Bill Greene Arena
Marion, Indiana
February 23, 2011

Wednesday night was a make-up game that was originally scheduled for Saturday, February 5th.

If you are a Marion Giants fan, you are glad this game was pushed back for a few reasons. Number one, Marion defeated Warsaw 60-59 in overtime and number two; the Giants did not have to face the Tiger's 2011 Indiana Mr. Basketball Candidate, Nic Moore.

Moore who averages 29 points per game this season for Warsaw was sitting out his second straight game with a knee injury. Again, the Tigers would have to look elsewhere for their scoring in this contest.

Warsaw played 3 1/2 solid quarters of basketball to grab a 46-36 lead with 3:32 left to go in the game. The Tigers seemed to be in cruise control even without their star point guard.

Marion had different ideas. After a timeout, the Giants began to make 3 point baskets from the perimeter like Ray Allen or Larry Bird in the 3 point contest on NBA All-Star Saturday. Reserve guards Ronnie Drake and Jalen McCallum exploded for 9 three point baskets in this game to bring Marion all the way back as the regulation buzzer sounded.

The Tigers, who were in complete shock, looked up at the scoreboard only to see a 51-51 tie. This game was going to overtime.

Tiger junior Lucas Grose made a dazzling baseline move to give Warsaw a 59-58 lead with just 50 seconds to go in the overtime period. Marion could not score on their next possession.

Warsaw failed to convert their next two free throw attempts. The Giants would gain possession with 15 seconds. Freshman Alec Turner drove baseline with 7 ticks on the clock. Turner found an open Randon Jackson who scored with 2 seconds to give Marion the lead.

Warsaw could not get the ball in bounds fast enough and was forced to watch the Giants celebrate the one point victory.

Juniors Jordyn Coon and Lucas Grose provided the firepower for the Tigers. Coon, who scored 20 points last Friday against Luers, finished the game with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Grose scored 16 points and pulled down 6 rebounds for Warsaw.

The ultimate statistic that did the Tigers in on this night was turnovers. Warsaw committed 24 turnovers on sloppy passing, poor ball handling, and several traveling violations that ultimately gave Marion the opportunity to get back in this game.

FINAL SCORE: Marion 60 - Warsaw 59 OT

Even without Nic Moore, Warsaw was the better team on this night for 29 minutes of play. Several Tigers looked more confident in their attack of the basket area versus earlier in the season. Again, this was another stepping stone toward developing a more complete team once Nic Moore is healthy enough to play.

The Tigers still plan on winning the sectional next week.

Complete Scoring for the Tigers:

Assuming the winter storm, forecasted to hit Warsaw tonight, does not cancel school for Friday -- the Tigers will host FW Carroll at 6:15pm.

This will be the final game of the season and also Senior Night for the six Tigers:
Nic Moore
Jalen Roscoe
Travis Thomas
Joey Sparkman
Chris O'Hara
Brock Davis

Stay tuned to www.TigerSportsNation.com for any weather related announcements.

Go Tigers

Posted In: Boy's Sports > Basketball

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