NAPPANEE – Warsaw's varsity boys basketball team went through three seasons without losing a Northern Lakes Conference game on the road. Now the Tigers have lost twice in six days. Trying to bounce back from Saturday's 15-point loss at Concord, Warsaw fell 41-39 to the host NorthWood Panthers Friday night at The Pit. "The bottom line is, we've got to become better offensively," said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle, who was denied his 150th career varsity coaching win. "We need more patience, better cutting and we need to be more poised." The teams were knotted at 39-all, as the Tigers held the ball in the final minute, working the clock for a game-winning shot. Rather than Warsaw celebrating another conference victory, NorthWood senior Derek Yoder stole the ball, raced upcourt and drove the lane. His shot was off the mark, but classmate Jakyah Qaiyim was there for the rebound. Qaiyim was fouled and converted both free throw attempts, and after the Tigers had one last chance at the win, NorthWood's student section rushed the court. "We've lost two conference games at the buzzer and another in overtime," said NorthWood coach Aaron Wolfe. "In this game, we were able to make plays at the end of the game. So, moving forward, I feel this will be a confidence boost." The Panthers, who have lost close games to conference foes Plymouth (53-52), Northridge (71-65 OT) and Goshen (38-36), improved to 6-8 overall and 2-3 in the NLC. The Tigers, the two-time defending conference champs, fell to 11-3 overall and 3-2 in league play. Elkhart Memorial, which hosts Warsaw Friday night at North Side Gym, is 5-0 in the NLC, while Plymouth is 3-1. Plymouth plays at the Tiger Den on Feb. 9. "We're not gonna win the confence, a lot of crazy things would have to happen for that," said Ogle. "We've got six practice games now to get ready for the sectional." Warsaw led 13-8 after one quarter of play, trailed 24-22 at halftime and held a 33-29 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. In a game that neither team led by more than six points, the Tigers scored just six points in the final eight minutes of play. Warsaw seniors Lucas Grose and Jordyn Coon are three-year starters. They scored just one point between them in the fourth quarter Friday. The Panthers, on the other hand, got 10 of their 12 fourth-quarter points from freshman Braxton Miller and sophomores Zach Zurcher and Jonathan Wilkinson. "NorthWood is a young team, and they played with patience and poise," said Ogle. "They hit shots, made their free throws, and made plays when they needed to. They deserved to win." The Panthers were 12 of 16 at free throw line and also scored 20 of their 41 points via Warsaw turnovers. Zurcher led NorthWood with a game-high 14 points, while Miller added 12 points. Yoder finished with six points and seven steals. For Warsaw, junior Jared Bloom scored 12 points, while Coon finished with 10 points, sophomore Jordan Stookey added eight points and Grose chipped in with seven points and five rebounds.
NORTHWOOD 41, WARSAW 39 War 13 9 11 6 – 39 NW 8 16 5 12 – 41 Warsaw – Brock Anson 0-0 0-0 0, Jared Bloom 5-8 0-0 12, Jordyn Coon 5-12 0-0 10, Rhett Kesler 0-1 0-0 0, Lucas Grose 2-5 3-5 7, Kevin West 0-0 0-0 0, Jay Holladay 1-1 0-0 2, Taylor Cone 0-0 0-0 0, Jordan Stookey 3-4 1-2 8. Totals 16-31 4-7 39. NorthWood – Braxton Miller 4-9 2-4 12, Zach Zurcher 6-7 2-2 14, Derek Yoder 1-6 4-4 6, Tommy Klem 0-0 0-0 0, Kyle McCoy 0-0 0-0 0, Jonathan Wilkinson 1-5 2-2 5, Will Stueve 0-0 0-0 0, Jakyah Qaiyim 1-5 2-4 4. Totals 13-32 12-16 41. Three-pointers – Warsaw 3 (Bloom 2, Stookey), NorthWood 3 (Miller 2, Wilkinson); Rebounds - Warsaw 23 (Grose 5), NorthWood 16 (Zurcher 5); Turnovers – Warsaw 15, NorthWood 7; Fouls – Warsaw 14, NorthWood 10; Fouled out – none; Records: Warsaw 11-3 (3-2 NLC), NorthWood 6-8 (2-3 NLC) JV – Warsaw 43, NorthWood 41 Warsaw – John Swanson 15, Jake Mangas 10, Jason Ferguson 8, Darren Walcott 3, Nate Pearl 3, Peyton Long 2, Rashaan Jackson 2 NorthWood – Gabe Williams 11, Spencer Culp 10, Tanner Farmwald 1, Kyle McCoy 5, Travis Bear 5
