Fort Wayne Snider came out like gangbusters, hitting a trio of three-pointers in the first three minutes at the Tiger Den Saturday night. Warsaw kept its poise, went about its business and in the long term came away with a 56-48 non-conference boys basketball win.
Warsaw coach Doug Ogle indicated a decision was made to let the Panthers shoot from the outside.
“We withstood their hot shooting early, I think they made their first four threes to start the game, and I was really happy to be up three at the end of the first quarter,” he said. “We wanted to coax them into at least 20 threes, and they made some tough ones that kept them in the game.”
Things calmed down considerably in the second quarter, with each team stretching possessions. The Tigers went from an 18-15 lead at the end of the first quarter to a 23-19 advantage at halftime.
Across the second half the Tigers kept the visitors off the offensive glass. Snider had just five rebounds off of missed shots, and Warsaw outrebounded the Panthers 30-20. Zach Riley had nine rebounds and Tyler Metzinger added seven boards.
The Tigers preserved their lead by getting to the free throw line often, and converting once they got there. They also had great balance in scoring; Riley and Nolan Groninger had 13 points each, Metzinger had 12, with Brian Elliott and Jaylen Reese scoring nine points each.
“We rebounded well; that was a big key in the game. Zach Riley continues to rebound the ball well,” Ogle said. “And they only had seven free throw attempts, and we hit 17 out of 20. That’s where we won the game.
“This might be the first game where we’ve had three guys in double figures, and we came within two points of having five guys there.”
The win was the fourth in a row for the Tigers after a 3-7 start to the season.
“We’re much different now. We’re playing much better defensively and offensively,”?Ogle said. “We’re improving steadily, and we’re happy about that. Now we just need to keep it up. If you get a little bit better every day, pretty soon you’re not bad.
“We were a little tired, a little flat after playing (Friday) night, but they had a game, too. I’m just proud of what I’d call a gritty win. “
In the junior varsity game Warsaw came from seven points down to claim a 43-39 win. Jaylen Coon had 25 points and Keagan Larsh 11 for the Tigers.
Warsaw returns to Northern Lakes Conference play Friday at Concord (4-7).
WARSAW 56, FORT WAYNE SNIDER 48
S 15 4 11 18 – 48
W 18 5 12 21 – 56
Snider – Keondre Brown 2-3 1-2 7, Isaac Farnsworth 1-2 0-0 2, Dayreon Wright 2-4 0-2 5, Jonqwell Lee 1-4 0-0 3, Dillon Duff 6-10 3-3 16, Michael Eley 4-14 0-0 10, Jon Barnes 0-0 0-0 0, Elijah Wimby 1-3 0-0 2, Jayshawn Underwood 1-2 0-0 3, Lawrence Johnson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-42 4-7 48.
