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The Warsaw boys basketball team has made its push toward the postseason by playing its best ball of the year at the right time. On Tuesday night, the team put together perhaps its most complete outing of the year, going wire-to-wire in a 67-40 victory that spoiled the senior night of rival Tippecanoe Valley.
The Tigers wasted no time at all setting the tone in this one, turning defense into offense early and getting out to a 6-0 lead 90 seconds into the game. Mydin Burgher had a hand in all three baskets Warsaw scored here, putting in two himself and assisting on the third.
“We started the game in a zone and I think it paid dividends immediately. Some defensive aggression can get your offense going. You start seeing the ball go in, and you start playing with some confidence,” Warsaw head coach Matt Moore said.
A timeout by Valley did little to cool the visitors off, as Burgher and Nash Wiggins each connected on their first shots from deep to put the Tigers up by 10 less than four minutes into the game. Even as Owen Omondi and Jude Kammerer finally put the Vikings on the board, it was not enough to keep up with a Warsaw offense that was in a great rhythm. An and-one layup by Drew Jones put the Tigers up by 12 with three minutes to go in the first.
Taking a big early punch from their opponent, the home side got back up to finish off the opening period. In the last few minutes before the quarter ended, Valley began moving the ball a lot better on offense, resulting in some open looks falling for the Vikings. Down by as many as 12, Valley cut the deficit to as little as five before Warsaw took a 19-12 lead into the second.
The Vikings remained in striking distance for the next few minutes, coming up with timely baskets to prevent Warsaw from pulling away once again. It remained a single-digit game, but the Tigers still looked to be in control, doing just enough to stay ahead by a few possessions.
In the final few minutes before the half, Jones began to take over the game offensively. The sophomore compounded a stellar first quarter with an even better second, using his size and agility to make his way into the paint and come up with a crafty finish. With a little under two minutes before halftime, he became the first player in the game to reach double figures scoring.
“He gives our other guys some confidence knowing we have another threat to go to,” Moore said. “When he’s attacking like that, he’s a really tough matchup. I want him to continue to live in that.”
With Jones leading the way on both ends of the court, the Tigers were able to extend their lead to a more comfortable margin. Sam Lara put the exclamation point on the first half by nailing a three at the buzzer to put his team up 37-21 at the break.
Warsaw sophomore Drew Jones comes from behind to block the shot attempt of Tippecanoe Valley's Hudson Shepherd...Nieter
It didn’t take much of the third quarter before the Warsaw lead had been extended to over 20. The Tigers were playing with a ton of energy at both ends of the court and were in the middle of putting together one of their strongest performances of the year. On the other side, the Vikings looked out of sync, as the big advantage in length that the visitors possessed was making things incredibly difficult. It took four minutes before a three from William Mellott finally put Valley on the board in the second half.
“The zone they were playing, combined with their length, it was difficult,” Valley head coach Eli Henson said. “We got a lot of looks but we could not hit anything. It was tough to get stops, just a tough night.”
That first make by the Vikings seemed to restore some confidence for the home side, as they spent the next few minutes stacking stops together and slowly chipping away at the Warsaw lead. Omondi was leading the charge offensively, but got into trouble late in the quarter, picking up his fourth foul with a minute left in the period. Valley took the risk of leaving their top scorer in the game, and it backfired. The junior picked up his fifth foul of the night 30 seconds later and would be no more help to his team on this night.
The home side was able to get within 15 late in the third, but a strong finish to the quarter by the Tigers was enough to go back up by 18 with eight minutes left, and without their leading bucket getter, it would be a tall hill to climb for the Vikings.
The lead only got larger for the visitors in the opening minutes of the fourth, as Warsaw continued to get contributions from every player that stepped onto the court. Sam McDaniels found himself in the right place at the right time more than a few times here, getting up to nine points with four minutes left.
With a little over three minutes to go, the Tiger starters left the game after a dominant performance. Not long after that, the Valley starters were pulled too, with the seniors getting a standing ovation as they left Rita Price-Simpson Court for the final time. The final basket of the game came off the hands of Warsaw senior Wesley Martin, much to the delight of the visiting crowd.
Warsaw (12-11) will play against host Elkhart next Friday in the sectional opener. Tippecanoe Valley (9-13) begins sectional play against Wawasee on Tuesday.
“I think the guys saw the draw come out and it reinvigorated them. They know what they have the chance to play for. We’re the two-time defending champs and we want to make it three,” Moore said.”
