Marandet scores 55 points in wins over Riley, Crown Point
Posted
Dale Hubler-dhubler@timesuniononline.com
MICHIGAN CITY – As Paul Marandet climbed the ladder Saturday night to cut down his piece of the net, fans of Warsaw’s boys basketball team cheered loudly for the 6-foot senior point guard. And for good reason. Marandet gave them plenty to cheer about at Michigan City High School, as the Class 4A No. 5 Tigers posted wins over South Bend Riley and Crown Point to claim the program’s 14th regional championship and first since 2010. Marandet, who entered the weekend averaging 12 points per game, scored a career-high 37, including a 21-of-21 effort at the free throw line, in the Tigers’ 79-74 semifinal win over Riley (22-6) in double overtime. Marandet, who scored just four points in the first half against Riley, came back in the championship game and scored Warsaw’s first 10 points against Crown Point (19-9). He finished the title tilt with a game-high 18 points, as the Tigers never trailed in beating the Bulldogs 46-33. In all, Marandet’s two-game statline from Saturday reads like this: 55 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. He was 13 of 21 from the field overall and 28 of 29 at the free throw line. “My confidence level is pretty high right now, I can tell you that,” Marandet said during the postgame celebration as his teammates cut down their shares of the net and posed for pictures with family and fans. “After the first game, I just came in aggressive. I had our first 10 points of the game (against Crown Point). My teammates believed in me. They gave me the ball. The coaches believed in me.” Marandet’s backcourt mate, junior Kyle Mangas, was impressive in his own right. Mangas, who averaged 19 points per game, scored 28 points in the thrilling come-from-behind win over Riley, followed by an 18-point performance in the final against Crown Point. With Warsaw leading the Bulldogs 13-9 at halftime, Mangas scored 11 points in the third quarter, as the Tigers stretched their advantage to 26-14. The championship game was tied just once, at 2-2. After falling behind 10-2 early, Crown Point never got closer than four points the rest of the game. “We did not have a great week of practice, things were just not going well,” said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle, whose team struggled with illness in injury this week. “So, to come in here and win that Riley game like we did, and for Paul to play like he did, and Kyle to play the way he did ... I didn’t know how much we were gonna have left for the championship. “I was very worried about our energy, but we got off to a good start tonight, and Crown Point wasn’t shooting very well ... which was helpful. We guarded them pretty well, and we tag-teamed them. Paul got them in the first half, and Kyle got them in the second. “I was just thankful for a decent start ... it was a lot different than the morning game when we got down 13-2. Our guys, after that morning game, we were just relaxed. We felt like we matched up well with Crown Point.” While Warsaw was efficient offensively in the regional final, finishing the game 12 of 25 from the field overall, 5 of 6 from the arc, and 17 of 20 at the free throw line, the Bulldogs simply struggled against the Tigers’ stingy defense. Crown Point finished the game 12 of 47 overall and 4 of 27 from three-point range. The Bulldogs only missed one free throw, but their 5-of-6 effort didn’t compare to what the Tigers did at the charity stripe. The Tigers are now 25-1 on the season and will play No. 4 McCutcheon (27-3) Saturday at 6 p.m. at Lafayette Jeff High School. The winner will advance to the state finals to play either No. 1 New Albany or No. 9 Southport on March 26 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. “We’re having a heck of a ride, we’re having a lot of fun,” said Warsaw senior Evan Schmidt, who scored four points against Riley and three in the final against Crown Point. “We’re just enjoying it, you know. We cleaned up some stuff after that loss to Carmel, and we haven’t looked back. We’ll be ready for the semistate.” Schmidt’s smile and the excitement in his voice said it all. It would have been a completely different story for the Tigers, however, had they not rallied to beat Riley. Warsaw trailed 13-2 early in the semifinal game and 17-7 after the first quarter. By halftime, the Tigers had cut the Wildcats’ lead to 27-23, and after the third quarter Riley only led by five, 42-37. The game was tied 59-all at the end of regulation and 67-all after the first overtime. The big difference in the overtime sessions was Warsaw’s ability to get to the free throw line ... as well as capitalize on the opportunity. The Tigers were 14 of 14 at the charity stripe in the extra eight minutes of action, 39 of 45 during the game overall, while Riley was 17 of 20 from the stripe in the loss, but only 2 of 2 after regulation. Reontre Lawrence, Damezi Anderson, Sharmar Dillard and Rylan Grundy all fouled out for the Wildcats, who made 11 treys. Lawrence scored 22 points for Riley, while Anderson and Maurice Scott Jr. scored 18 each. “The first game, in the first quarter, we weren’t rebounding very good,” said Warsaw junior Jeremy David, who tallied seven points and 11 boards against Riley. “Coach told us we had to get some rebounds ... that’s when I picked it up and got after the boards. “Then (in the final) we knew Crown Point wasn’t going to be as physical on the boards, and that if we had the same intensity on the boards as the morning game that we’d be pretty successful.” Warsaw and Riley had 30 rebounds each in the semifinal game. In the final, the Tigers outrebounded Crown Point 32-19. Grant Gelon, a 6-foot-6 senior shooting guard who will play for the Indiana Hoosiers, led Crown Point with nine points. All of his points came from the arc, and all of them came in the fourth quarter when the Tigers had things under control. Andrew Kenneally finished with eight points for Crown Point. “There’s such a connection with our fans, Tiger Nation, and our players,” said Ogle. “Our players do not want to let those people ... who came 75 miles all the way over here to Michigan City ... they don’t want to let them down. They want to make them proud. They sure did that today. I feel confident in saying that.”
WARSAW 46, CROWN POINT 33 (Regional Championship) War 7 6 13 20 – 46 CP 2 7 5 19 – 33 Warsaw – Kyle Mangas 4-10 7-8 18, Paul Marandet 5-7 7-8 18, Riley Rhoades 1-2 0-0 2, Jeremy David 1-2 0-0 2, Sam Miller 0-0 1-2 1, Jack Rhoades 0-0 2-2 2, Ross Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Jaceb Burish 0-2 0-0 0, Evan Schmidt 1-1 0-0 3, Braxton Minix 0-1 0-0 0, Asher Blum 0-0 0-0 0, Zach Riley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-25 17-20 46. Crown Point – Blake Bonin 1-7 0-0 3, Dominic Tomich 1-5 0-0 2, Zachary Stewart 0-0 0-0 0, Cameron Pimental 2-4 0-0 4, Leo Zadanowicz 0-0 0-0 0, Grant Gelon 3-11 0-0 9, Tommy Sanborn 0-0 0-0 0, Sasha Stefanovic 0-8 1-2 1, Ken Decker 0-1 0-0 0, Tommy Frame 1-1 0-0 2, John Sakaleros 1-2 2-2 4, Andrew Kenneally 3-8 2-2 8. Totals 12-47 5-6 33. Three-pointers – Warsaw 5 (Mangas 3, Marandet, Schmidt), Crown Point 4 (Gelon, Bonin); Rebounds – Warsaw 32 (Marandet 7), Crown Point 19 (Bonin 4, Gelon 4); Turnovers – Warsaw 12, Crown Point 1; Fouls – Warsaw 11, Crown Point 21; Fouled out – none; Records: Warsaw 25-1, Crown Point 19-9
