After two home victories over Goshen and Culver Military, I wrote an article that certainly caused some backlash amongst Tiger fans. Some of you did not agree that perhaps you are spoiled with the successes of Doug Ogle's basketball program over the last 100 games or so. You did not agree that you had become comfortable in the role of "expecting to win" every night the boys played a game.

Yet, we all knew that the upcoming schedule of games would test this theory. In fact, here is a quote from my last article:

"On top of that, Warsaw is forced to go on the road in the conference. The next 3 NLC games are at Concord, at Northwood, & at Elkhart Memorial. If the Tigers are to win their 3rd consecutive NLC title they are going to certainly have to earn it. This stretch of games is like running the 100-yard dash across hot lava rocks. BRUTAL!"

Now that we have had a chance to see two of these games play out (Concord & Northwood) the analogy of the lava rocks may have been too easy of a description. These road games are so hard to win! These teams want to beat the mighty Tigers so very bad - as we can tell by both schools the past two games rushing the court in celebration once the final horn sounds.

Friday night's game at Northwood was another electric atmosphere. The gym is certainly not as big or intimidating as the Tiger Den, but the students and the Panther fans were definitely louder.

The game was a battle throughout. Warsaw led for most of the game, yet the largest Tiger lead was only 6 points (17-11) mid-way through the 2nd quarter. Jared Bloom led the scoring attack early for the Tigers. Northwood closed the first half on a 13-5 run to take a brief lead at the half.

HALFTIME SCORE: Northwood 24 - Warsaw 22

The Tigers quickly regained control of the scoreboard to start the 3rd quarter. Lucas Grose, Jordan Stookey, and Jordyn Coon paced Warsaw's scoring during the period. Warsaw outscored Northwood 11-5 to take a 33-29 lead into the final eight minutes.

The Panthers quickly tightened the game to a single point (35-34) with 4:08 remaining. Both teams had trouble scoring before Jordan Stookey found Jared Bloom for a 3-point shot with 2:35 on the clock. Bloom's basket gave Warsaw a 38-34 lead.

Northwood Sophomore Jonathan Wilkinson immediately answered with a three pointer of his own. 38-37 Warsaw with 2:12 left.

Lucas Grose made one of two free throws to extend the Tiger lead to 39-37.

Jordan Stookey stole the ball from Zach Zurcher on the next Panther possession. As Stookey was headed in for a layup, the referee somehow decided to blow a late whistle? The ref called Stookey for a foul. Tiger fans stood on their feet in protest, to no avail.

Zurcher made both bonus free throws to tie the game 39-39 with 1:36 on the game clock. Northwood decided to stay in their 2-3 zone and not come out to guard the ball. Tiger Coach Doug Ogle signaled to his players to hold the ball for the final shot of the game. Warsaw held the ball for more than a minute -- until the clock read 12 seconds.

Panther senior guard, Derek Yoder, was prepared to take action. The 5'10" speedster stepped in front of pass as Warsaw was trying to run a final play to win the game. Yoder raced to the other end of the court before missing a layup. Senior forward Jakyah Qaiyim trailed the play and grabbed a huge offensive rebound. Qaiyim was fouled in the act of shooting.

The Tigers called a timeout to "ice" the Northwood senior. The clock read just 4.1 seconds!

Qaiyim calmly nailed both free throws. Northwood leads 41-39.

The Tigers tried to execute a last second play to tie, but time ran out before they could get a shot off.

FINAL SCORE: Northwood 41 - Warsaw 39

Sophomore Zach Zurcher led the Panthers with 14 points and Freshman Braxton Miller added 12.

WARSAW SCORING LEADERS:

Lucas Grose led the rebounding effort with 5 boards and Jordan Stookey led the assist category with 5 total dimes.

The loss was the second in a row for Warsaw. Their overall record stands at 11-3, which is still very good. The Tigers are knocked out of the Northern Lakes Conference championship chase.

The remaining schedule is tough. The final six games are against teams with a .647 combined winning percentage:

February 3rd | @Elkhart Memorial
Memorial is ranked #13 in IHSAA class 4A and has a record of 13-1. They are undefeated in conference play with wins over Concord & Ft. Wayne North. They are the favorite to win the NLC and the sectional championship.

February 4th | Home vs. Marion
Marion has a record of 7-7 against one of the toughest schedules in the state of Indiana. The teams the Giants have lost to have a combined record of 65-27 this season. Wow! Marion beat Warsaw last year on the Giants home floor and is one of the Tigers biggest rivals dating back to the Bill Greene/Rick Fox era.

February 9th | Home vs. Plymouth
Plymouth is 10-4 on the season and playing very well. The Pilgrims beat Concord, Northwood, and Mishawaka. Mishawaka is the only team to beat Elkhart Memorial this season. Needless to say the Tigers have no love lost for Plymouth and the Pilgrims always bring a HUGE crowd.

February 14th | @South Bend Clay
The Colonials are tough this season with a record of 9-6. They beat Concord and a good LaPorte team. Warsaw will have to make the trip on Valentine's Day. Few Tiger fans travel to this game that often lacks atmospheric enthusiasm on a Tuesday night some 50 miles from home.

February 17th | Home vs. FW Bishop Luers
FW Bishop Luers is 11-5 on the year and boasts one of the state's best young players. James Blackmon, Jr. has already committed to Tom Crean and the Indiana Hoosiers. Luers has beaten #6 FW Northrop and beat Warsaw last year in Fort Wayne. A very talented and athletic team.

February 24th | @FW Carroll (current record of 7-8)
This game is the easiest game in terms of wins and losses that remains on the schedule. The problem is Carroll is starting to play good basketball. They have a huge new gym and one of the best crowds in all of Indiana basketball. Throw on top a deep desire for payback against the Tigers. Warsaw beat Carroll twice during the magical run to Indy two seasons ago and again last year in the Tiger Den. This is not an easy game by any means to finish the regular season.

Why would I take the time to go through the rest of the schedule in detail? Surely, we all have figured out by now that Coach Ogle and his staff have a huge task in front of them, correct?

While I would not argue with any of you that the Tigers have a tough road to finish the 2012 season, I would like to suggest to all of you that we are no longer the FAVORITE. What do I mean, you ask?

Here is what I am saying. Over the last 100+ basketball games the Warsaw Tigers have won nearly 85% of these contests. When a team continues to win like Warsaw has proven over the past 4+ seasons, you automatically become hated by teams you beat along the way. Much like the New York Yankees, UCLA Bruins, Dallas Cowboys, & Boston Celtics over the years.

You are the FAVORITE to win games by default. Why? Because you win most of the time! Which was exactly my point of what Tiger fans have come to expect.

Is that a bad thing? No, not necessarily. But to stay on top you have to have the same hunger, the same desire, and the same fight you used to get there!

When you look at the remaining 6 games on the schedule, those teams have all proven they can win. Those teams have recent history of winning Sectionals, Regionals, Semi-States, and even State Championship Titles. Unlike the first 12 games on the Warsaw schedule where we clearly are the FAVORITE team, these final games are a "coin-flip" and a few we are clearly the UNDERDOG.

Underdog? Yep, I said it, UNDERDOG. Which is right where we started before we rattled off a massive amount of wins. It was that UNDERDOG role that forced us to fight every minute of every game to gain respect and is that role that I suggest we embrace to finish the season.

What does this look like? One specific thought comes to mind from recent memory. I recall Coach Eric Thompson bringing in his Peru Tigers to the Tiger Den last year to face the mighty Tigers on their home floor. Thompson and all of his players knew that nobody gave them a fighting chance to win the game. Peru was an above average team, but did not come close to possessing the firepower and strength of Warsaw.

Yet, from the opening tip of that game, Peru fought a war. A war of inner guts, pride, and undying determination to do anything to gain a win on enemy soil. When the dust settled, Peru had cause a frenzy amongst Tiger players and Tiger fans. They waged a war against Warsaw and they fought us tooth and nail for 32 minutes.

Peru did not earn a victory that day, but Peru had earned respect in every sense of the word -- and the label of fierce warriors willing to take on any opponent, no matter the size, on any court.

The Underdog must fight. Toughness and sacrifice. A war you will get.

Posted In: Boy's Sports > Basketball