SOUTH BEND – To win at South Bend Clay Tuesday night, Doug Ogle figured his Warsaw boys basketball team had to have 12 or fewer turnovers. As it turned out, the Tigers turned the ball over 14 times in the second half alone, as they fell 73-63 to the host Colonials. "We did a pretty good job handling the ball in the first half, we only had six turnovers, but our ball handling woes reappeared in the second half," said the 10th-year Warsaw coach. "We had 14 turnovers in the second half, that was the game right there." The Tigers made 56 percent of their field goal attempts, including a 6-of-9 effort from the arc, outrebounded Clay 31-20, and both teams were 9 of 13 from the free throw line. The difference was Warsaw's turnover issues, which led to 18 points for Clay. Warsaw, which fell to 12-6 with its fifth loss in the last six games, was playing without the services of seniors Rhett Kesler, Kevin West and Brock Anson due to either injury or illness. Kesler, one of the Tigers' primary ballhandlers, has started 17 games this season. "You have to believe that getting Rhett Kesler back is going to help," said Ogle. "We hope to have him back Friday. A game like tonight, his steadiness would have been nice." Warsaw hosts Fort Wayne Luers Friday for senior night and then closes the regular season Feb. 24 with a trip to Carroll. In Tuesday's 10-point loss to Clay, Warsaw led 20-17 after one quarter of play and 37-29 at halftime. The Colonials, who improved to 13-6 with their sixth-straight win, outscored the Tigers 44-26 in the second half. "Clay has won six in a row, they're a good team," said Ogle. "Their athletic profile is impressive." Taron Miller led the Colonials with 20 points, while Jurod Wooden and Jeermal Franklin added 15 and 12 points, respectively. Wooden also dished out five assists and made five steals. Kenny Jones and Darren Taylor scored eight points each for Clay, including an array of dunks. For Warsaw, Lucas Grose scored 23 points, Jared Bloom chipped in with 11 and Jordyn Coon and Taylor Cone added 10 points each. With the Tigers trailing 56-54 with 4:16 remaining in the game, Coon was whistled for a technical foul. The Colonials converted both free throws and scored on the ensuing possession to stretch the lead to six. With 3:02 left in the game, and Warsaw down 63-56, Ogle was whistled for a technical fouls, and the Colonials converted one of the two free throws. The Tigers cut the deficit to five, 64-59, but a pair of dunks by the Colonials helped put the finishing touches on Warsaw.
