ELKHART - Because of illness and injury, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to say that Warsaw's varsity boys basketball team limped into the state tournament.
But with Nic Moore, Justin Clemens and Ryne Robinson scoring in double figures, and some timely three-point shooting from Zack Linky, the Class 4A No. 10 Tigers stood tall Tuesday night as they held off Concord 75-72 in the opening round of the Elkhart Central Sectional at historic North Side Gym."Chase Byerly didn't practice Monday, and didn't go to school because he was sick," said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle. "Ryne Robinson didn't practice Monday, and didn't go to school because he was sick. Taylor Long has a sprained foot. We practiced with two starters on Monday. We're kind of a M.A.S.H. unit right now."
Still, the Tigers were healthy enough to shoot 27 of 43 (63 percent) from the field and improve to 19-2 on the season.
Moore finished with a game-high 23 points and seven assists, while Clemens missed just one shot during the game and chipped in with 20 points and five rebounds.
Robinson added 14 points and four assists in limited action, while Linky hit two first-half three-pointers and went 3 of 4 at the free throw line in the fourth quarter for nine points.
"Nic Moore and Justin Clemens were outstanding," said Ogle. "So was Ryne Robinson. Zack Linky scored nine points off the bench. He hit two big threes in the first half. This was his best game of the year."
Andy Conrad scored five points for Warsaw, while Josh Anglin and Byerly scored two points each in the win.
The Tigers advanced to play Elkhart Memorial (11-9) at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the first of two semifinal games.
In Friday's second game, fifth-ranked Northridge (20-0) will play Goshen (12-9). Goshen advanced by beating Elkhart Central 63-51 Tuesday night.
"We've got to be ready to play Friday," said Ogle, whose team hosted and defeated Elkhart Memorial 66-61 on Feb. 6. "Karvel Anderson scored 46 points in Memorial's last game. We've got to be able to guard him."
Though the Tigers weren't at full strength Tuesday against the Minutemen, they certainly appeared ready to defend their 2008 sectional championship.
Robinson scored eight of his 14 points in the first quarter and Warsaw led 24-18 after eight minutes of play and 42-28 at halftime.
"I'm very proud of how we played offensively," said Ogle. "We've got some guys who are sick and Taylor's hurt, but they showed up tonight. Our guys don't flinch. They've been in big games, especially toward the end of the season."
Concord didn't flinch either, and the Minutemen certainly made things interesting in the second half.
Using a 15-2 run, Concord cut Warsaw's lead to one, 46-45, in the third quarter. The Minutemen hit four three-pointers in the third quarter and also got an old-fashioned three-point play from David Yoder.
The Tigers made some clutch shots down the stretch in the third quarter, though, and took a 60-53 advantage into the final frame.
"Concord in the second half really enjoyed our not-very-good transition defense," said Ogle. "We had really good control of the game. We played great in the first half, and then Concord got hot."
The Minutemen, who hit 10 three-pointers in the game, finished the contest 24 of 45 (53 percent) from the field.
Yoder led Concord with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Doug Acker and David House scored 13 points each and JaVontae Hence and Ryan Kohn added nine and seven points, respectively.
Warsaw led by as much as 11, 65-54, in the fourth quarter but a free throw by Hence brought Concord within three, 75-72, with 22 seconds remaining.
Byerly had a chance to push the Tigers' advantage to five points but missed a pair of free throws with 14 seconds remaining. Concord got the rebound and called a timeout with six seconds left. Anthony Yoder's three-pointer then missed the mark as time expired.
The Minutemen, who entered the game as winners in five of their last six games, finished the season with a 13-8 record.
"Concord came in with a lot of confidence and nothing to lose," said Ogle. "That can be liberating for a team. They pushed us. Now we've got a couple days to get Ryne Robinson healthy. This was a good win for us, considering the circumstances."
WARSAW 75, CONCORD 72
W 24 18 18 15 - 75
C 18 12 23 19 - 72
Warsaw - Conrad 2 1-4 5, Clemens 7 6-7 20, Moore 8 5-7 23, Linky 2 3-4 9, Robinson 6 0-0 14, Long 0 0-0 0, Byerly 1 0-2 2, Anglin 1 0-0 2. Totals 27 15-24 75.
