It took the Warsaw boys basketball team just over an hour to put the Elkhart Central Blue Blazers away 55-37 Tuesday at the Tiger Den, improving to 9-1. The nonconference contest had a subdued, Tuesday night feel to it, and according to Central coach Matt Windy, his squad got lost in the atmosphere. “I think they thought they were beat before the game even started,” Windy said about his players, who sit at 3-8 on the season. “I’ll be honest, I don’t know what our kids were thinking. I’m embarrassed. I’m totally embarrassed.” Despite the lack of enthusiasm, Central still went into the second quarter tied 8-8, having made 3 of 4 field goals in the opening stanza. “It was 8-8, then all of a sudden, it was like someone died out there,” Windy said. Instead of an actual death taking place, Central’s chances of a win did take a serious head shot when Warsaw's Jared Bloom opened the second with a trey, which kick-started a 9-1 run that put Central behind 20-9 following a bucket by senior Jordyn Coon with 4:37 remaining. Bloom’s three-pointer was one of his three on the night, scoring 13 points in the process, while the entire Warsaw team converted 6 of 15 three-point attempts against Central’s zone defense. “In our last three games, I believe we were 2 for 29 on (three-point shots),” Ogle said. “Keep in mind, before that, we were shooting right at 50 percent as a team from three. We’ve been mired in a bit of a shooting slump. We finally came out of it tonight.” On the night, Warsaw made 21 of 42 field goals, spearheaded by senior Lucas Grose, who made 8 of 9 – with his one miss resulting in a putback by himself – to score 19 points and nab a game-high six rebounds. “His balance was good and he was assertive,” Ogle said of Grose, who’s hitting 67 percent of his field goals this season. “He’s quick and he played well.” On top of playing successful offense, the Tigers also had it going on the defensive end, using quick hands to post 12 steals. In all, Central committed 22 turnovers, resulting in 26 Warsaw points. Windy commented that his coaching staff has been working with his team to make jump stops in practice, but once the game starts, the teachings go out the window. Against Warsaw, Windy saw his team going up against a squad that played nine players in the opening quarter, and made regular substitutions, which turned lazy Central passes into turnovers. “We have nine guys that we can play, and they can all play,” Ogle said. “Our team depth was a factor in the game. “We’re not playing nine guys because we’re trying to be the Salvation Army or anything like that,” he added. “We’re playing nine guys because they can play. With the ball press, it gets tiring, so you have to keep fresh horses in the game.” That depth has helped Warsaw improve to 9-1, with its one loss being by two points (67-65) to Class 4A No. 4 Homestead on Dec. 2. The fast start may have seemed unattainable to some fans after the departure of standout Nic Moore, who went on to play at Illinois State after finishing second in last year’s Mr. Basketball voting, but it’s not a shock to Ogle. “I knew we were going to be a different team, but I’m not completely surprised (with the success),” Ogle said. “If I would have gone through and tried to predict (the outcomes), I don’t know what I would have come up with. When you have six seniors, and they’re all contributing, that’s big." The midweek win was Warsaw’s eighth-straight over Central, and they’ll now turn their attention back to Northern Lakes Conference play as they host Goshen Friday night. “This game – in-between Northridge and Goshen – I wouldn’t necessarily call it a trap game, but I’m pretty happy how we played,” Ogle said.
WARSAW 55, ELKHART CENTRAL 37 C 8 11 8 10 – 37 W 8 20 17 10 – 55 Warsaw – Jared Bloom 5-10 0-0 13, Jordyn Coon 4-9 2-2 11, Rhett Kesler 0-1 0-0 0, Lucas Grose 8-9 2-3 19, Jay Holladay 0-0 0-0 0, Brock Anson 1-1 0-0 2, John Swanson 0-0 0-0 0, Jason Ferguson 0-0 0-0 0, Kevin West 2-4 0-0 6, Taylor Cone 1-4 2-2 4, Jordan Stookey 0-4 0-0 0, Jake Mangas 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-42 6-7 55. Central – Terell Street 2-8 3-4 9, Blake Brouwer 4-6 0-0 11, Brian Harter 1-2 1-2 3, Joseph Godfread 0-2 0-0 0, Jaron Walters 1-2 0-0 2, Matthew Eppers 0-0 0-0 0, Myran McKnight 4-5 3-4 12, Victor Kyle 0-0 0-0 0, John Stahl 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 12-26 7-10 37. Three-point goals – Warsaw 7-16 (Bloom 3, West 2, Coon, Grose), Central 6-15 (Brouwer 3, Street 2, McKnight); Team Fouls – Warsaw 16, Central 11; Turnovers - Warsaw 11, Central 22; Rebounds - Warsaw 18 (Grose 6), Central 18 (Godfread 4, Walters 4); Assists - Warsaw 16 (Stookey 4), Central 8 (Street 3); Steals - Warsaw 12 (Kesler 3, Cone 3), Central 7 (Walters 2); Blocks - Warsaw 1, Central 3 (Harter 3); Records: Warsaw 9-1, Central 3-9. JV - Warsaw 44, Central 41 (OT) Warsaw JV - Swanson 10, Peyton Long 8, Ferguson 8, Mangas 8, Rashaan Jackson 7, Nate Pearl 2, Michael Miller 1.
