Not many opposing teams over the years have left the Tiger Den with a victory. Homestead High School's varsity boys basketball team did Friday night – and did so on a night when host Warsaw shot 66 percent from the field and got an incredible individual performance from senior Lucas Grose. The Spartans shot 59 percent from the field themselves and made10 of 16 three-pointers and 11 of 13 free throws, as they rallied from an 11-point deficit to beat the Tigers 67-65 in Warsaw's home opener. "I'm very proud of the kids," said Homestead coach Chris Johnson, whose team trailed 25-14 midway through the second quarter. "The kids kept their composure and stuck with the gameplan. We moved the ball with purpose and did exactly what we wanted to do." Homestead, which improved to 4-0 on the season, got 17 points from junior Seth Coate, 15 points from senior Zach Terrell and 13 points from junior Nick Gamble. The Tigers, who had won 21 of their last 22 home games, fell to 2-1 on the season. "Homestead played great," said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle. "They shot well, passed well and they exposed our lack of communication and wherewithal on defense numerous times." Ogle made it clear after the two-point loss that he was upset with his team's defensive effort. The Tigers certainly didn't lose because of a lack of offensensive execution. Warsaw made 10 of its first 11 shots in the game and was 13 of 16 from the field in the first half, though the Tigers only led 32-28 at halftime after letting the Spartans reel them back in. "We were 13 of 16 at halftime and we were only up by four, that right there should have been a red flag," said Ogle. Not only did Homestead's win overshadow a great a shooting performance by Warsaw as a team, but also an 11-of-12 effort from the field by Grose, who scored a game-high 25 points. The Tigers also got 14 points from senior Jordyn Coon and 12 from sophomore Jordan Stookey, who was making his first varsity start. Warsaw finished the game 25 of 38 from the field overall, 7 of 12 from the arc, and 8 of 12 from the free throw line. The Tigers led 14-9 after one quarter of play and 32-28 at halftime. Homestead took its first lead of the game when Gamble made a three-pointer with 5:41 remaining in the third quarter, giving the Spartans a 35-34 advantage. Homestead, on the stength of an 8-0 run, led 47-44 at the end of the third quarter and stretched its advantage to 58-49 midway throug the fourth quarter. Warsaw cut the deficit to three, 63-60, with 17 seconds left with an old-fashioned three-point play by Grose. The Spartans responded with a pair of charity tosses from Coate, and then Stookey converted a pair of free throw attempts with seven seconds remaining. Zach Terrell, who carved up Warsaw's defense on the gridiron in late August, put the final touches on the Tigers with a pair of free thrwos that gave the Spartans a 67-62 lead with six seconds to play. Warsaw cut the deficit to two at the buzzer with a three-pointer by junior Jared Bloom. "We're disappointed to lose like this, but at the same time, Homestead is a very good basketball team," said Ogle. "Tonight's game was a combination of Homestead's brilliance and our lack of - at times - patience." The Tigers, after shooting 81 percent from the field in the first half, were 12 of 22 over the final 16 minutes of play. Homestead, which was 10 of 20 in the first half, made 13 of 19 field goal attempts in the third and fourth quarters. "I'm proud of the kids," said Johnson. "We came into a tough place and got a victory." Prior to Friday, Warsaw and Homestead had never met on the hardwood. The Tigers are in action again tonight when they host Huntington North, while Homestead plays at Fort Wayne South Tuesday.
