Deshaun Thomas and Nic Moore provided the star appeal, but it was role player Zack Linky who came through with the game-winning shot.
Friday's high school boys basketball game at the Tiger Den featured two of the state's marquee players in Thomas, a 6-foot-7 Ohio State-bound power forward from Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, and Moore, Warsaw's dazzling 5-9 point guard.It was a three-pointer by Linky, however, that gave Class 4A No. 9 Warsaw the lead for good as the Tigers closed the game with a 13-0 run and beat the two-time Class 2A defending state champion Knights 60-50 on senior night.
"That three in the corner was the deal-breaker," Warsaw coach Doug Ogle said of Linky's shot, which came with 2:06 remaining and gave the Tigers a 52-50 lead. "That was the biggest play of the game."
Thomas, who entered Friday night's contest averaging a state-best 33 points per game, gave the Knights a 50-47 lead with a rebound and putback with 3:25 remaining.
Those were the final two points Luers scored, and Warsaw used Linky's three-pointer to take the lead, then iced the game down the stretch with some free throws.
"This is a very tough environment to play in," said Luers coach James Blackmon. "I thought we had ourselves in a good position. In the second half, we had a four-point lead, and then a couple calls put them (Warsaw) at the line. We had to look for quick shots and they dictated the tempo."
Neither team shot the ball particularly well, as Luers was 21 of 47 overall and 5 of 19 from three-point range and Warsaw was 21 of 50 overall and 6 of 18 from the arc.
The Tigers hit shots when they needed too, though, making 6 of 10 three-pointers and 11 of 15 free throws in the second half.
"I told the players before the game started, there's nothing less important than the score at halftime," said Ogle, whose team trailed 26-19 at halftime but outscored the Knights 41-24 in the second half. "Luers was well rested, and we played Tuesday night. I knew Luers would come out ready to go. In the second half, we got off to a great start. Justin Clemens made two (buckets) in a row and we got things going."
The Tigers outscored the Knights 24-10 in the third quarter, turning a seven-point deficit at halftime into a seven-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
"I told the guys I was proud of our effort," said Blackmon, whose team fell to 11-9 on the season. "Warsaw is a great team. We'll make adjustments, keep working hard and get ready for the tournament."
The Tigers improved to 16-2 overall with their ninth-straight win.
Warsaw's last loss came on Jan. 2 - 53-47 setback to Noblesville in the Super Hoops Classic at Purdue's Mackey Arena.
Since that six-point loss, Warsaw has played like a different team.
"Noblesville showed us the way," said Ogle, whose team has won 34 of its last 38 regular season games. "That Noblesville game showed us we have to be tougher, and be more patient. That game was a turning point for us. Noblesville was a senior team, and they showed us what we need to work on."
Since the loss to Noblesville, the Tigers have improved both on both ends of the floor.
Moore, senior Justin Clemens and sophomore Lucas Grose have all scored at least 28 points in a game this season.
And Warsaw's defensive effort, well, the Tigers held Thomas to a season-low 12 points Friday.
"We knew the game was going to be big-time," said Moore, who scored a game-high 25 points, pulled down seven rebounds and dished out five assists. "We knew there was going to be a lot of people here. Our crowd really helped us tonight."
Clemens added 14 points and five rebounds, while sophomore Jordyn Coon and Linky chipped in with eight points and four assists each.
Linky led Warsaw in steals with three, while Grose led the Tigers in rebounds with nine.
It was the second consecutive year Moore scored 25 points against Luers, as Warsaw beat the Knights 59-54 last year.
With a lot of attention surrounding his run at Damon Bailey's state scoring record of 3,134 points, Thomas was just 5 of 17 from the field Friday night.
Thomas, who pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds and dished out five assists, just three points in the first half. The majority of his points came in the fourth quarter, when he scored seven.
"Deshaun had good looks," said Blackmon. "Some nights it just doesn't go in."
Thomas, who selected to play in this year's McDonald's All-American Game, as well as the Jordan Brand Classic, now has 2,890 points in his career.
He needs 130 points to pass Marion Pierce and move into second on the state's career scoring list for boys, and 196 points to pass former Wawasee standout Shanna (Zolman) Crossley and move into second on the state's all-time list, counting boys and girls.
All the hype surrounding Thomas, though, and it was Linky, who now has 175 career points, that hit the game's biggest shot.
