Tigers To Face Sectional Favorite
ELKHART – Warsaw boys basketball coach Doug Ogle is a smart man.
He knows exactly what his team will be up against come Friday night versus tournament favorite Concord in the semifinals of the Class 4-A Elkhart Sectional.
Ogle also knows the mentality his team needs to have to pull off a major upset and stun the state.
“The thing is that Friday night we have absolutely nothing to lose,” said Ogle Tuesday night after his team outlasted host Elkhart Central 45-44 in double overtime in the sectional opener at North Side Gym. “Concord is the heavy, heavy favorite and rightfully so.
“We know that we have to come out and play a lot better than we did tonight on Friday. But, I think our players will be a little more relaxed now that we won this first one.”
The Tigers (11-10) face the Minutemen (19-1) in the first semifinal game Friday night at 6 p.m. Concord, 5-0 versus the sectional field during the regular season, checked in at No. 8 earlier this week in the final statewide coaches’ poll.
Warsaw dropped a 42-31 final to Concord in a Northern Lakes Conference contest Jan. 18 in the Tiger Den. In that matchup, both teams opted to play at a snail’s pace, specifically Warsaw in the opening half and the Minutemen in the final half. Concord outscored the Tigers 26-16 in the final half after leading just 16-15 at halftime.
The key numbers in the first game were turnovers and free throws. Concord had just five turnovers, including only one in the second half. The Tigers had 11 miscues and were outscored 18-3 in points off turnovers. Concord also shot 7-of-8 from the free throw line, while the Tigers were an unheard of 1-of-1 on their home court from the stripe. The 31 points was a season low for the Tigers, while Concord’s 42 tied its season low. The Minutemen edged NorthWood 42-41 in overtime during the regular season.
Concord, who went on to win the NLC championship at 7-0, is led by senior Franko House. The 6-6, 245-pound man child, who will play at Ball State, averages 16.4 points-per-game. House had 13 points and four blocked shots in the first contest versus Warsaw. Concord’s lone loss this season, a 72-70 decision at South Bend Clay on Jan. 8, came with House sidelined that night due to illness. The Minutemen have won 11 in a row since losing to the Colonials.
Warsaw is led by senior standout Jared Bloom. The guard, who averages 17 ppg., had 17 Tuesday night, including the game winning free throw with one second to play in the second overtime period as Warsaw rallied to edge Central 45-44. Bloom scored a team-high 12 points in the first meeting with the Minutemen, but just two in the second half.
Concord defeated the Tigers 44-34 in their last sectional meeting in 2011. The Minutemen went on to win the sectional title that year. House, then a sophomore, had 28 points on 8-of-8 shooting from the field and 12-of-13 from the line as Concord beat Central 47-43 in the title game. House, in three sectional wins that year, scored 62 points on 20-of-25 shooting from the field and 22-of-25 at the line.
Warsaw edged Concord 53-51 in a sectional game in 2010. That year, the Tigers claimed the sectional crown and led by star junior guard Nic Moore went on to claim a Class 4-A state runner-up finish. Warsaw lost 95-74 to Indianapolis North Central in the title game. Moore was runner-up for Mr. Basketball honors in 2011 to Cody Zeller and is now sitting out this season at SMU after transferring there from Illinois State.
Tippecanoe Valley (18-3), Triton (15-5) and Whitko (6-15) will all play in sectional semifinal contests Friday night as well. The Vikings face Lakeland in the second game of the Class 3-A Wawasee Sectional, while the Trojans play host Culver in the first game of that 1-A sectional and the Wildcats tangle with Heritage in the second game of the Class 3-A Norwell Sectional.
The Vikings, who trounced host Wawasee 65-42 Tuesday night, did not play Lakeland during the regular season. Triton, ranked No. 10 in Class 1-A and winners of five straight sectional titles, lost to Culver 46-42 at home on Jan. 11 in a Northern State Conference game. Whitko did not play Heritage during the regular season.
Sectional championship games are Saturday night at all sites. Sectional winners will advance to regional play on Saturday, March 9 at either Michigan City (4-A), Blackford (3-A) or Triton (1-A).
Sectional Pairings
(all times ET)
Class 4-A
At Elkhart (at North Side Gym)
Friday: 6 p.m.: Warsaw (11-10) vs. Concord (19-1); 7:30: Goshen (14-7) vs. Northridge (9-11)
Saturday: 7:30 p.m.: Championship Game
Class 3-A
At Wawasee
Friday: 6 p.m.: Fairfield (11-11) vs. NorthWood (15-6); 7:30: Lakeland (6-15) vs. Tippecanoe Valley (18-3)
Saturday: 7:30 p.m.: Championship Game
Class 3-A
At Norwell
Friday: 6 p.m.: Mississnewa (8-12) vs. Norwell (15-6); 7:30: Heritage (8-13) vs. Whitko (6-15)
Saturday: 7:30 p.m.: Championship Game
Class 1-A
At Culver
Friday: 6:30 p.m.: Triton (15-5) vs. Culver (13-8); 8:00: Westville (12-9) vs. Michigan City Marquette Catholic (17-5)
Saturday: 6:30 p.m.: Championship Game
Class 1-A
At Hamilton
Friday; 6 p.m.: Lakewood Park (16-5) vs. Elkhart Christian (14-7); 7:30: Fort Wayne Canterbury (13-8) vs. Bethany Christian (4-17)
Saturday: 7:30 p.m.: Championship Game