 0-0 0, Devon Tennant 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-39 9-14 48. Three-pointers – Warsaw 8 (K. Mangas 3, Swanson 3, Sands 2), Snider 3 (Fowler, D. Williams, M. Williams); Rebounds – Warsaw 26 (Sands 6), Snider 30 (M. Williams 9); Turnovers – Warsaw 12, Snider 14; Fouls – Warsaw 13, Snider 14; Fouled out – none; Records: Warsaw 11-2, Snider 9-3 JV – Snider 39, Warsaw 34 Warsaw – Braxton Minix 12, Rane Kilburn 11, Ross Johnson 6, Jaceb Burish 3, Jeremy David 2
