Athletic Eagles Snap Warsaw Streak
WARSAW — Culver Military Academy may have snapped Warsaw’s six-game win streak Tuesday night, but it wasn’t a disheartening effort by the hosts.
The game was closer than the 55-47 final margin made it seem, and besides, the Tigers are not likely to see another team with the kind of athleticism the Eagles possess with three Division I prospects on the roster.
“They’re just a very good team. A lot of size. A lot of strength, and they were better than us tonight in the fourth quarter. But we competed. I’m not discouraged with how we played, especially through the first three quarters,” said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle.
Warsaw jumped out to an 8-0 start at the Tiger Den and was tied up at 40-all headed into the fourth period of the back-and-forth game, which featured seven ties and seven lead changes. But IU recruit Trey Galloway knocked down a three-pointer from the wing, future Iowa defensive lineman Deontae Craig skipped a pass to Anthony Goeb, who in turn swung the ball to Desmond Martello for another triple as part of a 10-0 CMA start to the final frame, and the Tigers never got out front again.
“Galloway made a three and then Martello made a three, so now they’re up 46-40. We divide the game into eight rounds — the first four minutes of the fourth quarter is round seven, and they won it, (10-0),” explained Ogle. “That was kind of the difference in the game there. They made shots in that stretch.”
“It’s like every coach says — when the ball goes in, it looks good,” said Eagles coach Mark Galloway. “Trey made a three, and Deontae got inside and we skipped it to Anthony and then Anthony made the extra pass to Desy and he made the three. A lot of really big possessions where guys stepped up and made some shots.”
The Eagles converted 4-of-5 shots from the floor and 5-of-6 from the line during the decisive fourth stanza. Just as impressively, they held Warsaw to 2-of-11 shooting in that same span. In fact, the Tigers were scoreless for a span of nearly eight minutes stretching from Blake Marsh’s transition lay-in at the 2:47 mark of the third to the senior guard’s two free throws at the 3:01 stop of the fourth.
“I’m proud of them to be able to execute on offense but then to be able to also get stops. Warsaw might be the best team we’ve played all year with execution,” said Mark Galloway. “They run their stuff. They wear you down. They execute. They’re OK with being in a rock fight. It’s 43-40, low-scoring, and they want to grind it. I thought our kids stayed disciplined. We didn’t leave our feet, and we didn’t foul.”
Marsh finished with 12 of Warsaw’s 17 second-half points on his way to a game co-high 16 points alongside Trey Galloway while passing out three assists for the Tigers. He went 4-of-6 attacking the basket off the dribble in the third period.
“He had a good stretch there. I think this game could be a confidence-builder for him,” Ogle said.
Wyatt Amiss put up eight points with two assists, while Bishop Walters chipped in seven for the home team, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with CMA’s firepower, as four Eagles finished in double figures in Warsaw. Behind 16 points from Trey Galloway — who only just returned to play from a three-week layover due to injury Saturday — Craig scored 11, Goeb finished with 10, and Indiana State basketball recruit Nicholas Hittle finished with another 10 points.
“We haven’t had great balance. I would say Anthony Goeb really stepped up. He didn’t miss a shot, so he was 3-for-3 and then 2-for-2 from the line. I thought having that one more scorer was big for us,” Mark Galloway said. “Deontae, Nick and Trey are probably going to carry the load for us offensively, but with Anthony stepping up and scoring the ball, that was big.”
CMA improved to 5-4, while Warsaw slipped to 8-2. The Tigers will play a Northern Lakes Conference game at Northridge Friday night at 7:30 p.m.
Also Tuesday, Warsaw’s JV won, 43-38. Judah Simfukwe continued to power the JV Tigers with 23 points, while Jaxson Gould chipped in five with six rebounds and three steals. CMA’s JV was paced by Cooper Farrall’s nine points and six rebounds.