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There was no secret why former Indiana Hoosier and current IPFW basketball Coach Dane Fife was in attendance to watch the Warsaw Tigers battle the FW South Side Archers. Talent was all over the Archer's basketball court Friday night in the heart of Fort Wayne.

South Side featured 6'5" sophomore sensation Raphael Davis and 6'2" junior guard Dustin Hall. The Tigers have their own star in junior Nic Moore. This matchup was a potential highlight reel and NewsCenter 16 had their TV cameras rolling to catch the action.

The game started with high intensity as the home Archer cheer block and the visiting Tiger cheer block chanted loud battle cries across the gymnasium. The Tiger cheer block sporting "big head" signs of their favorite celebrities to wave during South Side free throw attempts. Warsaw fans showed up in big numbers to support their Tigers in Fort Wayne. The atmosphere now electric, the tip underway...

Both teams ran offensive sets early looking to establish a matchup advantage. The Tigers jumped out to an early 4-1 lead. South Side would respond by going inside, taking full advantage of their height differential. Warsaw led 8-7 at the 3:00 mark of the first period. As the Tigers fell back in their patented zone defense, Nic Moore would assert himself on the defensive end with 3 first quarter steals. On the offensive end, Moore shot 50% in the quarter scoring 6 points to pace the Tiger attack. Lucas Grose pulled down 2 big offensive rebounds, often looking like a man amongst boys under the basket. Grose's rebounding skills are incredible and quick spring off the floor impressive.

Warsaw led 13-11 after 1 frame.

South Side scored a quick 4 points to start the 2nd. Senior Xavier Easley led the Archer offense. After a Warsaw basket, Easley caught an entry pass on the block. He took a drop step and rose above the rim attempting a two-handed dunk. The ball caromed off the back iron and was rebounded by Warsaw senior Andy Conrad. Conrad threw an outlet pass to Moore who spotted senior Justin Clemens open behind the 3-point arc. Clemens nailed the long range jumper to tie the score at 17-17 at the halfway point of the 2nd period. Archer guard Dustin Hall rattled off the final 5 points of the quarter giving South Side a 26-21 advantage at the half. Hall was just getting started.

Tiger all-state candidate Nic Moore started the 3rd quarter with two of the best acrobatic finishes witnessed all year. Tiger fans ooh"ed" and ahh"ed" as Moore scored on consecutive 3-point plays in the paint. The first move was a double-clutch where Moore had to switch the ball to his left hand as two Archer defenders covered his right side in mid-air. Moore scooped the ball with his left drawing a foul as the ball fell thru the basket. The second of Nic's amazing displays of greatness came on a reverse layup with a touch of "english" as it hit the glass. He used a nice head fake to get the defender airborne. As the taller South Side defender fell to the floor, Moore would rise up on the opposite side of the rim to convert the basket and get the foul. Moore's style drew a smile from Mr. Dane Fafe watching from the stands. Warsaw took the lead 27-26.

South Side responded with a barrage of 3-point field goals as they put together a 10-0 run to grab 36-27 advantage with 4:39 to go in the 3rd. The two teams would trade baskets and turnovers over the course of the next few minutes. Sophomores Jordan Coon and Lucas Grose scored consecutive buckets to bring Warsaw closer. South Side responded with their second round of deep range connections from Hall and senior Greg Johnson to maintain a 9 point advantage. Warsaw could draw no closer as the quarter came to an end.

End of 3rd: FW South Side 44 - Warsaw 35

South Side continued to pour on the points to begin the final frame, building a 16 point cushion before Nic Moore would respond. Moore rattled off back-to-back 3 point bombs of his own to lead a 8-0 run for the Tigers. South Side led 52-43 with 3:43 left in the game. The Archers turned to their ace Raphael Davis. Davis proceeded to score the next five reminding IPFW coach Fife why Purdue coach Matt Painter is showing interest in him. Davis put the South Side back in front by 14 with 2 minutes remaining. Davis shows extreme control of his emotions on the floor. The kid is a class act.

Warsaw coach Doug Ogle made the smart call to extend the game by making the Archers shoot foul shots down the stretch. Ogle who currently sits with 99 career wins as the leader of Tiger Basketball, was hoping to pull of a late miracle for his talented young group. South Side would nail free throw after free throw to quickly extinguish any Warsaw hope in a comeback. The Archers connected on 6 of 8 charity stripe tosses in the last 2 minutes to win this epic battle 69-57.

This defeat for Warsaw came at the hands of a very good South Side team. Warsaw played well in spurts, but will need to provide Nic Moore with a 2nd scoring threat to offset a talented team like South Side or Elkhart Memorial (who beat South Side). As great as Moore has become, he needs that "Scotty Pippen" like MJ had during those great Chicago Bulls years.

Moore led the Tigers with 28 points while Hall had 18 & Davis 15 for South Side.

Complete Tiger Scoring:

Nic Moore - 29, Justin Clemens - 10, Lucas Grose - 8, Andy Conrad - 3, Jordyn Coon - 4, Zack Linky - 3

The Tigers fall to 2-1 on the season. Coach Ogle will look for win #100 Saturday night 12/5 at the Tiger Den as Huntington North comes to Warsaw. Look for the gym to be full of Tiger Fans as this 2009/2010 group continues to show signs of greatness.

Come out early and get your New Years Tourney @ Mackey Arena tickets which officially go on sale tomorrow night. The Tigers play January 2nd on the campus of Purdue University at 7:15pm against Noblesville. Tickets are $10 if purchased in advance thru the Athletic Department or at a Tiger Home game.

Posted In: Boy's Sports > Basketball