Mangas hits game-winner in 38-35 victory over Elkhart Central
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Dale Hubler-dhubler@timesuniononline.com
ELKHART – Fearless. That one word, said coach Doug Ogle, was the motto of the Class 4A No. 5 Tigers during the sectional at North Side Gym. It certainly described them during Saturday’s championship game against the Elkhart Central Blue Blazers, particularly senior Paul Marandet and junior Kyle Mangas. In a low-scoring game that featured six ties and three lead changes, Warsaw’s dynamic duo embraced the moment, and because of that they were able to hoist the hardware after a thrilling 38-35 win. Marandet was 4 of 6 from the field and 7 of 7 at the free throw line, including four clutch charity tosses in the final 35 seconds, and finished with game-highs of 15 points and five rebounds. Mangas, who was 5 of 7 from the field and 3 of 4 at the line, scored the game-winning basket with 1.6 seconds left, added a free throw to complete the old-fashioned three-point play, and then stole Central’s inbound pass for good measure. Mangas finished the game with 13 points, two assists and a pair of steals, as the Tigers improved to 23-1 this season and won their 39th sectional title in program history. The Blue Blazers, who beat Goshen 68-40 in Friday’s sectional semifinal and entered the title tilt with an 11-1 record at home, finished the season 16-8. “Our theme this week was fearless,” said Ogle, whose team also beat Central 49-35 on Jan. 30 in the Tiger Den. “Elkhart Central played really well, I mean really well. Heck of a second half by them. I thought we had control at halftime, we were up by seven. They just kept chipping away at us, and then we just kind of fell apart against the trap and turned the ball over several times, which they converted all of them into layups. “But, Riley Rhoades made free throws, Paul Marandet made free throws, and that’s what won the game for us, our free throw shooting.” Warsaw was 12 of 14 from the free throw line in the win, including a 10-of-11 effort in the fourth quarter. The Tigers, who led 22-15 at halftime and 26-22 at the end of the third quarter, made just one field goal in the final frame – Mangas’ game-winner. Marandet made two free throws to give Warsaw a 35-32 lead with 15 seconds remaining. Central tied it on a three-pointer from senior Langston Johnson with 6.1 seconds left, and then Mangas went into attack mode. Mangas took the inbound pass, drove the length of the floor and put up a contested shot while drawing enough contact for the officials to call a foul. His shot fell, as did the ensuing free throw, and then he intercepted Central’s inbound pass. And just like that, Mangas etched his name among the greats in Warsaw’s lengthy tournament storybook. “Coach Ogle wanted me to drive and create something or get the ball to someone open,” said the soft-spoken and humble Mangas. “I saw an opening and just kept going to the basket.” Mangas has played with that type of fearless nature all season, and Ogle believes his standout guard is among the best in the state. “Kyle Mangas, if he’s not a core-six Junior All-Star, I don’t know what’s going on,” he said. Both teams were 13 of 23 from the field overall. Central was 3 of 6 from the arc, while Warsaw was 0 of 3. The Tigers were 12 of 14 at the free throw line, while the Blue Blazers were 6 of 9. Junior Cornell Connor led Central with 11 points, while junior Adonis Brown and Johnson scored six points each. The Blue Blazers, who were looking for their first sectional title since 2003, won 16 games this season after winning a total of 16 games the past three seasons. By holding Central to 35 points Saturday, the Tigers have held their last nine opponents to 40 or fewer points. In 24 games this season, only five teams have scored more than 45 points against the Tigers. Up next for Warsaw is an 11 a.m. EDT regional semifinal against South Bend Riley (22-5) Saturday at Michigan City High School. Riley advanced by beating Plymouth 60-54 in the title game of the Plymouth Sectional. East Chicago Central (18-5) and Crown Point (18-8) play in the second regional semifinal. The regional championship game is slated for 8:30 p.m. EDT Saturday, with the winner advancing to a one-game semistate on March 19 that will be hosted by either Lafayette Jeff or Huntington North. “The past two seasons, we were upset (by a 6-win Concord team) last year, and the year before we got beat on a tip-in before the buzzer (by Goshen),” said Marandet. “I didn’t want to lose. I love these guys. I wanna keep playing with these guys. We’ve got four more to go.”
WARSAW 38, ELKHART CENTRAL 35 War 7 15 4 12 – 38 EC 7 8 7 13 – 35 Warsaw – Kyle Mangas 5-7 3-4 13, Paul Marandet 4-6 7-7 15, Riley Rhoades 1-2 2-2 4, Jeremy David 2-4 0-1 4, Ross Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Jaceb Burish 0-0 0-0 0, Braxton Minix 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-23 12-14 38. Central – Jordan Bolton 0-0 0-0 0, Langston Johnson 2-3 0-0 6, Adam DeShone 1-3 0-0 3, Cornell Connor 4-8 3-6 11, Adonis Brown 2-3 2-2 6, Clinton Parker 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 13-23 6-9 35. Three-pointers – Warsaw 0, Central 3 (Johnson 2, DeShone 2); Rebounds – Warsaw 15 (Marandet 5), Central 9 (Allen 4); Turnovers – Warsaw 7, Central 10; Fouls – Warsaw 11, Central 14; Fouled out – Parker; Records: Warsaw 23-1, Central 16-8
