PLYMOUTH - Warsaw's varsity boys basketball team got off to a slow start Thursday night but was later able to finish off scrappy Northern Lakes Conference rival Plymouth.
The Class 4A No. 10 Tigers scored just 14 points in the first half but used a 15-3 run in the fourth quarter to beat the host Pilgrims 57-48 in a game that had eight ties and nine lead changes."Plymouth is a hard team to play against," said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle. "Their style is radically different than everybody we play. They've improved a lot. In the first half, we didn't shoot well. We got a lot of good shots, we just didn't make them."
When Ogle said his team just couldn't make a shot in the first half, he wasn't exaggerating.
The Tigers, a team loaded with capable shooters, made just 6 of 19 field goal attempts in the first half and trailed 15-14 at the break.
The third and fourth quarters were a different story, however, as Warsaw was 16 of 21 from the field in the second half, including a 5-of-7 performance from three-point range.
The host Pilgrims tied the game at 42 with a three-pointer with 6:54 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Tigers responded with a trey from senior Ryne Robinson, followed by a three-pointer from sophomore Nic Moore and an old-fashioned three-point play from senior Chase Byerly.
After scoring just 14 points in the first 16 minutes of the game, Warsaw used a six-minute stretch where they outscored Plymouth 15-3 to put the Pilgrims away.
"I knew we had to shoot better in the second half," said Ogle. "We were in better shape at halftime than what it looked. We had a better third quarter, and then we played pretty good in the fourth quarter."
Moore led the Tigers with a game-high 18 points and eight assists. He scored 13 of his points in the second half.
Robinson finished with 15 points, all of which were scored in the second half.
Junior Justin Clemens scored eight points in the third quarter as the Tigers got their offense going and finished the game with 10 points and six rebounds.
"Nic played well, Ryne played well and Justin played well," said Ogle. "We wanted to get Plymouth to speed up. We knew that would be good for us. Those two threes in the fourth quarter put us up six. Those were important shots. They were both good shots."
With the win, the Tigers improved to 14-1 overall and 6-1 in the NLC, while the Pilgrims fell to 5-12 overall and 1-6 in conference action.
Warsaw had a chance to tie Northridge for the conference championship, but the sixth-ranked Raiders beat Concord 37-32 Thursday.
Northridge finished the NLC schedule 7-0, followed by Warsaw, Concord (4-3), Elkhart Memorial (4-3), NorthWood (3-4), Goshen (2-5), Wawasee (1-6) and Plymouth.
Junior Andy Conrad chipped in with six points and four rebounds for Warsaw, while senior Taylor Long scored five points.
Senior Brandon Elliott led Plymouth with 13 points, while sophomore Houston Hodges and junior Bo Davidson scored nine points each.
The Tigers host Fort Wayne South Side Saturday in a rescheduled game. The junior varsity game will tip off at 1 p.m.
