Warsaw Routs Rochester To Snap Skid
WARSAW – The Warsaw boys basketball team was looking to get back to its winning ways Friday night.
Call it mission accomplished in a big, big way.
The Tigers shared the ball and spread the wealth in overwhelming Rochester 76-37 in a non-conference contest to snap a three-game losing streak.
The trio of junior Jordan Stookey (15) and seniors John Swanson (13) and Jared Bloom (12) combined for 40 points in limited playing time as Warsaw rolled to the convincing victory.
Eleven players scored as the unselfish Tigers shot a blistering 58 percent from the field to beat the Zebras for the fifth straight time. The Tigers also out rebounded Rochester 33-19 and had 24 assists, led by seven from Bloom.
Warsaw, which beat the Zebras 52-28 last year, improves to 2-3. Rochester drops to 0-4.
“I’m happy with how we played tonight,” said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle. “I wanted us to be solid and we were that. I liked our demeanor. We looked in control tonight and a lot of guys did good things for us.
“We needed a solid win like this for our Mojo. I wasn’t surprised we came out and played well. Wednesday was maybe our best practice of the year. We shared the ball well and that was huge for us. A point of emphasis has been our assist to turnovers and tonight was pleasing and encouraging in that area. It will take that type of ball movement we had tonight to beat a good defense.
“I was proud with how both Jordan and Jared played tonight. Maybe Jordan’s best game overall of the season and Jared with seven assists. John was under the weather, but he played well and I thought Taylor Cone did too.”
The Tigers, who had not played since a 58-53 loss at Huntington North last Saturday, left no doubt in this one. The hosts never trailed and the game was tied just once at 2-2. Swanson put his team ahead for good with an inside bucket early on and the Tigers led 16-8 after the opening period as Swanson scored six points and Stookey five in the first quarter.
Warsaw ran off and left their guests in a torrid second period. The hosts outscored the Zebras 29-8 in the stanza as seven different players scored, led by eight points from Stookey and seven more from Swanson. Stookey and Swanson each had 13 points at halftime as the Tigers had a 45-16 lead.
The Tigers turned up the heat on the young Zebra guards with pressure in the opening 16 minutes. Rochester coughed the ball up 13 times in the first half, while shooting just 5-of-14 from the field.
“We really haven’t pressed this year, but we’ve been working on it,” Ogle said. “It’s something to add to our defensive arsenal.”
First-year Rochester coach Rex Reinholt credited Warsaw.
“Their pressure was intense and credit them,” said Reinholt, the Zebras’ third coach in the last three seasons. “We were in okay shape at the start and then we got tired and took the second quarter off tonight and it snowballed from there. Warsaw passes the ball well and we were passive on defense.”
Stookey hit 5-of-9 shots from the field and also had three rebounds, three assists and a team-high four steals in a fine all-around performance. Swanson had five rebounds and Bloom drained a trio of triples for the Tigers.
Cameron Hoskins scored nine points and Taylor Cone had eight to go with a game-high eight rebounds for Warsaw.
The most meaningful basket of the night for Warsaw belonged to Quim Romans. The 6-3 senior forward, an exchange student from Spain, hit 1-of-2 shots in the fourth quarter. Romans also a rebound and a steal for the Tigers, while playing nine minutes in his first action of the season.
Jonathan O’Dell, one of two seniors for Rochester, scored 15 points. Alec Gehrich had 10 points for the Zebras, who finished 5-17 last season.
Warsaw shot 28-of-48 overall from the field, including 7-of-11 from 3-point range. Rochester finished the contest 13-of-36 from the field and had 20 turnovers.
The Warsaw junior varsity team opened the evening by routing Rochester 55-27. Nick Sands netted 18 points and Jonny Hollar had 13 for the Tigers. Taylor Medina led Rochester with 13 points.
Warsaw (2-3) now turns its attention to Northern Lakes Conference play. The Tigers open league action at Wawasee next Friday night. Rochester (0-4) hosts North Miami in its Three Rivers Conference opener also next Friday.