Warsaw’s varsity boys basketball team snapped its three-game losing streak in a big way Friday night. Hosting the Rochester Zebras, the Tigers were dominant in every facet of the game, as they cruised to a 76-37 win by shooting nearly 60 percent from the field, posting a 33-19 advantage on the boards, dishing out 24 assists and making 16 steals. “I’m happy with how we played,” said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle, whose team improved to 2-3 and avoided the program’s first 1-4 start in 25 years. “We wanted to be solid, and I thought we were that tonight.” Warsaw finished the game 28 of 48 from the field overall, 7 of 11 from the arc, and 13 of 22 at the charity stripe. Eleven players scored for the Tigers, three of whom finished in double figures. Junior Jordan Stookey led the way with 15 points, while seniors John Swanson and Jared Bloom added 13 and 12, respectively. Swanson and Bloom both pulled down five rebounds, while Bloom rounded out his stat line with seven assists. “We were able to get a lot of transtion baskets,” said Ogle. “I liked our demeanor tonight. We had a whole bunch of guys do good things.” Taylor Cone was certainly among them, as the senior finished the game with eight points and eight rebounds, while sophomore Cameron Hoskins came off the bench and scored nine points in the fourth quarter. The Tigers led 16-8 after one quarter of play, 45-16 at halftime and 63-22 at the end of the third quarter. The second stanza was the decisive quarter in the victory, as Warsaw outscored Rochester 29-8 in the frame. The Zebras didn’t have 29 points until midway through the fourth quarter. “We were down 16-8 after the first quarter,” said first-year Rochester coach Rex Reinholt. “I thought our start tonight was decent. We didn’t take the first quarter off like we’ve been doing, we took the second quarter off.” The Zebras, who fell to 0-4 on the season, got off to slow starts in their first three games and lost to Culver, Plymouth and Winamac. All four of Rochester’s losses have been by at least 12 points. “We were passive,” said Reinholt. “Coach Ogle does a good job. They scout and they’re well-prepared. When we get mentally tired we get lazy with our passes, and turnovers hurt us.” At one point in the third quarter, Rochester had 16 points and 15 turnovers. The Zebras finished the game with 20 turnovers, leading to 27 points for the Tigers. Rochester, which was 13 of 36 (36 percent) from the field overall, 1 of 4 from the arc, and 10 of 11 at the free throw line, were led in scoring by Jonathan O’Dell’s 15 points. Alec Gehrich added 10 points, while Luke Cannedy and Jacob Howdeshell scored six and five points, respectively. Alec Holland rounded out the Zebras’ scoring with a free throw. Warsaw is in action again Friday when it opens Northern Lakes Confernce play at rival Wawasee. Rochester opens Three Rivers Conference action Friday by hosting North Miami. “I’m proud of the way we played tonight, now we’re focused on the Wawasee Warriors and NLC round 1,” said Ogle.
