ELKHART - With the way Nic Moore played in the final three games of the regular season, Warsaw boys basketball coach Doug Ogle said the 5-foot-9 junior point guard vaulted himself into the conversation for next year's Mr. Basketball award.
His performance Saturday night against Elkhart Memorial in the championship game of Class 4A Sectional 4 at historic North Side Gym only punctuated it, Ogle said.After missing his first four shots and not scoring in the first quarter, Moore hit eight three-pointers and poured in a game-high 28 points, as the sixth-ranked Tigers held off the feisty Crimson Chargers 55-50.
"I said after the games Nic had against Fort Wayne Luers, Elkhart Central and Carroll that he vaulted himself into the discussion for Mr. Basketball 2011," said Ogle. "Tonight he punctuated it."
Moore found his shooting touch after missing his first four shots and made eight attempts in a row, including six-straight three-pointers, as Warsaw won its second sectional championship in the past three years and its third in the past five.
"I just kept moving and using the screens," said Moore, who had 24 points and 10 steals in Warsaw's 57-46 regular-season win over Elkhart Memorial on Feb. 5. "The coaches have been telling me to take the open three. We had to fight hard and battle, but we kept our poise."
The Tigers improved to 20-2 with their 13th-straight win, while the Crimson Chargers finished their season with a 15-9 record.
"We lost Nic four or five times, especially in the second half," said Elkhart Memorial coach Mark Barnhizer. "We didn't pick him up in transition and he made a couple baskets, and then he got open on the back side on some skip passes, but doggone he's going to get his points. He's a very savvy player and he knows how to get open."
Warsaw led 8-7 after the first quarter and the game was tied at 18 midway through the second quarter.
Big shots by Moore and his teammates, namely senior Justin Clemens and sophomore Jordyn Coon, helped the Tigers take a 39-24 advantage in the third quarter as they went on a 21-5 run.
Just when the game looked like a blowout, though, the Crimson Chargers put together an 11-0 and cut the deficit to three.
The teams battled back and forth through much of the fourth quarter, and Elkhart Memorial got as close as 51-50 when senior Michael Kibiloski scored with 2:01 remaining.
Warsaw scored the final four points of the game, a bucket and a pair of free throws by Coon, and went on to win the program's 37th sectional championship.
"Our theme tonight was toughness prevails, and it did prevail," said Ogle. "But hey, Elkhart Memorial on their home floor, they brought it, too. They played very well, and their defense on Nic Moore was very good. He just got it going, and when he shoots like that, he's very difficult to guard."
Barnhizer said he was proud of the way his team fought back against the sixth-ranked Tigers. In the end, the 14-point deficit in the third quarter was just too much to overcome, though sophomores Urston Smith and Todd Johnson did their best to keep the Crimson Chargers in the game.
"I thought we were effective in the second half once we figured some things out," said Barnhizer. "We played pretty well, except for a couple breakdowns. We got beat by a team that's probably about five points better than us."
Smith led Elkhart Memorial with 16 points, while Johnson chipped in with 15 points.
Senior Antonio Sanders added eight points, while Kibiloski finished the game with six points.
To go with Moore's 28 points, six rebounds and four assists, the Tigers got 14 points, six rebounds and three assists from Clemens and seven points and seven rebounds from Coon.
"Jordyn Coon was huge at the end of the game, and Justin Clemens has been a stellar leader for us," said Ogle. "Our guys made huge plays at the end of the game."
With Warsaw clinging to a 51-50 lead, the Crimson Chargers rebounded a missed three-pointer by Coon.
Coon made a backcourt steal, however, and scored to give the Tigers a three-point lead with 1:26 remaining.
Coon was fouled with 26 seconds left and converted both free throws to account for the final score.
Warsaw finished the game 20 of 45 (44 percent) from the field overall, 9 of 20 from three-point range, and 6 of 8 from the free throw line.
Elkhart Memorial was 19 of 45 (42 percent) from the field, 6 of 13 from the arc, and 6 of 7 from the charity stripe.
The Tigers will play in the Michigan City Regional Saturday, playing in the second semifinal game against either No. 7 Valparaiso (19-3) or Merrillville (19-3).
Because Merrillville's girls basketball team played in the state finals Saturday, the Valparaiso-Merrillville sectional championship game will be played tonight.
The first regional semifinal game at Michigan City will feature No. 4 Munster (23-2) and South Bend Washington (15-9).
WARSAW 55, ELKHART MEMORIAL 50
W 8 20 15 12 - 55
EM 7 12 19 12 - 50
Warsaw - Andy Conrad 1-1 0-0 2, Justin Clemens 6-10 2-2 14, Nic Moore 10-22 0-1 28, Jordyn Coon 2-5 2-2 7, Zack Linky 0-4 0-0 0, Lucas Grose 1-2 2-3 4, Jalen Roscoe 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-45 6-8 55.
E. Memorial - Todd Johnson 6-15 2-3 15, John Bloczynski 0-0 0-0 0, Jaron Davis 1-3 0-0 3, Markese McGuire 1-4 0-0 2, Urston Smith 5-7 2-2 16, Antonio Sanders 3-7 2-2 8, Michael Kibiloski 3-9 0-0 6. Totals 19-45 6-7 50.
Three-point goals - Warsaw 9 (Moore 8, Coon), Memorial 6 (Smith 4, Johnson, Davis). Rebounds - Warsaw 31 (Coon 7), Memorial 23 (Kibiloski 7). Turnovers - Warsaw 15, Memorial 12. Fouls - Warsaw 11, Memorial 16. Fouled out - McGuire. Records: Warsaw 20-2, Memorial 15-9
