NAPPANEE - A week ago, Warsaw Community High School's varsity boys basketball team was atop the Northern Lakes Conference standings with an unblemished record.
My how things have changed.For the second straight week, the Tigers went on the road and lost to a team that was winless in conference play.
Last Friday it was a 42-35 setback at Concord, which entered the game 2-9 overall and 0-3 in the NLC.
Last night it was a 59-49 loss at NorthWood, which came into the contest 4-8 overall and 0-4 in conference action.
"This was our best offensive performance of the year," said first-year NorthWood coach Aaron Wolfe, who spent eight years as an assistant at Warsaw, including the past two seasons as the junior varsity coach. "We shot the ball better tonight than we have all year. I think that was a huge factor. We were 5 of 11 behind the three-point arc and 20 of 23 at the free throw line. That's the best we've shot all season."
With the 10-point loss, the Tigers are now 9-6 overall and 3-2 in NLC play.
The Tigers started the season with an impressive 8-2 mark but have lost four of their last five games.
"The team is struggling right now," said sixth-year Warsaw coach Doug Ogle. "We're going to have to take a look at some things and try and get back on track. I don't know if we hit a wall with some of our young kids, or if they're not used to the pressure of a varsity season or what."
With a 57-45 win over Northridge - coupled with Warsaw's loss to NorthWood - Plymouth improved to 5-0 in NLC play and is guaranteed at least a share of the conference championship. The Pilgrims could wrap up an outright title at home Friday with a win at Goshen.
To beat Warsaw, NorthWood shot 17 of 33 for the game and converted 19 of 22 free throws in the second half.
The Tigers were 13 of 16 from the charity stripe, but struggled shooting the ball from the field, hitting 17 of 40 shots overall and just 2 of 9 from three-point range.
Like he's said a number of times this season, Ogle said his team just wasn't patient enough on offense.
"We missed too many shots," said Ogle, whose team was 4 of 18 from the field in the first half and trailed 23-14 after two quarters of play. "We weren't patient on offense in the first half and took some bad shots. We have to learn to trust our teammates and not take so many quick shots."
NorthWood scored the first five points of the game - a field goal and three-pointer from junior Skyler Titus - and never trailed or allowed Warsaw to tie the score.
The Tigers did make a run at the Panthers in the second half, closing the third quarter with an 8-0 run that cut NorthWood's advantage to two, 34-32.
Warsaw trimmed the Panther lead to one, 36-35, when freshman Nic Moore hit a three-pointer with 6:11 remaining in the game, but NorthWood was able to get to the free throw line and pulled away again.
"We made a nice run in the third quarter," said Ogle. "We were able to get back in it. NorthWood competed well and had some guys hit some shots. That's the best they've shot this year."
Titus led NorthWood with a game-high 18 points, while Aaron McDowell finished with 16 points. Both Micah Horner and Dustin Bussard scored seven points, while Brandon Williams added five points.
For Warsaw, Andy Conrad came off the bench to score a team-high 13 points, while Chase Byerly, Ryne Robinson and Moore scored 10 points each. Taylor Long and Justin Clemens rounded out the Warsaw scoring with four and two points, respectively.
Asked if Friday's game carried any more meaning than just the conference implications, Ogle downplayed the matchup with Wolfe.
"I didn't talk much about Coach Wolfe," said Ogle. "I was more focused on their players. It certainly wasn't a game we wanted to lose."
His team did though, and after the game Wolfe was offered numerous congratulatory hand shakes. The NorthWood band and student sections even wore black T-shirts that said Wolfe Pack in big red letters on the back.
"This was a special game due to my relationship with the coaches and players and a number of friends in the Warsaw community," said Wolfe, who was a science teacher at Edgewood Middle School. "I'm proud of the way my kids played."
Warsaw is in action again Friday at North Side Gym against Elkhart Memorial, while NorthWood hosts West Noble Tuesday.
