What looked on paper to be a pretty good matchup between Kosciusko County and Northern Lakes Conference rivals turned into blowout on the court Friday night. In the NLC opener for both teams, the host Warsaw Tigers used a stingy defense and a balanced offense as they beat the Wawasee Warriors 72-52 in high school boys basketball action. "Overall, this was our best defensive effort of the season, especially when you consider Wawasee came in averaging almost 80 points per game," said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle, whose team improved to 5-1 overall. "Our defense was the star of the game tonight." Averaging 79.4 points per game through five games, Wawasee struggled mightily against the Tigers, scoring just nine points over the first 10 minutes of the game. The Warriors finished Friday's conference clash 16 of 48 (33 percent) from the field overall and 4 of 25 from three-point range. "Our biggest problem was we weren't able to hit shots," said Wawasee coach Phil Mishler, whose team fell to 5-1 on the season. "We score a lot because of our defense, and we weren't able to get that going." Senior Lucas Grose led Warsaw with 22 points, while classmate Jordyn Coon added 15, junior Jared Bloom scored 14 and senior Kevin West chipped in with a career-high 10 points. "They're solid all around," Mishler said of the Tigers. "It could have been worse if Warsaw shot better. They're a solid team. They all know their roles, and they play well together." The Tigers were 26 of 51 (51 percent) from the field overall, 3 of 7 from the arc, and 17 of 24 at the free throw line. Wawasee wasn't didn't have near the balance in the scoring column, as standout junior Jacob Thompson scored a game-high 30 points – albeit on 28 shots. Thompson, who scored 12 of his team's first 14 points, made 11 of the Warriors' 16 field goals in the game. Senior Bauer Schmeltz scored eight points, while classmate Jake Clark chipped in with six points. No other Wawasee player scored more than three points. "I thought our effort and our communication on defense was the best it's been," said Ogle, whose team made 10 steals and outrebounded Wawasee 35-27. "We played well on defense, and we got a lot of contributions from different guys." The Tigers, who have now won 21 of their last 23 conference games, led 16-9 after one quarter of play, 31-21 at halftime and 50-33 at the end of the third quarter. Leading 42-33, Warsaw closed the third quarter with an 8-0 run that was sparked by a Grose dunk and capped by a Bloom three-pointer. The 6-foot-6 Grose added another dunk in the fourth quarter, this time giving the Tigers a 65-47 lead with 1:57 remaining. Grose scored 16 of his team-high 22 points in the second half. "I thought Justin Fick did a heck of a job on Grose in the first half," said Mishler. "Grose got us in the second half when Fick got in foul trouble. I'd credit Fick for staying with him in the first half." Wawasee turned the ball over 17 teams, paving the way for 20 Warsaw points. The Tigers were guilty of 14 turnovers, which the Warriors were only able to turn into six points. Wawasee is in action again Tuesday when it hosts Columbia City. The Tigers host Triton Tuesday. "I liked the crowd tonight," Ogle said of the atmosphere. "We had a big crowd here tonight that was ready for basketball. I hope we have a big crowd again Tuesday night."
