Picture this:

4,900 fans pouring into the Tiger Den in anticipation of an Indiana high school basketball game featuring two of the state's most explosive scoring talents. Kids of all ages wanting to get a glimpse or perhaps an autograph from 6'8" Ohio State bound DeShaun Thomas or all-state Warsaw guard Nic Moore. Adults from all walks of life united in one arena to witness part three of what has become a fantastic rivalry with the last two meetings electrifying crowds to new heights.

On top of that scene, three Tiger seniors who have meant so much to Tiger Basketball as well as WCHS sports for the last four years. Emotions running wild like a stallion stampeding down a mountain side. Come one, come all to get your seat for a what proves to be another great show.

Two years ago, DeShaun Thomas brought his state-championship-to-be Luers Knights into the Tiger Den to face the then Tiger freshman sensation everybody was talking about -- Nic Moore. Thomas dropped in 3-point bombs from places on the Tiger Den floor that had not been explored since the glory days of Kevin Ault. Thomas also threw down a few slam dunks that made the hair stand up on the back of the massive crowd that February evening. There was little the young Tiger team consisting of freshman Nic Moore and sophomores Justin Clemens, Andy Conrad, and Zack Linky could do to stop the dominant Luers star. Luers won the game over Warsaw in the inaugural series battle.

February 2008 - Game 1: FW Luers 70 - Warsaw 61

Last year the Tigers scored revenge. Thomas again brought his team to the Tiger Den and again the Knights would go on to win the class 2A state championship for the second consecutive year. However one of their 3 losses on the final 24-3 Knight record was at the hands of Coach Doug Ogle's Warsaw team. Nic Moore and company electrified the home Tiger crowd with timely shooting and superior hustle. Moore made time stand still when he leaped over Thomas to convert a high flying layup. I can still hear the 4,000+ folks in attendance as their collective sigh finally exhaled and turned into "oh my goodness" chants of jubilation in response to Moore's finish.

February 2009 - Game 2: Warsaw 59 - FW Luers 54

After the game a Luers fan had choice words for Mr. Moore as they did not like nor frankly know how to deal with losing. The Knights has posted an astonishing 63 victories since DeShaun Thomas put on the red and black for FW Bishop Luers. Losing didn't occur that often and rarely did an opposing player outplay their superstar. Make no mistake, the best player on the court last year was Nic Moore. The year before definitely belonged to Mr. Thomas.

This year? WhoooHooo! The game can't get here fast enough.

Before the varsity game, the three Tiger seniors who graduate this year will be honored at center court with their parents. This year's senior class proves to be quite a trio:

Andy Conrad, Justin Clemens, & Zack Linky

These name are synonymous with success in the record books of Tiger sports. This is the same trio that led the incredible turn-around of Coach Jensen's football team. A team that was two quarters away from winning a sectional title. Andy Conrad was just a few yards away from setting the all-time rushing record as a tailback before getting injured. Justin Clemens was a dominant quarterback who carried the Tiger football team in a sectional victory over powerhouse FW Homestead. Clemens was the architect who both handed the ball off to Conrad and threw the ball to academic all-state wide receiver Zack Linky. Linky led the Tiger team in both receptions and receiving touchdowns. Linky was Clemens' "goto guy" when the ball was in the air for the Tigers.

When asked specifically what these three seniors have meant to the basketball success Warsaw has experienced the last four years (which totals 59 wins against just 24 defeats -- 71% winning percentage) Coach Doug Ogle had high praises for his seniors.

"How do you put into words what these guys mean?" Ogle struggled for the proper praise words.

"Justin Clemens is a kid who is just an absolute joy to coach. He is the hardest worker I think I have ever had, he was by far our most improved player last season." Ogle continued on Clemens, "Justin was all-conference 1st team as a junior, our leading rebounder last year, and 2nd leading scorer this year behind Nic."

Justin is averaging 12 points and 5 rebounds per game this season. Clemens has scored a career total of 707 points in a Warsaw uniform. By the time Justin is done this year, he will leave with the most career points since Chris Wiggins back in the 2000 season. Justin's brother Colin finished with 571 career points as a Tiger.

"Andy Conrad" Ogle smiled as he said Andy's name, "Andy holds a very unique distinction. Andy as a sophomore was the first player to be voted all-Northern Lakes Conference by the eight coaches for a player who did not start a single conference game. I'm pretty sure that has never happened before." said the Tiger coach. "Obviously, the coaches recognized his value and appreciated his contributions to our team."

Andy currently has 405 career points in his Tiger Basketball tenure. Conrad is currently returning from an ankle injury suffered a few games back. Andy is averaging 5 points and 4 rebounds in fifteen games so far this year. Andy's contributions and leadership are so key to how far the Tigers will go in the postseason.

Ogle on Linky. "Zack Linky serves a very valuable role to this team's success. Zack is our first player off the bench and has shot the ball in high 40's (%) over the past eight games from behind the three point line." The Tigers have coincidentally won their last 8 games during Linky's hot streak. "Zack proved last year that he is a superior shooter by finishing the season over 40% from three-point range."

Zack is this year's leader in free throw percentage at 85%. He is second on the team behind Moore with 16 three point field goals made. Zack's ability to stretch the defense is vital to Warsaw's success as opponent who "sag" the middle to stop Clemens strength and Moore's penetration will pay the price by leaving #21 open for the outside shot. Linky averages 5 points and 2 rebounds per contest this season. He brings so much energy when he enters the game with his scrappiness on defense and willingness to mix it up physically.

These 3 seniors have fought through a difficult path to graduate as a Tiger Basketball player. A path that included an era that saw at least four other players leave Warsaw to pursue other basketball related opportunities. Clemens, Conrad, and Linky as well as their parents have persevered through the "storm" to lead the now 15-2 (class 4A #14) Warsaw Tigers back to prominence.

TigerSportsNation.com and Tiger Nation as a whole would like to express our appreciation for all of the hard work these three individuals have put into their craft as well as the four years of memories they have provided Tiger fans. Thank you guys.

The Tigers have just three remaining games before embarking on their quest to capture the sectional #4 crown. What types of things does this Warsaw team need to continue to do to not only win a sectional title, but make a deep post season run? Coach Ogle had some thoughtful insight to this question.

"Looking forward to the postseason, I think we have the best team along with the best players in our sectional." Ogle continued, "The key for us is to remain healthy. If we stay healthy, I would be disappointed if we did not win the sectional crown. Last season our health broke down, especially with the loss of Taylor Long with his broken foot -- that really hurt our team."

Coach Ogle looked even further, "Your goal has to be to win the sectional. After that we are in a very strong regional that includes Valpo, Munster, East Chicago, and maybe SB Riley." The coach smiled, "I do not feel we would be outclassed by any of those teams."

"We need to continue to be patient on offense, continue to rebound well, and continue to get to the free throw line." Ogle explained a remarkable stat, "We have a telling statistic this year. We have made more free throws than our opponents have even attempted. That is very difficult to do, but we have done a nice job of getting the ball into the basket area and then making the free throws when we do get to the line. We are shooting at an eighty-percent clip over the past three games."

As Tiger fans prepare for the postseason and begin to jockey for sectional tickets, many fans have their own opinions on what this Warsaw team needs to do to get back to Indianapolis. One thing that is for certain is the 2009-2010 schedule has and will continue to prepare this team for strong run. Warsaw has played or will play 8 teams that are currently ranked in the top 40 programs in terms of wins and schedule strength. Only 10 teams currently above the Tigers in rankings have played a tougher schedule year to date and that is before Warsaw finishes with games against FW Luers and 4A #9 FW Carroll at the Coliseum.

February 19th, 2010 - Game 3: Warsaw ____ - FW Luers ____ ??

What does Coach Ogle think of Fort Wayne Luers and their star DeShaun Thomas? We asked him.

"The Luers game being senior night and the fact that this has become quite a rivalry is exciting." Ogle reflected, "They beat us Nic's sophomore year and we got them last year. So this is the championship game as it pertains to the Nic Moore vs. DeShaun Thomas era in Indiana high school basketball."

The Tiger coach on Thomas: "DeShaun Thomas gets the credit he deserves for being a great scorer. He has the chance to pass Damon Bailey, I mean 3,000 points -- are you serious?" Ogle just shook his head. "That is unfathomable that somebody could score that many points as a high school basketball player."

"In our game Friday night, we will have to commit 2 guys to try to keep him away from the basket when a shot goes up. One guy has NO CHANCE against him -- he is a tremendous offensive rebounder and that is exactly how scores so many points." Ogle had a last thought, "He is just so strong that he is impossible to keep away from the basket with just one person and that is a testament to his hard work."

The stage is set -- Do NOT miss this.

Here we go Tiger fans and sports fans in general. It's senior night, it's the state's leading scorer and favorite for Mr. Basketball -- DeShaun Thomas, it's Warsaw's all-state guard Nic Moore and his amazing game, it's Indiana High School basketball at its best. It's all right here in Warsaw, Indiana. The Tiger Den will be buzzing and every seat will have a bid as the 6:15pm Friday night action begins.

To add to the excitement, TigerSportsNation.com will be handing out a special "2009-10 Senior Night Program" in full glossy color print complete with a Sharpie marker to the first 200 kids (13 & under). The special edition program features the entire Tiger team with full pages dedicated to the Warsaw seniors Justin Clemens, Andy Conrad, Zack Linky, & statistician Bryce Scott. The program also features a special full page picture of both Nic Moore and DeShaun Thomas from last year's action at the Tiger Den.

TigerSportsNation.com will also be giving the WCHS Cheerleaders 100 Tiger Orange "Paw Design" T-Shirts to be thrown into the crowd during the varsity game.

Plan on getting to the Tiger Den early to get your seat for this once in a lifetime game. Come out and support your Tiger team as they look to extend their 8-game winning streak against a very good FW Luers team.

Who will win Game 3? Who will walk away with bragging rights--Nic Moore or DeShaun Thomas?

Follow the action here after the game at www.TigerSportsNation.com

Posted In: Boy's Sports > Basketball

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