On a night set aside to honor his three seniors, coach Doug Ogle had reason to praise just about every player on his Warsaw boys basketball team Friday. In a 73-46 win over the visiting Fort Wayne Luers Knights on Senior Night, the Tigers used a dominating third-quarter performance and got contributions from a number of players as they improved to 11-8. Luers fell to 9-9 with its seventh loss in the last eight games. “A lot of guys contributed tonight,” said Ogle, whose team had seven players score at least seven points. “This was a nice team win. “We had good practices Wednesday and Thursday, and it was nice to see it roll over to tonight,” added Ogle. Senior Jordan Stookey led the way with 16 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore Riley Rhoades added 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Seniors Nate Pearl and Moses Marandet, junior Jake Mangas and freshman Kyle Mangas scored eight points each, while junior Peyton Long finished with seven points. Leading 16-8 after one quarter of play and 29-21 at halftime, the Tigers pulled away in the third quarter. Following a Luers basket that trimmed the deficit to 29-23, Warsaw went on a 15-2 run and never looked back, as they took a 55-33 lead into the final frame. The Tigers scored 26 points in the third quarter, while Luers scored 25 points the entire second half. “I thought our energy and effort was good tonight,” said Ogle. “This is the kind of game we can build on.” One of the things Ogle was most pleased with was his team’s effort on the glass, as Warsaw outrebounded Luers 40-16. That wide margin included a 16-6 advantage in offensive boards alone. “I’m hoping this rebounding effort will be a harbinger of things to come,” said Ogle. “In our losing streak, rebounding, especially offensive rebounding, was an area of concern. Against Elkhart Christian (Tueday in a 52-47 win) and tonight, we did a great job rebounding.” With the state tournament quickly approaching, the play of Rhoades and Moses Marandet was a welcomed site, giving the Tigers some strength in the post in the absence of junior Rashaan Jackson. “I’m happy for Riley Rhoades to have a game like this,” said Ogle. “Both Riley Rhoades and Moses Marandet played well tonight. That’s good to see.” Warsaw finished the game 26 of 49 from the field overall, 4 of 12 from the arc, and 17 of 20 at the free throw line. Luers struggled shooting the ball, as the Knights were just 16 of 46 from the field overall and 5 of 21 from three-point range. Junior Tyrell Johnson led Luers with a game-high 22 points, while freshman J.J. Foster added nine points and sophomore Jordan Banks finished with seven points. Senior Austin Rybicki and junior Aaron Sorg rounded out the Knights’ scoring with five and three points, respectively. Warsaw closes out the regular season Friday at Carroll, and will then play in Class 4A Sectional 4 at North Side Gym in Elkhart. The tournament draw is Sunday. “Carroll will be a good test for us,” said Ogle, whose team is the defending sectional champion. “If we can go over there and play well, that would be huge. Sagarin Ratings has Carroll ranked higher than any team in our sectional.” The Knights are in action again Feb. 25 when they host Guerin Catholic.
WARSAW 73, F.W. LUERS 46 L 8 13 12 13 – 46 W 16 13 26 18 – 73 Luers – Tyrell Johnson 7-15 8-9 22, Austin Rybicki 2-6 1-2 5, Caleb Kroft 0-3 0-0 0, J.J. Foster 3-12 0-0 9, Malik Martin 0-1 0-0 0, Jimmy Sturm 0-0 0-0 0, A.J. Sorg 1-5 0-0 3, Jordan Banks 3-4 0-0 7. Totals 16-46 9-11 46. Warsaw – Paul Marandet 1-1 0-0 2, Peyton Long 2-4 2-2 7, Cameron Hoskins 1-1 1-2 3, Nate Pearl 3-5 0-0 8, Tim Swanson 0-2 0-0 0, Jake Mangas 3-4 2-2 8, Moses Marandet 2-5 4-4 8, Jordan Stookey 5-12 5-6 16, Riley Rhoades 6-9 1-2 13, Kyle Mangas 3-6 2-2 8. Totals 26-49 17-20 73. Three-pointers – Luers 5 (Foster 3, Sorg, Banks), Warsaw 4 (Pear 2, Long, Stookey); Rebounds – Luers 16 (Johnson 3), Warsaw 40 (Stookey 9, Rhoades 8); Turnovers – Luers 8, Warsaw 9; Fouls – Luers 18, Warsaw 12; Fouled out – none; Records: Luers 9-9, Warsaw 11-8 JV – Warsaw 44, Luers 23 Warsaw – Evan Schmidt 12, Luke Wilson 7, Riley Rhoades 6, Lucas Cone 5, Tyler Packard 4, Xavier Lynch 3, Tyler Murphy 2, Jeremy David 2, Matt Anthony 2, Bishop Harrison 1
