First-quarter lead, three-point shooting push Tigers to 71-37 win
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Dale Hubler-dhubler@timesuniononline.com
Concerned how his team would play following Friday’s loss at conference frontrunner Northridge, the Warsaw Tigers showed coach Doug Ogle he had nothing to worry about Tuesday night. Hosting the Elkhart Central Blue Blazers, Warsaw raced out to a 16-point lead by the end of the first quarter, made 10 of 15 attempts from three-point range, had four players score in double figures and cruised to a 71-37 win. Worried before the game, Ogle was all smiles afterward. “I was concerned this could be a game we came out flat, had a bit of a hangover from the loss at Northridge,” said Ogle, whose team lost 58-56 in Middlebury on a last-second shot. “I tried to press upon the players that every opportunity to play an Indiana high school basketball game is important.” The Tigers apparently took that to heart. From the opening tip, they were aggressive on the defensive end and efficient on the offensive end. Forcing Central into a number of turnovers, Warsaw sped out to a 16-1 lead before the players even had a chance to break a sweat. The Tigers led 21-5 after one quarter of play, 34-12 at halftime and 49-30 at the end of the third quarter. “To get off to a start like we did was huge,” said Ogle, whose team extended its win streak over Central to 12 games. “I couldn’t have asked for a better start. We got on a roll. This game was an abberation in that Elkhart Central is not going to shoot that poorly and we’re not always going to shoot that well.” Central, which fell to 3-6 on the season, finished the game 11 of 41 from the field overall, 4 of 21 from the arc, and 11 of 18 at the charity stripe. The Tigers, now 8-3 on the season, were 23 of 42 overall, 10 of 15 from the arc, and 15 of 20 at the free throw line. Tim Swanson led the Tigers with a game-high 19 points. The sharp-shooting junior was 7 of 8 from the field overall and 4 of 5 from the arc. “He’s a good shooter,” Ogle said of Swanson. “He’s shot the ball well this season.” Junior Rashaan Jackson added 14 points, while seniors Jordan Stookey and Nate Pearl scored 13 and 11 points, respectively. Senior Moses Marandet, in his first season on the team, came off the bench to score five points and grab a game-high 10 rebounds, as Warsaw beat Central on the glass 34-20. “The sectional starts seven weeks from tonight,” said Ogle. “Nobody is flat-lining in the last seven weeks, they’re either getting better or getting worse. We’re trying to look like a basketball team.” Warsaw, the defending sectional champion, certainly looked and played the part Tuesday. Sophomore Langston Johnson led Central with nine points, while senior Tre Taylor added six points and sophomores Antwaan Allen and Clinton Parker chipped in with five points each. Continuing a stretch in which they will play four games in eight days, the Tigers host conference foe Goshen Friday, followed by a home game with Fort Wayne Snider Saturday. Central is in action again Friday when it hosts Mishawaka.
WARSAW 71, ELKHART CENTRAL 37 EC 5 7 18 7 – 37 W 21 13 15 22 – 71 Central – Antwaan Allen 2-5 1-2 5, Langston Johnson 3-9 0-0 9, Genoris Crawford 1-2 0-0 2, Treyton Harris 0-7 2-2 2, Jaron Walters 0-2 3-4 3, Cornell Conner 0-0 0-0 0, Tre Taylor 2-5 2-6 6, Clinton Parker 2-5 0-0 5, Shaneal Mackey 1-2 2-2 4, Isiah Coatie 0-0 1-2 1, Derald Gray 0-3 0-0 0, Josh Swanson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 11-41 11-18 37. Warsaw – Paul Marandet 0-2 0-0 0, Peyton Long 0-1 2-2 2, Cameron Hoskins 0-3 0-0 0, Nate Pearl 3-3 2-2 11, Tim Swanson 7-8 1-2 19, Jake Mangas 2-3 0-0 4, Moses Marandet 2-5 1-2 5, Jordan Stookey 4-11 4-4 13, Kyle Mangas 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 23-42 15-20 71. Three-pointers – Central 4 (Johnson 3, Parker), Warsaw 10 (Swanson 4, Pearl 3, Stookey, Jackson, K. Mangas); Rebounds – Central 20 (Parker 3, Coatie 3), Warsaw 34 (M. Marandet 10); Turnovers – Central 11, Warsaw 11; Fouls – Central 18, Warsaw 12; Fouled out – none; Records: Central 3-6, Warsaw 8-3 JV – Central 40, Warsaw 39 Warsaw (8-1) – Kyle Mangas 13, Evan Schmidt 7, Ben Linky 6, Luke Wilson 4, Tyler Packard 4, Xavier Lynch 3, Lucas Cone 2
