Tigers Fade Late In Loss To Culver AcademiesWarsaw started off red hot, but turned cold about the same time Culver Academies got hot. The visiting Eagles had just a little more in the tank to turn a tie game after three quarters into a 55-47 win at the Tiger Den Tuesday night.
The Tigers bolted out to a quick 8-0 lead in the first 3-1/2 minutes of the game, getting a trey and a jumper from Bishop Walters with a Wyatt Amiss three-pointer sandwiched in between. But the Eagles wasted little time getting into the swing to things. Culver cut the Warsaw lead to two by the end of the period, and that's when the fun began.
Anthony Goeb, who is getting looks from mid-major colleges, gave the Eagles their first lead at the 5:08 mark of the second stanza, and from that point there were five more lead changes, and three ties, before halftime. Junior Deontae Craig, who earlier in the day was named an Associated Press All-State lineman and will play football at Iowa this fall, grabbed a Tiger miss with less than seven seconds left before halftime, and went coast-to-coast in a flash, hitting a layup at the buzzer that knotted the score at 28.
Blake Marsh accounted for eight of the Tigers’ 12 points in the third quarter. In the middle two periods the teams had seven ties and six lead changes, and headed into the final period knotted at 40.
But over the final 10:45 of the game, Warsaw made just two field goals. Meanwhile, Culver Academies missed just one shot in five over the last period, and hit five of seven free throws. Indiana University signee Trey Galloway scored 11 of his 16 points after halftime.
Eagle coach Mark Galloway said he was pleased with his team’s effort despite playing its eighth straight game on the road in nine starts to date this season. The trip to Warsaw was the shortest of the season for Culver Academies.
“I was proud of the guys that we, No. 1, executed on the offensive end. We were trying to get Trey and Deontae on the same side to try and make a play. And like every coach says, ‘when the ball goes it, it looks good.’”
Galloway said he likes the Warsaw team, saying he feels like the Tigers are a sectional title favorite in March.
Warsaw coach Doug Ogle
“We divide each game into eight four-minute rounds. The first half of the fourth quarter is round seven, and they won that 8-0. That was the difference in the game.” Ogle said. “In the second half we had too many empty possessions; (we had) six turnovers in the second half. We had too many stretches where we weren’t patient and ended up turning the ball over.
“I was pleased with the way we played the first three quarters; we shot well, we rebounded well, but that stretch was the difference.”
“They’re a very good team; a lot of size and a lot of strength. But I’m not discouraged at all about how we played. We played well for three quarters.”
Ogle noted the Eagles were moved up to Class 4A this year after winning the 3A title two seasons ago and a runner-up finish last year. While each team would need to do some postseason damage for it to happen, a rematch in regional play is possible.
“I’d really love to play them again,” Ogle said.
March matched Galloway with 16 points to lead the Tigers. Amiss finished with eight, Walters with seven and Jaylen Coon five for the Tigers.
Craig had 11 points for the Eagles, with Goeb and Nicholas Hittle adding 10 points each.
In the junior varsity contest, the Tigers withstood a late Eagle rally to take a 43-38 win. Judah Simfukwe hit a trio of treys and finished with a game-high 23 points. Jack Yeager had seven points, Jaxon Gould five with Seth Hildebrand and Kyle Dawson tallying four points each in the victory.
Next up for Warsaw (7-2) is a string of for straight Northern Lakes Conference games, with five of the next contests in the NLC. The first of that stretch is at 7:45 p.m. Friday, when Warsaw travels to Middlebury to face Northridge. The Raiders will enter the game with a 5-5 record, having won its only NLC contest to date; a 73-38 win at Goshen on Dec. 21.
