Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
PLYMOUTH -Ê"We seem to be snakebit right now as far as injuries go," said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle after Tuesday night's 55-51 Northern Lakes Conference Tournament semifinal win over Concord in Plymouth.
After losing Dan Gensinger to a knee injury earlier this season and Michael Wienhorst to a knee injury Saturday in the Wawasee game, the Tigers lost yet another player last night. Ryan Schultz left Tuesday's game in the second quarter with what seemed to be an ankle injury. He did not return to the game, and Ogle says Schultz won't play Friday. That means three of Warsaw's top six players will be watching games from the sidelines for the next few weeks.
"Schultz may have broken his tibia," said Ogle. "Now we are down to seven guys. Gensinger had arthroscopic surgery on Christmas Eve and he is out three to five weeks. Wienhorst was going to be out two to four weeks, now it's four to six weeks. And Schultz, we just don't know."
Despite the absence of those players, the Tigers faced the challenge head-on and picked up the win over Concord to advance to the NLC Tournament Championship game against Plymouth Friday night in Warsaw.
Concord netted the first basket of the game when Shawntes Gary connected under the basket less than 30 second into the first quarter.
That lead did not last long as Warsaw's Mike Moore and Schultz put up back-to-back three-pointers to give Warsaw a 6-2 advantage.
The Tigers held that lead through the rest of the first frame and held a 19-13 lead going into the second frame.
Adam Griggs and Todd Braddock extended Warsaw's lead to 10 by hitting back-to-back baskets to open the scoring in the second quarter and make the score 23-13.
But Concord stayed with it. At the 4:50 mark, Shawntes Gary slammed the ball through the hoop for his first of three dunks on the night. Dairese Gary followed with another basket, and Shawntes Gary completed his second dunk of the night to make the score 25-21 with 3:38 left in the first half.
Griggs stopped the Concord run with a bucket at the 2:17 mark, and another trey by Schultz put Warsaw in control 31-24 at the half.
After the halftime break, Concord returned to the court ready to play. Tim Dawson and Shawntes Gary hit the first two baskets of the quarter to cut Warsaw's lead to three, 31-28. Then the Minutemen outscored the Tigers 5-1 in the final 5:10 of the third frame to make it a one-point game going into the final quarter of play, 34-33.
At the 7:39 mark, Shawntes Gary's third dunk of the night gave Concord its first lead since his game-opening basket, 35-34.
A three-pointer by Jared Shriner followed by a basket by Brandon Tepe put Concord up 40-34, but Warsaw clawed its way back.
Braddock aced two free throws and Griggs netted a three-pointer to slice Concord's lead to one, 40-39, with 4:58 still showing on the clock.
A steal by Andrew Holladay led to a Mark Sherman basket at the 3:21 mark, restoring Warsaw's lead, 45-44.
The Tigers led from that point on, outscoring Concord 9-7 in the final two minutes of play to pick up the 55-51 win.
"I am thrilled with how we played in a difficult situation tonight," said Ogle.
Moore led the Tigers with 18 points, while Griggs added 16.
Warsaw improves to 7-2 overall, while Concord falls to 5-2 on the season. The Tigers take on Plymouth Friday night in the championship game of the NLC Tournament. The game tips off after the conclusion of the girls championship game, also between Warsaw and Plymouth.
Northern Lakes Conference Tournament
WARSAW 55, CONCORD 51
Warsaw 19 12 3 21 - 55
Concord 13 11 9 19 - 51
Warsaw FG FT R S Pts.
Schultz 3-3 0-0 2 1 9
Griggs 7-14 0-0 3 0 16
Moore 6-15 4-5 7 1 18
Braddock 3-5 2-3 3 3 8
Sherman 1-3 0-0 3 1 2
Holladay 0-1 2-4 2 3 2
Allison 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Conley 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 20-41 8-12 20 6 55
Concord FG FT R S Pts.
Shriner 1-8 0-0 6 1 3
Tepe 4-6 3-3 5 2 11
Dawson 1-1 0-1 0 1 2
D. Gary 5-7 0-0 1 2 10
S. Gary 8-21 2-2 8 1 18
Marion 1-4 1-2 0 0 6
Jackson 0-0 1-2 1 0 1
Totals 20-47 7-10 21 7 51
Three-point goals -ÊWarsaw 7-15 (Schults 3-3, Griggs 2-5, Moore 2-6, Braddock 0-1), Concord 2-12 (Shriner 1-7, D. Gary 0-1, S. Gary 0-2, Marion 1-2).
Other semifinal game -ÊPlymouth 50, Northridge 49
