The Warsaw Tigers have lost just one game this season. It’s a loss from last season, however, that still stings and has coach Doug Ogle’s squad motivated heading into this week’s Class 4A Sectional 4 at North Side Gym in Elkhart. A year ago, the Tigers were 7-0 in the Northern Lakes Conference and 18-4 overall in the regular season. Their dream of a postseason run ended in nightmarish fashion, though, as they fell 32-28 to a six-win Concord team in the tournament opener. Ogle and his squad are focused on not getting upset like that again this season, as the sixth-ranked Tigers take a 21-1 record into the 106th annual IHSAA state tournament. “The fact that we lost like that last year, we do remember that,” said Ogle, whose team’s only loss this season came on a buzzer beater in a 36-33 setback to the Carmel Greyhounds on Feb. 20. “I think it helps our determination, and also, we know that you can’t take things for granted and just assume it’s going to be easy. From that experience, the pain of the loss to Concord last year, I think it has a chance to help us in this year’s tournament.” Warsaw drew the bye in the seven-team field and will play a 6 p.m. semifinal game on Friday against either Penn or Northridge. Penn, coached by former Warsaw coach Al Rhodes, and Northridge open the Elkhart Central Sectional in Tuesday’s only game. At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Elkhart Memorial plays Goshen, followed by Elkhart Central and Concord. The survivors of Friday’s two semifinal games will meet in the championship game on Saturday, with the winner advancing to the Michigan City Regional and play the winner of the Plymouth Sectional. Other than the Tigers, the only team in the sectional field with a winning record is Elkhart Central at 14-7. Penn is 10-12, Goshen is 9-13, Northridge is 8-13, Concord is 6-16 and Memorial is 5-17. “I really didn’t think about us getting the bye, there was only a 14 percent chance of us getting it,” said Ogle, a math teacher. “The most likely scenario was we’d have to play on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. I kind of prepared myself for that. Listening to the draw, and they listed the first game, and the second game, and the third game ... and they didn’t say Warsaw, then I knew we got the bye and I was pretty happy. “To try and win three games in four days is quite a bit more difficult than winning two games in two days. We’re happy with the draw.” The Tigers got off to the best start in school history this season, as they won their first 20 games, including another perfect season in the NLC. Along the way, they won four overtime games and handled every situation thrown at them. Warsaw rebounded from the heartbreaking loss to Carmel by winning 32-29 at No. 9 Carroll in the regular-season finale. Ogle said he believes his team is more upset-proof than last year. A lot of that has to do with the Tigers’ defense, which gives up just 39 points per game, as well as the play of junior Kyle Mangas and senior Paul Marandet. Mangas averages just shy of 20 points per game and shoots 55 percent from the field overall, 45 percent from the arc, and 81 percent from the free throw line. Marandet averages 12 points and four assists per game while shooting 51 percent from the field and 83 percent from the charity stripe. The Tigers are 5-0 this season against the rest of the sectional field. Warsaw hasn’t played Penn. “Well, everybody starts over,” said Ogle. “I mean, it’s kind of a cliche, people say it’s a new season, but it really is a new season. We have the best resumé coming into the tournament, but the Elkhart Central Sectional in the past 10 years, I’d say at least five times the favorite hasn’t won. We know that, and we know we’re going to have to play well.”
