ELKHART – In the words of Warsaw boys basketball coach Doug Ogle, winning conference games on the road isn’t easy. The Tigers were reminded of that Thursday night in a 46-39 victory over the Elkhart Memorial Crimson Chargers at historic North Side Gym. Though they shot 65 percent from the field, turned the ball over just five times and only gave up 39 points, the Class 4A No. 4 Tigers needed a 13-0 run in the second half to improve to 18-0 overall and 6-0 in the Northern Lakes Conference. After leading 25-23 at halftime, Warsaw, guaranteed of at least a share of the conference title, found itself trailing 32-28 when Memorial scored with 2:36 remaining in the third quarter. The Tigers, who give up an average of just 40 points per game, tightened up their defense and went on a 13-0 run, ultimately saving their chances at a second-straight undefeated conference season. Despite being held scoreless for more than eight minutes in the second half, Memorial still had a chance to pull off the upset. Warsaw junior Kyle Mangas, however, made 3 of 4 attempts at the free throw line in the final 22 seconds of the seven-point win. “They shot well, really well,” Ogle said of the Crimson Chargers, who fell to 4-14 overall and 2-4 in the NLC. “I told the players before the game that we can expect that Memorial will play better than a four-win team ... and don’t be surprised if they shoot well. “They shot well, especially in the first half. They were 5 of 8 (on three-pointers). We adjusted a little bit, but at the start of the second half we pinched again when we said we weren’t gonna do that, and they got a three right out of the gate, which is annoying. “But I thought Memorial was very patient ... they got a lot of reversals and spread us out, they shot well, and that made it a lower-possession game.” Memorial finished the game 15 of 30 from the field overall, 7 of 16 from the arc, and 2 of 4 at the charity stripe. They didn’t win the game, but against an undefeated Warsaw team that features one of the best backcourt duos in the state in Mangas and senior Paul Marandet, the Crimson Chargers certainly didn’t look like a four-win team. “The coaching staff, we talked about it and discussed it, and we thought that kind of gave us the best chance of staying in the game, and being right there, and hopefully having a chance,” Memorial coach Kyle Sears said of his team’s methodical approach in Thursday’s game. “After that, it comes down to kids making plays, and Warsaw made the plays at the end, and that’s why they won the game. Our guys played their hearts out and put themselves in a great position, but credit Warsaw, they made the plays at the end of the game.” Marandet played like the three-year starter that he is, as he finished the game 4 of 5 from the field overall and 2 of 3 at the free throw line. Marandet finished the game with 10 points and six assists, while classmate Riley Rhoades scored 10 points, pulled down seven boards and dished out three assists. Mangas scored eight points, five in the fourth quarter, while senior Evan Schmidt and sophomore Ross Johnson scored seven and six points, respectively, in the win. Junior Jeremy David made both of his attempts from the field, as well as his only attempt at the charity stripe, rounding out Warsaw’s offensive output with five points. “I thought Riley Rhoades played well, really well,” said Ogle. “Paul was solid again. They were playing a triangle-and-2, chasing Paul and Kyle. “In the first half, we made 9 out of 13 shots. We only had like three turnovers in the first half. We didn’t play bad offensively. I didn’t think Memorial could make 5 out of 8 threes again in the second half, and they ended up making 2 out of 8, so they didn’t shoot as well in the second half. “I thought Paul was pretty good tonight, he was pretty steady. I told our players, road conference games are never easy. We didn’t play bad, Memorial just played well.” Senior A.J. Gary led Memorial with a game-high 19 points, while classmate Jon Bailey and freshman Hank Smith scored nine and eight points, respectively. Thursday’s game marked the 11th time this season Warsaw has held an opponent under 40 points. The Tigers close the NLC portion of their schedule next Friday when they host the Plymouth Pilgrims. Memorial plays at NorthWood the same night. Plymouth and NorthWood are both currently 5-1 in the NLC. “It’s in the Tiger Den ... I’m expecting a big crowd,” Ogle said of his team’s game with Plymouth. “What we’re trying to do, to run the table twice in a row in the conference, is pretty special. I don’t know when that has been done. I know we won the conference Nic Moore’s junior and senior year, but the second year we lost a game. I haven’t researched it, but to run the table two years in the NLC would be a nice accomplishment.”
WARSAW 46, ELKHART MEMORIAL 39 War 13 12 9 12 – 46 EM 9 14 9 7 – 39 Warsaw – Kyle Mangas 2-5 3-6 8, Paul Marandet 4-5 2-3 10, Riley Rhoades 5-7 0-0 10, Jeremy David 2-2 1-1 5, Ross Johnson 2-5 0-0 6, Jaceb Burish 0-0 0-0 0, Evan Schmidt 2-2 1-3 7. Totals 17-26 7-13 46. Memorial – Hank Smith 3-7 0-0 8, A.J. Gary 7-12 2-2 19, Mytchell Sellers 0-0 0-0 0, Joe Smith 0-3 0-0 0, Jon Bailey 4-7 0-2 9, Michael O’Toole 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 15-30 2-4 39. Three-pointers – Warsaw 5 (Johnson 2, Schmidt 2, Mangas), Memorial 7 (Gary 3, H. Smith 2, Bailey, O’Toole); Rebounds – Warsaw 18 (Rhoades 7), Memorial 12 (Gary 5); Turnovers – Warsaw 5, Memorial 2; Fouls – Warsaw 6, Memorial 13; Fouled out – none; Records: Warsaw 18-0 (6-0 NLC), Memorial 4-14 (2-4 NLC) JV – Warsaw 53, Memorial 42 Warsaw – Landen Ferber 12, Jack Rhoades 12, Zach Riley 9, Asher Blum 7, Kyle Skeans 5, Shane Powers 4, Tristan Frye 4
