Tigers Win 4th Straight NLC TitleOriginally scheduled for Friday, the outcome of Tuesday’s Northern Lakes Conference game with Plymouth was worth the wait for the Warsaw Tigers.
Zach Riley made sure of it.
In the 130th meeting of the two rivals, a matchup delayed because of last week’s snow storm, the 6-foot-2 Warsaw senior poured in 19 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in the final conference game of his prep career, leading the Tigers to a 53-43 win.
The 10-point victory, which snapped the Pilgrims’ seven-game win streak, improved the Tigers to 11-9 overall and 5-2 in the NLC and gave them at least a share of an unprecedented fourth straight conference championship.
Plymouth fell to 12-7 and finished with a 4-3 mark in the NLC.
Northridge could earn a share of the title with a win over Concord on Thursday.
“This is awesome,” Riley said of winning the championship, a title defense that started with a 28-20 loss to Wawasee in this season’s conference?opener and ended the Tigers’ 21-game NLC win streak.
“Since we don’t have a star player like Kyle (Mangas) or Paul (Marandet) like we have, we all have to work together and know what each other is thinking. It’s amazing what we’ve done the last two months to change, and what we’ve turned into.”
It was also amazing what Riley did Tuesday night, especially in the fourth quarter.
Plymouth led 9-7 after one quarter of play and 21-18 at halftime.
The Tigers held a 35-34 advantage after three quarters of play and outscored the Pilgrims 18-9 in the final stanza.
Riley outscored Plymouth 12-9 by himself over the final eight minutes of the game, a contest that featured 10 lead changes and six ties.
“Zach Riley was unbelievable tonight,” said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle, whose team has won 26 of its last 28 conference games.
“I felt like his leadership, his 12 rebounds, was huge, and he made several big plays. He had a big steal and layup. He made that baseline drive along the right side that was big. He made his free throws.
“And Tyler Metzinger ... he had a big game. His rebounding, and his making shots in the basket area, I’m very happy for Tyler tonight.”
The 6-7 Metzinger finished the game 5 of 5 from the field and 3 of 3 at the charity stripe en route to 13 points, all of which came in the second half.
A wide open shot under the basket by Metzinger with 1:54 remaining game the Tigers a 43-42 lead, as Warsaw finished the contest on a 12-1 run.
Junior point guard Nolan Groninger scored nine points, dished out four assists and grabbed three boards, all while guarding Plymouth junior Clay Hilliard.
Sophomore Brian Elliott chipped in with six points and five boards, and junior Jaylen Reese scored four points in the win.
“I thought Groninger’s defense tonight on Hilliard was very good,” said Ogle. “Nolan chased him around. I think Clay had to be tired by the fourth quarter, because he had some open looks in the fourth quarter that he didn’t make. I think, maybe, we wore him down a little bit.”
Hilliard led Plymouth with 17 points, but was 0 of 5 from the field in the fourth quarter, all five shots coming from three-point range.
Kadin McCrammer had 10 points and five rebounds for the Pilgrims, while Benji Nixon, Cole Filson and Jake Reichard scored five points each in the loss.
Warsaw, now 79-51 in the all-time series with Plymouth, has two regular season games remaining before trying to win a third straight sectional title.
The Tigers host Carmel Saturday night, and then play at Carroll on Jan. 23.
Plymouth travels to Huntington North Friday and Penn Saturday before hosting South Bend St. Joe in the regular season on Tuesday.
The Tigers and Pilgrims could meet again, as both teams play in the Class 4A sectional at North Side Gym in Elkhart.
The IHSAA will reveal the state tournament pairings Sunday.
