Though they didn’t get off to an ideal start, the Warsaw Tigers were able to finish Friday’s game in fine fashion. Hosting the Goshen Redskins in Northern Lakes Conference boys basketball action, Warsaw overcame a 10-0 first-quarter deficit, made 19 of 23 free throw attempts in the second half and left the Tiger Den with a 48-41 win. Warsaw, which has never lost to Goshen in the current Tiger Den, improved to 9-3 overall this season and 2-1 in the NLC, while the Redskins fell to 4-7 and 0-3. “I told our players Goshen would play well,” said Ogle. “I knew they’d be disappointed with how they played against Concord. Pride still matters to them. We didn’t get off to a great start, but we didn’t mash the panic button. I thought we were pretty poised.” The Tigers drew within 14-7 after one quarter of play, 17-15 at halftime and were tied with the Redskins 29-29 at the end of the third quarter. Getting the ball in the paint, which led to buckets by Jake Mangas or to free throws, Warsaw was able to pull away by as many as seven points in the fourth quarter. “Warsaw made adjustments,” said Goshen coach Brian Bechtel, whose team was in search of the program’s first win in Warsaw since 1988. “They got the ball in creases and we didn’t find them. Warsaw did a good job of finding Mangas. He hit some shots, and they got to the free throw line. We couldn’t get to the line, and that made the difference tonight.” The Tigers didn’t get to the charity stripe in the first half, but their 19-of-23 effort in the second half was certainly better than Goshen’s 5-of-10 performance at the stripe for the whole game. Jordan Stookey, who was 8 of 9 at the free throw line, led the Tigers with a game-high 19 points, while Mangas added 11 and Nate Pearl chipped in with 10. “Stookey’s improvement has been drastic,” said Ogle. “I thought he was the best player on the floor tonight. He made a lot of plays. He played like a senior leader. I’m appreciative of the way he played tonight.” Austin Woolett led Goshen with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Deric Haynes chipped in with 11 points and Jack Gingerich finished with seven points and four assists. Because of knee surgery, Goshen was again playing without sophomore guard Brady Bechtel, whom Ogle said was the Redskins’ best player. Despite the seven-point loss, the elder Becthel said his team played as well as it has in a while. “That’s what we’ve been looking for all year,” he said. “We came out and played with a lot of energy.” With the win, the Tigers remain in a tie for second place in the NLC. Northridge, which beat Warsaw last week and handed NorthWood its first conference loss Friday, and Elkhart Memorial are alone atop the league at 3-0. Warsaw, NorthWood and Concord are 2-1, while Goshen, Plymouth and Wawasee are 0-3. The Tigers are in action again tonight when they host Fort Wayne Snider (7-4) in a non-conference battle. “Snider will be the best team we’ve played to date,” said Ogle. “No offense to the other team’s we’ve played, but Snider is long and good.” Goshen will try and snap its four-game losing streak Friday when hosts NorthWood.
WARSAW 48, GOSHEN 41 G 14 3 12 12 – 41 W 7 8 14 19 – 48 Goshen – Alex Haney 1-1 0-0 2, Jack Gingerich 3-7 0-0 7, Deric Haynes 4-12 1-2 11, Isaac Huerta 1-5 0-0 2, Alex Hartsough 1-2 0-0 3, D.J. Ambrose 1-1 0-0 2, Austin Woolett 5-8 4-8 14. Totals 16-36 5-10 41. Warsaw – Paul Marandet 0-1 1-2 1, Peyton Long 0-0 0-0 0, Cameron Hoskins 0-0 0-0 0, Nate Pearl 2-4 4-4 10, Tim Swanson 2-3 0-0 6, Jake Mangas 3-5 5-6 11, Moses Marandet 0-0 0-0 0, Jordan Stookey 5-8 8-9 19, Rashaan Jackson 0-1 1-2 1. Totals 12-22 19-23 48. Three-pointers – Goshen 4 (Haynes 2, Gingerich, Hartsough), Warsaw 5 (Pearl 2, Swanson 2, Stookey); Rebounds – Goshen 17 (Woolett 7), Warsaw 19 (P. Marandet 4, Stookey 4); Turnovers – Goshen 10, Warsaw 13; Fouls – Goshen 16, Warsaw 10; Fouled out – none; Records: Goshen 4-7 (0-3 NLC), Warsaw 9-3 (2-1 NLC) JV – Warsaw 34, Goshen 17 Warsaw (9-1) – Jeremy David 8, Luke Wilson 8, Kyle Mangas 6, Lucas Cone 4, Tyler Murphy 4, Evan Schmidt 2, Matt Anthony 2
