Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SYRACUSE - Wawasee's varsity boys basketball team made sure there was no upset this year.
A state-ranked Warrior team went to North Manchester last season and fell to the Squires 55-46.
Wawasee more than made up for last year's loss with a 68-26 throttling of Manchester Saturday night at the Hardwood Tepee at Wawasee High School.
The Warriors used a 16-0 run that stretched from the end of the first quarter until latter stages of the second quarter to essentially put the contest out of reach.
Once Manchester finally got on the board in the second quarter with two free throws by senior Matt Walker with 1:08 left in the half, the Warriors quickly responded as junior Andrew Mock nailed a three pointer as time expired to send Wawasee into the half with a 32-12 halftime lead.
Mock scored 10 points in the first half to help lead the way for the Warriors.
The only time Manchester challenged the Warriors was for a minute span in the first quarter as the Squires went on a quick 8-0 run.
Manchester's Daniel Bourne hit two free throws with 2:17 left in the first quarter. Bourne then hit a three-pointer on the Squires' ensuing possession. On the following inbounds for Wawasee Aaron Medley picked off the pass and turned the steal into an old-fashioned three-point play.
The quick spurt drew the Squires to within a basket at 13-10 with 1:15 left in the opening quarter.
Joe Leach then hit a three pointer to push Wawasee's lead to six and kick-start the Warriors eight-minute scoring run.
Leach finished with a game-high 14 points and four rebounds and impressed with some athletic plays on offense.
"Joe really stands out with his athleticism," said Wawasee head coach Phil Mishler. "Playing with strong fundamentals allows that athleticism to stand out though."
The Warriors looked fundamentally sound against Manchester as they committed just eight turnovers while forcing Manchester into 14.
Wawasee also helped itself by shooting 20 of 33 (61 percent) from the field and 7 of 13 (54 percent) from beyond the three-point arc.
The Warriors also looked sharp despite being just 24 hours out of a tough 69-63 loss to Northern Lakes Conference rival Elkhart Memorial.
"It was nice to see that focus right from the get go," said Mishler. "We were able to come in and not have that letdown."
Conversely, the Squires were flat from the tipoff and looked lost offensively most of the time.
Manchester managed to shoot just 23 percent from the field and if it weren't for Bourne, would have lost by more than 42 points.
Bourne scored 19 of the Squires 26 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
Rounding out the scoring for Manchester was Aaron Medley with three and Walker and Wesley Penrod with two.
Mock finished with 12 points while Lance Zimmerman ended with 11 and six rebounds. The Warriors outrebounded Manchester 26-14.
Barry Singrey came off the Warrior bench to score eight points while Michael Conrad and Brandon Geiger each ended with six.
Rounding out the scoring for Wawasee was John Adams with five, Ross Stichter with four and Nick Richardson with two.
Manchester falls to 2-9 on the season and returns to Three Rivers conference action Friday when it hosts Rochester at 7:45 p.m.
Wawasee ups its record to 9-3 on the year and travels to Plymouth Friday for a NLC clash with the Pilgrims at 7:45 p.m.
WAWASEE 68, MANCH 26
Manchester 10 2 4 10 - 26
Wawasee 16 16 18 18 - 68
Manchester FG FT R S Pts.
*Briner 0-2 0-0 0 0 0
*Bourne 6-10 6-8 2 1 19
*W. Penrod 1-4 0-0 4 1 2
*Evans 0-5 0-1 0 0 0
*Medley 1-4 1-4 1 0 3
Walker 0-3 2-4 4 0 2
Cable 0-3 0-0 1 1 0
Smith 0-2 0-0 1 0 0
S. Penrod 0-2 0-0 1 0 0
Totals 8-35 9-17 14 3 26
Wawasee FG FT R S Pts.
*Mock 5-8 0-2 0 0 12
*Conrad 2-6 0-0 4 4 6
*Leach 6-8 0-0 4 1 14
*Geiger 1-2 4-6 3 0 6
*Zimmerman 4-5 3-4 6 0 11
Singrey 1-2 6-7 2 0 8
Adams 0-0 5-6 6 0 5
Richardson 0-0 2-2 1 1 2
Stichter 1-1 1-2 0 0 4
Amadeo 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 20-33 21-29 26 6 68
Three-point goals - Manchester 1-12 (Bourne 1-3), Wawasee 7-13 (Mock 2-4, Conrad 2-6, Leach 2-2, Stichter 1-1). Turnovers - Manchester 14, Wawasee 8. Fouls - Manchester 21, Wawasee 14. Fouled out - None.
JV -ÊWawasee 40, Manchester 24
