ELKHART – With one simple, matter-of-fact statement, Penn High School boys basketball coach Al Rhodes summed up how good Warsaw’s defense was Friday night. “We just couldn’t function as an offensive unit,” said Rhodes. In the first semifinal of the Class 4A Elkhart Central Sectional at historic North Side Gym, fifth-ranked Warsaw handcuffed the Kingsmen, holding them to 13 points through the first three quarters and cruising to a 52-31 win. The Tigers held Penn to just 21 percent shooting, as Warsaw improved to 22-1 on the season and advanced to tonight’s 7:30 p.m. championship game against the host Blue Blazers (16-7). Central beat Goshen 68-40 in Friday’s second semifinal game. The Kingsmen, whose season ended with an 11-13 record, made just 3 of 13 attempts from the field in the first half and 8 of 38 overall in the 21-point loss. “It’s unbelievable,” Rhodes said of Warsaw’s team defense. “They move as one unit, the help-side is always there, on reversals they close out and challenge shooters. We got a little off reversal threes, but we’re not a three-point shooting team. So, there we are, doing something we’re not good at.” Penn, which made just 4 of 16 three-point attempts Friday night, only trailed 7-6 after one quarter of play, but watched as Warsaw’s lead ballooned to 19-9 by halftime and 31-13 heading into the final frame. While the Kingsmen struggled to make shots, Warsaw made it look easy at times. The Tigers made 9 of 11 attempts from the field in the second half and 16 of 23 (70 percent) overall. It was Warsaw’s defense, though, as it has been so many times this season, that was the difference. “It was a typical game for us tonight defensively,” said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle. “We were just real solid and smart.” Penn senior Matt Trewhella came into the contest averaging 20 points per game. Against a stingy Warsaw defense he was just 1 of 9 from the field and 1 of 2 from the charity stripe en route to four points. Senior Tyler Seger led the Kingsmen with eight points, while freshman Noah Applegate chipped in with seven points. “Paul (Marandet) is a good matchup for Trewhella, and Kyle (Mangas) guarded him well too,” said Ogle. “That was our main focus, making Matt Trewhella earn his baskets.” Mangas led Warsaw with 16 points, while junior Braxton Minix was 4 of 4 from the field en route to 10 points, and seniors Evan Schmidt and Marandet chipped in with eight and six points, respectively. Ogle was all smiles after the win, but it’s no secret he doesn’t enjoying facing Rhodes. Ogle said the one reason he came to Warsaw nearly 30 years ago was Rhodes. He wanted a mentor. He wanted to learn from the best. Ogle spent 17 years by Rhodes’ side, including 15 during a JV coaching career that saw Ogle compile an incredible 270-30 record. In 22 seasons at the helm of Warsaw’s program, Rhodes put together a record of 405-132. During that time, the Tigers won 14 sectionals, seven regionals, four semistates and the 1984 state championship. Rhodes and his wife, Kathy, still live in Warsaw. And because of his strong friendship with Rhodes, Ogle doesn’t enjoy being on the opposite sideline. “I just don’t like it, I don’t like it one bit,” said Ogle, who is 2-0 against Rhodes. “I came to Warsaw because of Al. That’s the one reason I came here. I wanted a coaching mentor. I spent 17 years with the guy, and we had a lot of enjoyable times game-planning, I was the junior varsity coach for 15 years, I was the varsity assistant for one year, we traveled a lot together. We traveled to North Carolina, Las Vegas, he went with me a couple times to see Coach (John) Wooden. Just all the time we spent together scouting ... I just wish they were still in the South Bend Sectional. I don’t want to play guys I have that much history with, like Al and (NorthWood coach) Aaron Wolfe.” Friday’s win was the Tigers’ first sectional victory since winning the sectional title in 2013. Warsaw was upset in the first round in each of the past two seasons.
WARSAW 52, PENN 31 War 7 12 12 21 – 52 Penn 6 3 4 18 – 31 Warsaw – Kyle Mangas 6-10 3-4 16, Paul Marandet 2-2 1-2 6, Riley Rhoades 1-2 2-2 4, Jeremy David 1-2 1-4 3, Sam Miller 0-0 0-0 0, Jack Rhoades 0-0 2-2 2, Aaron Sandoval 0-0 0-0 0, Ross Johnson 1-1 0-0 2, Jaceb Burish 0-0 1-2 1, Evan Schmidt 1-2 5-7 8, Braxton Minix 4-4 2-4 10. Totals 16-23 17-27 52. Penn – Tyler Seger 2-4 3-3 8, Noah Applegate 0-7 7-8 7, Matt Trewhella 1-9 1-2 4, Gunner Dittrich 1-5 0-0 2, Matt McCown 0-0 0-0 0, Brian Doslak 1-4 0-0 3, Ben Knutson 1-1 0-1 2, Drew Lutz 1-5 0-0 3, Riley Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Alessandro Manta 0-0 0-0 0, Noah Krathwohol 1-2 0-0 2, Drew Schneider 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 8-38 11-14 31. Three-pointers – Warsaw 3 (Mangas, Marandet, Schmidt), Penn 4 (Seger, Doslak, Lutz); Rebounds – Warsaw 23 (R. Rhoades 5), Penn 16 (Trewhella 3); Turnovers – Warsaw 10, Penn 9; Fouls – Warsaw 14, Penn 21; Fouled out – none; Records: Warsaw 22-1, Penn 11-13
