Tigers Upset 2A No. 1 WestviewIn more ways than one, Saturday night’s JV game between the Warsaw Tigers and visiting Westview Warriors served as a warmup for the varsity contest.
The JV?game was played first, as always, and Warsaw’s thrilling 47-46 win was just a sign of things to come.
In the nightcap, the host Tigers and 2A No. 1 Westview battled through 17 lead changes and 10 ties, with neither team holding a lead of more than five points, before Warsaw pulled out a 50-47 victory.
A game that featured buzzer beaters in the first and second quarters – Westview’s Charlie Yoder hit a three-pointer to close the opening quarter, and Warsaw’s Nolan Groninger scored just before halftime – went down to the wire in front of a lively crowd.
After a bucket by Yoder cut Warsaw’s lead to 49-47 with just a tick under eight seconds remaining, the Tigers were whistled for a five-second call while trying to inbound the ball.
Six-foot-4 Westview senior Elijah Hales shot with three seconds remaining, a bucket that would have tied the game, but his attempt was blocked by 6-4 Warsaw sophomore Luke Adamiec.
Adamiec gathered the rebound from his block, was fouled, and then hit one of two free throws at the other end with eight-tenths of a second left to account for the final score.
Adamiec, who came off the bench to score a career-high nine points, made the first attempt from the charity stripe and missed the second.
The Warriors, who fell to 7-1 with the loss, rebounded Adamiec’s miss and called timeout.
The officials initially left the court and called the game complete, but eventually put fourth-tenths of a second on the clock.
Westview inbounded the ball and Yoder’s desperation heave was off the mark, as the Tigers improved to 4-0 at home this season and 6-3 overall.
Warsaw has won four of its last five games and heads into Christmas break with plenty of momentum on its side.
“Great way to go into Christmas break,” said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle. “I thought we competed well tonight.
“It certainly wasn’t always textbook execution offensively. They had 17 turnovers, we had 18, so that was kind of a wash. I thought our defense on Charlie Yoder was big. He got 16 points, but I think six or seven of them were late in the game. I thought we guarded him well.
“Making our free throws was really big, too. We got some big rebounds late. I thought Adamiec did a good job. He’s a sophomore. That’s his best game.
“That’s just a good win for our guys, for our confidence, to beat a team like Westview. I know they’re 2A, but they’re a very, very good basketball team. I have a lot of respect for (coach) Rob Yoder and their guys.”
Westview led 13-11 after one quarter of play, while Warsaw led 25-25 at halftime, and the Warriors led again at 34-33 heading into the final eight minutes.
The Tigers shot 17 of 35 (49 percent) from the field overall, 3 of 10 from the three-point arc, and 13 of 15 at the free throw line.
Westview finished the game 17 of 42 (41 percent) overall, 2 of 12 from the arc, and 11 of 12 at the stripe.
Warsaw made 9 of 10 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter, including a 4-of-4 effort by senior Trevor Rumple, who tallied six points off the bench.
Groninger led the Tigers with a game-high 20 points, while senior Jaylen Reese and junior Blake Marsh scored five points each, and junior Wyatt Amiss and senior Tyler Metzinger rounded out Warsaw’s scoring with three and two points, respectively.
“That’s helpful, and we needed it,” Ogle said of getting production from a number of players, including 15 points off the bench compared to no points off the bench for Westview.
“Rumple made his free throws tonight, and you can see why we have Adamiec playing some now. He looked a little tentative in the first few games, but I think he’s starting to feel more comfortable. He gives us another guy to help out in the post rotation with Metzinger and Reese. He’s become our third guy in that rotation.
“I’m happy for our players, and I told them this gives us a nice confidence boost going into Christmas.”
The Tigers blocked nine shots in the win, including five by the 6-8 Metzinger, who has become an inside force in his senior season.
Yoder led Westview with 16 points, while Hales added 12 points and seven boards, and Nick Rensberger finished with 11 points and four rebounds.
Dennis Wingard and Josh Hostetler rounded out the Warriors’ scoring with six and two points, respectively.
Westview lost Saturday for just the fifth time in its last 50 games.
“Give Warsaw all the credit, they were tougher from the tip and certainly made plays,” said Westview coach Rob Yoder. “They deserved to win.”
The Tigers are in action again Saturday when they play East Noble at Grace College’s Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.
