Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
COLUMBIA CITY — NorthWood flexed its defensive muscles and Wawasee saw its 2025-26 boys basketball season come to a close Friday, March 6 in the semifinals of Class 3A Columbia City Sectional 20.
“It was a heck of a wrestle match tonight,” said Warriors coach Nate O’Connell after a 40-24 loss to the No. 17 Panthers at The Birdcage. “I’d like to have seen more basketball played.
“We tried to match their physicality and we did that for the most part. But they made it really tough on us offensively.
“They were forcing us out. We were not catching it right where we wanted to. We missed some shots in the first half. We finally made some in the fourth, but it was too late by then.”
Said NorthWood coach Aaron Wolfe, “That’s been the DNA of our team this year, the performance that you saw tonight. We were locked-in defensively into who we were guarding.
“Our guys did a great job of competing. There has been stretches this year where we have struggled to score the basketball and what it has done has forced us to defend and rebound really well.”
The Panthers went on a 13-0 run that took a 12-11 deficit to 24-12 entering the fourth quarter.
Wawasee never got closer than eight points in the final period at 24-16 and NorthWood used a 10-0 run to push the spread as high as 18 at 34-16.
“We were really aggressive at the end and pressed a little more than we would have liked,” said O’Connell. “We knew we had to take some risks at that point.”
The Warriors led 3-2 at the end of the first quarter and The Panthers were up 11-7 at halftime. That four-point spread was biggest for either team in the first half.
In the first two periods, Wawasee was 3-of-13 from the floor (0-of-6 behind the 3-point arc) and 1-of-3 at the foul stripe.
NorthWood was 5-of-21 from the floor (1-of-7 from 3-point territory) and did not take a foul shot.
The Warriors committed 10 first-half turnovers and NorthWood six.
The Panthers held a 14-13 rebounding edge (4-1 on the offensive end).
For the game, Wawasee shot 16-of-38 from the floor (4-of-11 from 3-point range) and 4-of-4 at the free throw line.
NorthWood was 9-of-34 (3-of-14 on 3’s) and 3-of-8 at the stripe.
The Warriors committed 14 turnovers and NorthWood 11.
The Panthers enjoyed a 25-24 rebounding edge.
Scoring points for NorthWood were senior Mason Pearson (14 — 12 in the second half), senior Brogan Ferrell (12 — 10 in the second half), senior Collin Deatsman (5), senior Davis Everingham (5), senior Caleb Vincent (2) and junior Colin Edwards (2). Pearson (1), Deatsman (1), Everngham (1) and Vincent (1) made 3-pointers.
Getting on the scoreboard for the Warriors were sophomore Jack Shoemaker (10 — eight in the second half), senior Stephen Akase (7 — four in the first half), senior Nolan Holzwart (4), junior Kaden Andrew (2) and junior Mason Worrell (1). Shoemaker (2) and Akase (1) canned treys.
Friday was the second clash of Northern Lakes Conference rivals this season. During the regular slate, NorthWood edged Wawasee 32-30 in double overtime in Syracuse.
“We did a better job than we did last time (in preventing as many open looks from the perimeter and coming off screens),” said O’Connell. “Offensively, we tried to get them off some ball-screen stuff. But they were just too physical.”
No. 6 Columbia City beat No. 11 Fairfield 51-41 in Friday’s other semifinal.
The sectional championship — Columbia City (21-4) vs. NorthWood (14-11) — is slated for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 7. Columbia City has won 31 sectional titles — the last in 2025. NorthWood has claimed 12 crowns — the last in 2023.
Fairfield finished at 16-6 and Wawasee at 17-9 — 5-3 since O’Connell took over as head coach.
“I love this group of kids,” said O’Connell. “They’re tremendous.
“I’m sad I don’t get to coach them anymore this year.”
