Bloom, Stookey lead Warsaw to 54-32 win over Kankakee Valley
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Dale Hubler-dhubler@timesuniononline.com
WINONA LAKE – Though both schools had felines for mascots, Friday night’s boys basketball game between the Warsaw Tigers and Kankakee Valley Kougars was anything but a cat fight. Played at Grace College’s Orthopaedic Capital Center, the Tigers dominated from the opening tip and cruised to a 54-32 win. Warsaw has now won four of its last five games and improved to 5-4 on the season, while Kankakee Valley fell to 7-5 with its second-straight loss. “I kind of like where we’re at,” Warsaw coach Doug Ogle said of his team’s recent string of success. “I’m not jumping for joy, but I like where we’re at, especially if Jared Bloom of Jordan Stookey continue to function at this level.” Bloom, a senior, and Stookey, a junior, certainly played at a high level Friday night. The duo combined for 25 of Warsaw’s 31 points in the first half, leading the Tigers to an 11-4 advantage after one quarter of play and a 31-14 lead at the break. They only scored two points between them in the third and fourth quarters, but by that point the damage had already been done. Bloom scored a game-high 14 points for the Tigers, 12 of which came in the first half, while Stookey scored all 13 of his points before the intermission. “Those two guys played well,” said Ogle, whose team was 21 of 44 (48 percent) from the field overall, 4 of 11 from the arc, and 8 of 10 at the free throw line. “They’re a powerful combination when they’re making plays patiently and on-balance.” Senior frontliner John Swanson added nine points and 10 rebounds, while classmate Jason Ferguson chipped in with six points. At the beginning of the season, Ogle was coaching a team that had little varsity experience outside of Bloom and Stookey. The Tigers aren’t a finished product, but they are making huge strides, and Friday night they turned the ball over just six times, while dishing out 14 assists. Kankakee Valley, on the other hand, had five assists and 13 turnovers. “Early in the season, we would rush things and try and make plays off-balance,” said Ogle. “Tonight was evidence that we’ve solidified our ball-handling. Tonight was the best game we’ve had in terms of passing the ball. Fourteen assists to six turnovers is pretty good. I don’t care what the context is, that’s good offense.” The Kougars finished the game 13 of 36 (36 percent) from the field overall, 1 of 13 from the arc, and 5 of 7 from the charity stripe. Senior Dustin Ketelaar, juniors Alonte Blackwell and Matt Myers, and sophomore Dylan Caldwell scored seven points each for Kankakee Valley, a team coached by Grace College graduate and former player Jeff Hamstra. Hamstra’s assistants, Scott Hamstra and Nathan VanDuyne, are also former Lancers. Seniors Justin Eger and Brent VanSoest rounded out the Kougars’ scoring with two points each. Warsaw will be in action again Friday when they host Northern Lakes Conference rival Northridge. The Tigers are currently 1-0 in conference play. “We’ve got to win the Northridge game to have a chance in the conference,” said Ogle. “It’s a must-win.”
WARSAW 54, KANKAKEE VALLEY 32 Kan 4 10 10 8 – 32 War 11 20 13 10 – 54 K. Valley – Dustin Ketelaar 2-7 3-4 7, Justin Eger 1-8 0-0 2, Derick Tesh 0-2 0-0 0, Alonte Blackwell 3-4 1-1 7, Alex Forrestall 0-2 0-0 0, Dylan Caldwell 3-4 1-1 7, Matt Myers 3-7 1-2 7, Steve Ganzeveld 0-1 0-0 0, Brent VanSoest 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 13-36 5-7 32. Warsaw – Jared Bloom 4-8 4-4 14, Darren Walcott 1-1 0-0 3, John Swanson 4-7 1-2 9, Quim Romans 0-0 0-0 0, Trae Furnivall 0-1 0-0 0, Nate Pearl 1-3 1-1 3, Jason Ferguson 3-6 0-1 6, Taylor Cone 1-1 0-0 2, Jordan Stookey 5-8 2-2 13, Rashaan Jackson 2-7 0-0 4, Jake Mangas 0-0 0-0 0, Cameron Hoskins 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 21-44 8-10 54. Three-pointers – K. Valley 1 (Caldwell), Warsaw 4 (Bloom 2, Walcott, Stookey); Rebounds – K. Valley 23 (Blackwell 6), Warsaw 25 (Swanson 10); Assists – K. Valley 5 (Eger 2), Warsaw 14 (Stookey 5); Turnovers – K. Valley 13, Warsaw 6; Records: K. Valley 7-5, Warsaw 5-4 JV – Warsaw 31, Kankakee Valley 20
