Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SYRACUSE - For the Wawasee Warriors, it was Senior Night and the last game of the regular season. Ryan Mikel and Chad Fisher were playing their last game at the Hardwood Tepee and head coach Jerry Davis wanted those two to go out in style.
"The game plan was send our seniors out on a winning note," Davis said. "We are a very tight-knit bunch. I talked to them all week about sending our kids out on a positive note."
Sure enough, Wawasee did just that in its 61-53 victory over the Westview Warriors Friday.
Wawasee won on the strength of balanced scoring. Jay Haugh led the way with 16 points, Brody Stipp added 15 points, and Mikel threw in 14. Mikel also dished out a team-high four assists, grabbed three rebounds, and got two steals in his final regular season game for Wawasee.
However, Wawasee did not have a walk in the park. It trailed 35-32 heading into the final eight minutes, and then things got a bit crazy.
Trailing 35-34, Wawasee's Jared Mahnensmith picked up his fourth foul. After Haugh knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at 37-37, Stipp hit a pair of free throws to put Wawasee ahead. Ten seconds later, Haugh picked up his fourth personal foul.
Strapped by foul trouble, Wawasee let Westview tie the score at 39-39. Stipp then converted a three-point play, but in the battle underneath, Westview senior guard Marion Hostetler came up limping.
On the next play, Brad Brown stole an errant pass and hit an easy layup, but Westview's other guard, Eric Yoder, came up hurt.
Wawasee led 44-39 and springboarded to a 54-41 lead with the guards on the bench. Wawasee hit its free throws down the stretch, 18 of 19 overall in the final quarter, to seal the victory despite four three-pointers in a one-minute span by Westview.
"We knew that Westview is a very good basketball team," Davis said. "They are very well coached. They get as much out of their kids as anybody."
Coach Davis also praised the often unheralded Brad Brown and his five points and two steals.
"I thought the play of Brad Brown was just tremendous. He was the biggest spark and the biggest turn around in the whole thing. He did exactly what we needed to have done, and that's his forte."
Westview was led by Hostetler. He scored 18 points before his injury forced him to leave. Eric Yoder added seven assists in the loss. Kevin Miller also poured in 17 points.
In the opening half, both teams were content to hold the ball for as long as they had to until an open shot was created. Wawasee did not turn the ball over in the first quarter and did not commit a foul. Those factors contributed to Wawasee's 18-11 lead through eight minutes.
In the second quarter, each team took just six shots, hitting three of them. Westview cut the lead to 20-19, but Wawasee ended the half strong and went into the break with a 25-21 advantage.
Wawasee shot 56 percent in the first half to control the tempo and hold the lead. Westview was not far behind, though, as it shot 53 percent.
In the third quarter, Mahnensmith knocked down one of his three three-pointers to get the lead to 30-23. But Westview ran off 10 straight points on a pair of three-pointers and two lay-ups to take a three point lead into the final quarter.
"I'm really pleased for them and all that they did," Davis said. "At this time in the year, we need to have those things happening and we have people doing those things. This gives us some confidence. We've been playing well for the last five weeks. We haven't always won, but we've been getting progressively better."
Wawasee (7-13) meets Culver Military in the bye game of the Warsaw Sectional on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
