SYRACUSE – Wawasee’s varsity boys basketball team trailed Northern Lakes Conference foe NorthWood by eight points after the first quarter Friday night, and that proved to be the difference in the game. NorthWood, which led 13-5 at the end of the first quarter, left Syracuse with a 52-44 win over the host Warriors. The Panthers, who have won their last four meetings and six of the seven against Wawasee, improved to 8-0 overall and 2-0 in the NLC this season. With its third-straight loss this season, Wawasee fell to 1-8 overall and 0-2 in conference play. NorthWood led 23-18 at halftime and 32-24 after three quarters of play. Senior Zach Zurcher led the Panthers with a game-high 25 points, while classmate Jonathan Wilkinson chipped in with 14 points. For Wawasee, junior Alex Clark led the way with 17 points, while classmate Gage Reinhard added 13 points. NorthWood is in action again Tuesday when it travels to New Prairie. Wawasee hosts conference foe Elkhart Memorial Friday.
