Tigers Survive Scare

ELKHART - Although it was the only game of the night, it was plenty for the fans at Elkhart's North Side gym Tuesday.

Warsaw and Concord hooked up in an old-fashioned high school basketball battle that wasn't decided until after four quarters and two overtime sessions. The Tigers made enough plays and free throws at the end for a 70-66 win over the Minutemen in the first game of the Elkhart Boys Basketball 4A Sectional.

It marks the second straight double overtime affair for the entertaining, yet probably tired, Tigers. Warsaw (14-7) now earns a rematch with the team it just got through playing two extra periods with as it takes on Elkhart Central (11-9) Friday in the sectional semifinals.

Concord (9-12) trailed throughout the game before rallying in the fourth quarter as Warsaw watched as it shot disappeared. After burning the nets in the first half to the tune of 14 of 21 from the field, the Tigers struggled and shot 3 of 19 in the second half, including 1 of 8 in the fourth quarter.

The Minutemen took advantage, and took their first lead of the game 50-48 with 2:24 left in the fourth on two free throws by Matt Huber. Chris Wiggins hit two free throws of his own to put the game into the first overtime session.

In the first extra period, Warsaw opened up a 56-52 lead on two Andy Plank free throws, but Concord got two big three-pointers from Phil Rushenberg and Huber in the final 15 seconds. Huber's was the improbable shot of the game as it was the forward's lone three-pointer attempt of the game.

The Minutemen appeared to have control in the second overtime when Huber's jumper with 1:11 left gave Concord a 63-62 lead. But Rob Kesler banked a three-pointer in with 50 seconds left to give Warsaw a 65-63 lead. Later, Kesler would claim he called his bank shot. Warsaw would then hit 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch to hold off the Minutemen.

"Give them credit," Warsaw coach Al Rhodes said. "They just kept coming at us. But also give our kids credit for having the poise after they caught us that we didn't quit."

"Our kids played hard, and we pushed them to the limit," Concord coach Ron Dietz said. "When you get them tired out, they don't shoot as well. The pressure was put back out on them, and our kids just had some fun out there in the second half. It was a shame they couldn't come away with it. Our effort was very noble tonight, and we deserved better."

The game started as one that would be out of character for the Tigers. As Concord packed its zone defense into the paint, Warsaw would begin to let the three-pointers fly. And they went in at first.

Warsaw was 5 of 9 from beyond the arc in that first quarter as it opened up a commanding 21-8 lead. Wiggins led the way with a 3 of 4 performance. To put it in perspective, Warsaw entered the game averaging about 10 three-point attempts a game.

"We started the game well," Rhodes said. "They came ready to play and weren't shy about shooting. I was concerned about how our nerves would be at the start. But I thought we looked extra sharp, better than we have all year."

To make matters worse for the Tigers, they lost their second-leading scorer Luke Reed to an ankle injury early in the game. At 13 points and 9 rebounds a game, Reed is Warsaw's big threat inside. Without him, it was left up to senior Chris Hill and sophomores Zach Nelson and Steve Siebenmorgen.

"With Concord's zone, there is just no room in the middle," Rhodes said. "You get all kinds of great shots. In the first half, we hit them, and in the second half, we had trouble. Luke has been such a dominant force in the middle. We could have been getting the ball to him because he can jump and go get the ball. But our other guys aren't as athletic, and that caused problems."

Reed was examined after the game, and it doesn't look good for the senior. The severe ankle sprain has more than likely ended his high school career. His status for Friday's game is very doubtful.

Although he claimed afterward that he didn't even notice that Reed was out of the game, Dietz certainly saw as the Tigers slowly began to struggle with the outside shot. After going 4 of 6 in the first half, Wiggins made just 1 of his last 9 three-pointers.

Concord still trailed 36-26 at halftime, but as Reed appeared to start the second half on crutches and on the Tiger bench, the Minutemen pulled to within 42-36 before settling for a 45-36 deficit to start the fourth.

Warsaw suffered another blow when Siebenmorgen also went down with a leg injury to start the fourth. He would return, but was not as effective in hitting the boards. His status for Friday's game is now questionable.

Hill's rebound layup made it a 48-43 Warsaw lead until Josh Maron hit a layup to make it 48-45. Maron led Concord with 19 points, but picked up his fourth foul soon after that layup. Rushenberg's three-pointer tied the score at 48 with three minutes left.

"We told the kids it would come back to them. Don't panic," Dietz said. "I thought our defense was done well, and we just had to be patient because they shot it very well in the first half.

"What they want to do is get the ball inside and get fouled," he said. "Our job is to take it out of their hands and take our chances on matching up with their shooters. In the first half, they shot it well, and in the second half, they didn't. We would rather see them shoot 25-footers than two-footers."

Warsaw ended up making only 19 of 48 from the floor, including 9 of 27 from beyond the three-point arc. The Tigers made only five field goals in the second half and two overtime sessions combined. Warsaw made up for it by hitting on 21 of 29 from the free throw line.

"There were open shots, and we would miss and get just one shot for too long of a stretch," Rhodes said. "That let Concord get back into it. We kept shooting and hit enough of them to win."