MISHAWAKA - A game in which Warsaw's varsity boys basketball team could have come out tired and sluggish, the young and energetic Tigers beat host Penn 59-49 Saturday evening.
After falling 73-70 in a triple-overtime marathon of a game Friday in Rochester, the Tigers sprinted out to a 13-4 lead over the Kingsmen in the first quarter and led by at least seven points through the entire fourth quarter as they halted a two-game skid and improved to 3-2 on the season."Even though we lost the Rochester game, I thought we became a more battle-hardened team," said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle. "I was happy with the way we competed tonight. We battled through some adversity and got contributions from a lot of different people."
Warsaw freshman guard Nic Moore led all scorers with a career-high 21 points, 12 of which came in the first half as the Tigers led 13-9 after the first quarter and 29-22 at intermission.
The 5-foot-8 Moore, who hit 3 of 4 three-pointers, also dished out four assists and made four steals.
Junior Ryne Robinson chipped in with 11 points, including a 9-of-9 effort from the free throw line in the second half.
As a team, the Tigers hit 17 of 20 free throws in the win. Warsaw was 13 of 15 from the charity stripe in the second half. Penn converted 18 of 28 free throws in the loss.
Warsaw also got key contributions from sophomores Justin Clemens and Andy Conrad.
Clemens entered Saturday's game having scored 19 points through the first four game. The 6-3 frontliner upped his average by scoring 11 points against the Kingsmen. He also ripped down nine rebounds.
Conrad, making his first varsity start, scored just four points but pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds before fouling out. He also dished out two assists and made a steal.
"Nic Moore played pretty well tonight, so did Justin Clemens and Ryne Robinson," said Ogle, whose team kicked off the first of three consecutive two-game weekends. "We made some big shots and hit some big free throws. Andy Conrad's 10 rebounds were big."
For the Kingsmen, junior Tommy Kurth scored a team-high 12 points, while classmate Matt Price scored nine points and sophomore Chris Chaffee and senior Ryan Choiniere scored eight points each.
Asked after the game if he thought his team's conditioning might be a concern after the triple-overtime game the night before, Ogle said he knew his team would be tired. The sixth-year coach said his team's Saturday morning workout was very light.
While Warsaw's players may have in fact been tired, there were no visible signs of it.
The Tigers, a team with no seniors, simply went out and got the job done.
Penn, which had just eight players in uniform Saturday night, fell to 2-2 on the season.
Warsaw is in action again Friday when it hosts rival Wawasee to open the Northern Lakes Conference schedule. Friday's contest will be the first of four consecutive home games for the Tigers, who host Elkhart Central Saturday.
