ELKHART – Jared Bloom and Jordan Stookey were anything but average Friday night, as the duo led Warsaw's varsity boys basketball team on a thrilling rally before the Tigers fell 73-71 in overtime to Elkhart Memorial. Prior to Friday's Northern Lakes Conference battle at historic North Side Gym, Bloom, a junior, and Stookey, a sophomore, were averaging a combined 13 points between them. Against the Crimson Chargers, they totaled 40 points between them, helping the Tigers take a three-point lead in overtime after they trailed by as much as 15 early in the third quarter. "How do you prepare for (Bloom) and (Stookey)?" asked Memorial coach Mark Barnhizer, whose team improved to 15-1 overall and 6-0 in the NLC. "What do they average between them, 10 points? And they go for 40 tonight. How do you prepare for that?" Bloom came in averaging eight points per game and finished 8 of 12 from the field overall and 5 of 9 from the arc en route to a game-high 24 points. Stookey, who was averaging five points per contest, was 6 of 9 from the field overall and finished with 16 points. "We can take some things from this game," said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle, whose team fell to 11-4 overall and 3-3 in the NLC with its first three-game losing streak in four years. "Jared Bloom and Jordan Stookey played well. This well help their confidence. I'm disappointed, but not discouraged. We got down by 15, but we didn't give up. I apprecitate the players not giving up." Senior Lucas Grose added 17 points for the Tigers, who trailed 17-14 after the first quarter, 41-30 at halftime and 50-41 at the end of three quarters. The game was knotted at 60 at the end of regulation, as Warsaw outscored Memorial 30-19 in the second half. "I didn't feel like we competed at Concord and NorthWood," Ogle said of his team's two previous games on the road, a 61-46 loss in Dunlap and a 41-39 setback in Nappanee. "Tonight was important for our pyche. We got down, but we fought back." A three-pointer by Bloom gave the Tigers a 63-61 lead with 3:25 to play in the four-minute overtime period. It was Warsaw's first lead since holding a 6-5 advantage in the first quarter. Johnson gave Memorial a 68-67 lead when he hit a pair of free throws with 1:34 to play. Memorial never relinquished that advantage, and is now guaranteed at least a share of the conference championship for the first time since 2006. "I couldn't be happier for this group of kids," said Barnhizer. The Crimson Chargers, who have defeated the Tigers in their last two regular season matchups, had four seniors score in double figures. Todd Johnson led the way with 18 points, while Markese McGuire and Evan Weaver scored 15 each and Urston Smith chipped in with 14. "Memorial is a heck of a basketball team," said Ogle. "They have a whole lot of weapons." Memorial was 18 of 26 from the field in the first, but struggled in the second half and overtime, making just 8 of 28 shots after the intermission. Ogle said the difference in the game was the Crimson Chargers' effort on the boards. Memorial outrebounded Warsaw 32-12, including a 17-6 advantage on the offensive glass. Weaver led Memorial with 11 rebounds, while Smith added 10 of his own. "I thought that was the difference in the game," Ogle said of Memorial's advantage on the boards. "Their offensive rebounding was tremendous. They're a great rebounding team." Now the Tigers are looking to rebound, as they host Marion tonight and try to avoid their first four-game losing streak since the 2005-2006 season.
ELKHART MEMORIAL 73, WARSAW 71 OT War 14 16 11 19 11 – 71 EM 17 24 9 10 13 – 73 Warsaw – Lucas Grose 4-12 9-12 17, Jay Holladay 0-0 0-0 0, Jared Bloom 8-12 3-3 24, Jordyn Coon 1-2 2-2 4, Rhett Kesler 1-3 1-2 3, Kevin West 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor Cone 3-3 1-3 7, Jordan Stookey 6-9 2-2 16. Totals 13-41 18-24 71. Memorial – Markese McGuire 6-13 2-3 15, Urston Smith 4-11 5-7 14, Evan Weaver 7-10 1-2 15, Jyrron Cooper 3-8 3-6 9, Todd Johnson 5-11 6-6 18, Matthew Kibiloski 0-0 0-0 0, T.J. Gray 0-0 0-0 0, Parker Devenney 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 26-54 17-24 73. Three-pointers – Warsaw 7 (Bloom 5, Stookey 2), Memorial 4 (Johnson 2, McGuire, Smith); Rebounds – Warsaw 12 (Coon 5), Memorial 32 (Weaver 11, Smith 10); Turnovers – Warsaw 16, Memorial 17; Fouls – Warsaw 20, Memorial 20; Fouled out – Bloom; Records: Warsaw 11-4 (3-3 NLC), Memorial 15-1 (6-0 NLC) JV – Memorial 53, Warsaw 50 Warsaw – Rashaan Jackson 15, Nate Pearl 11, John Swanson 8, Jason Ferguson 6, Jake Mangas 4, Darren Walcott 3, Peyton Long 3
