The Warsaw Tigers boys basketball team hosted NLC rival Goshen Friday night in the Tiger Den. Warsaw would attempt to stretch its NLC record to a perfect 3-0 with a win over the Redskins.

Goshen came into the Tiger Den with a 5-5 record on the season and 1-1 in NLC play. Goshen beat Northridge but lost to Concord. The Redskins are known for the tenacious defense which had allowed only 2 opponents to reach 50 points all season. The vaunted Goshen defense only yields an average of 36.6 points per contest. How would the Tigers manage to score against this defense?

The first few minutes of the game would see Warsaw deploy its own strategy to offset the Goshen defense. Coach Doug Ogle's game plan was to fight fire with fire.

The Tigers came out in a full court pressure defense that forced early Goshen turnovers. Warsaw's early defensive effort was fast and furious. Goshen was surprised and unprepared for Ogle's tactics.

The Tiger D led to easy baskets. Senior Justin Clemens, who averages a whopping 21.6 points per game in NLC action, scored the first to points for Warsaw. Clemens ducked under a Redskin defender to score in the paint.

Tiger junior Nic Moore then began his onslaught of points and assists. Moore buried a long range bomb to give Warsaw a 5-0 advantage. He then stole a Goshen pass and scored on a pull-up jumper on the break against 3 Redskin defenders. The Tigers led 7-0.

Moore then delivered a beautiful hesitation pass to Clemens on the break to cap a 9-0 Tiger run to begin the game.

Timeout Goshen at the 4:49 mark.

The Redskins turned to their 6'7" senior Taylor Kolbus. Kolbus scored 5 of the Goshen 8 first quarter points to keep his team in the game.

Justin Clemens scored the next four points for Tigers to finish with 8 1st quarter points. Moore finished with 5 to round out the Tiger scoring.

End of First Quarter: Warsaw 13 - Goshen 8

Warsaw came out of the second quarter with a set play on offense. What a set play it was!...or could have been. With Goshen in a 2-3 zone defense, sophomore Lucas Grose set a screen and then snuck behind the Goshen defense. Nic Moore held the ball at the top of the key. At the perfect moment, Moore lobbed the ball toward Grose. Lucas skied to dunk the alley-oop pass from Moore and grabbed the rim with authority. Grose could not quite catch the pass, yet continued to hang on the rim as he checked for defenders beneath him.

The refereed called a Technical Foul on Grose for hanging on the rim. Goshen junior Carson Roberts calmly sank two free throws as he shot into the hostile Tiger cheer block. The cheer block dressed in Star Wars costumes were waving signs, pictures, and light sabers to distract Roberts.

Lucas redeemed himself with a great entry pass to Clemens on the next possession to answer the Redskin points.

Goshen's Andrew Litwiller scored the next four points to draw the Redskins within one 15-14 with 6:20 left in the 2nd period.

Warsaw would put together a 15-0 run over the next four minutes. Lucas Grose started the run with a lay-in on a sweet pass from Nic Moore. Grose then grabbed a big offensive rebound to score and draw a foul. Warsaw led 20-14 after Lucas swished the charity toss.

Senior Zack Linky then stole a pass and scored on a nifty left handed lay up for Warsaw as the Tigers went back to their full court pressure package. Nic Moore came up with a loose ball and found an open Justin Clemens to stretch the lead to ten 24-14.

Clemens capped the run with six consecutive points for a 30-14 Tiger advantage. Clemens finished the half with 18 points.

Warsaw junior Joey Sparkman rounded out the first half scoring with a "one dribble strong" jumper from the left wing.

End of first half: Warsaw 32 - Goshen 16

Nic Moore started the 3rd period scoring. Moore posted up a Redskin defender in the lane and converted a beautiful left handed leaner for 2 points.

After two Goshen scores, Justin Clemens corralled an offensive rebound and converted it into a basket for Warsaw. Tiger sophomore Jordyn Coon then found Joey Sparkman for another basket. The Tigers led 38-22 with 2:40 left in the 3rd.

Goshen mounted a 6-0 run to end the 3rd to make Warsaw fans uneasy. Taylor Kolbus scored four points during the run for Goshen including a put back as the clock expired.

Goshen outscored Warsaw 12-6 in the period to make things interesting.

End of 3rd Quarter: Warsaw 38 - Goshen 28

Justin Clemens to the rescue...

Clemens snared another offensive board for a scored and a foul. Tiger fans roared to their feet in excitement as their team regained a 13 point cushion.

After a Kolbus score, Clemens connected again for the Tigers. Warsaw led 43-31 with 4:49 left in the game.

Junior stand out Nic Moore stuck the Redskins with the final dagger. Moore scored 8 of the next Warsaw 13 points and assisted on 3 more. Moore canned jump shots from the left wing and a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Nic also nailed 1 of 2 free throws.

Moore capped the fourth quarter with a beautiful lob to sophomore high-flyer Jordyn Coon. Coon caught the pass and scored in mid-air while drawing a foul. Tiger fans stood in disbelief as the Moore-Coon combo stunned the crowd with their entertainment. What a play!

The Tigers outscored Goshen 18-6 over the final eight minutes to win by 22 points.

Warsaw shot 52% on 23/44 shooting from the floor and 89% on 8 of 9 free throws. The Tigers outrebounded Goshen 28-20 while forcing 15 Redskin turnovers thanks to the defensive pressure.

Final Score: Warsaw 56 - Goshen 34

Complete Scoring for Warsaw:

Justin Clemens - 25, Nic Moore - 15, Jordyn Coon - 5, Lucas Grose 5, Joey Sparkman - 4, Zack Linky - 2

The victory improved the Tiger record to 9-2 (3-0 NLC) on the season. Warsaw will travel to NLC arch rival Concord next Friday night (1/22). Concord is also 9-2 on the season. Playing at McEwen Gym is always a tough place to get a victory.

Warsaw sits alone atop the NLC conference at 3-0. The Tigers are in the driver's seat and control their own destiny to capture a coveted Northern Lakes Conference crown.

Making the drive to Concord to support your Tigers will be vital to a Warsaw victory. Plan on making the trip to support your boys team in this electric Indiana High School basketball environment.

Complete coverage of the Tigers will be covered here at www.TigerSportsNation.com

Posted In: Boy's Sports > Basketball

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