Separated by just 25 miles, the Warsaw Tigers and Plymouth Pilgrims are certainly familiar with one another. These NLC foes take pride in defending their home court every other year as the visitor makes the trek across US 30 to take part in the annual dual.

Over the past 10 seasons the two NLC perennial powerhouses have split the season series with 5 wins apiece. This year's war would determine the final standings in the Northern Lakes Conference. If the Pilgrims pull the upset, the two teams would share the NLC title. Should the host Tigers win, they would hoist their first NLC Championship since the 2004 campaign.

This game would not disappoint.

The Tigers jumped out to an early 6-0 advantage behind three baskets from their interior players. Seniors Justin Clemens and Andy Conrad posted baskets in the first minute of action. Sophomore Lucas Grose also scored for Warsaw. Grose was just getting started on what would be a big night for the 6'5" power forward.

The visiting Pilgrims answered the early Tiger run. Senior Bo Davidson connected on the game's first 3-point field goal while 6'2" senior Leneil Himes scored in the lane. Warsaw led 6-5 with 4:08 left in the first period.

Warsaw junior Jalen Roscoe scored a quick three points off of the bench for Coach Doug Ogle. Ogle would call out an isolation play for Lucas Grose with 2:48 on the clock. Grose took the ball hard to the right on a drive to the basket. Lucas finished with a short jumper off of the glass for an 11-9 Tiger lead.

Junior floor general Nic Moore would get into the scoring column with a long range bomb at the 1:51 mark. Moore's triple extended the lead to 14-11.

Lucas Grose knocked down a pair of free throws with .51 seconds on the clock before closing the quarter with a heads up play. Justin Clemens stole the ball from a Plymouth guard before racing down the court to beat the buzzer. Clemens's lay-up caromed strong off the front of the rim. Grose skied above the rim to get his left paw on the ball as the first quarter horn sounded. Lucas's tip finished off a strong first quarter as he led the Tigers with 8 points.

End of Quarter 1: Warsaw 18 - Plymouth 11

Plymouth junior Todd Vervynckt was determined to keep his team in this NLC dog fight. Vervynckt scored the first 5 points of the second frame to pull the Pilgrims within 3 (18-15) with 6:56 remaining.

Warsaw senior sharpshooter Zack Linky quickly retaliated with a 3-pointer from the left wing. Warsaw 21, Plymouth 15.

Nic Moore then used a pull up jumper for two Tiger points. Moore followed up the score with a beautiful lob to Justin Clemens on the next possession. Clemens caught the Moore pass in mid air to lay in Warsaw's 24th and 25th points on the night.

Bo Davidson then connected on a triple for Plymouth to pull his squad within six (25-19) at the 4:24 mark of the second.

Lucas Grose grabbed a Zack Linky miss for an offensive rebound and put-back bucket. Justin Clemens scored 2 free throws to end the half.

Warsaw outscored Plymouth 11-8 in a low scoring quarter of action. Grose led Warsaw with 10 first half points. Justin Clemens scored 6 while Nic Moore added 5 points as both teams headed to the locker room.

Halftime Score: Warsaw 29 - Plymouth 19

The third quarter started off as a dual between Pilgrim guard Bo Davidson and Tiger forward Lucas Grose. Davidson scored Plymouth's first 7 points after the half. Grose answered with 4 points for Warsaw as both Justin Clemens and Nic Moore fed assists to their tallest player.

The first basket by anyone not named Grose or Davidson did not come until the game clock read 4:32 to go in the third. Plymouth senior Leneil Himes drained a baseline fade-away jumper to bring the visitors within five (33-28).

The Tigers did not panic. Coach Ogle's team is known for stringing together segments where they score points in bunches while making opponent baskets hard to come by. The next five minutes proved to be the deciding factor of this game. Warsaw put together a 17-5 run in classic fashion to seize control of this pivotal NLC match.

Justin Clemens scored four points during the run as he used his defense to spark his offense. Clemens came up with two big steals, one of which he took the distance for an easy breakaway lay-up.

Nic Moore followed Justin's lead as his steal and breakaway was caught on camera by FOX28 news. Moore's lay-in was featured on the late night sports report after the game.

Zack Linky and Jordyn Coon also pitched in baskets during the big Tiger run, but the surge (much like the evening) belonged to Lucas Grose. Grose already had 2 crucial baskets during the Tiger run before he ended the 3rd quarter with a dramatic turn-around jumper to beat the buzzer.

Grose leaped above a Plymouth defender to catch an inbounds pass with just .03 seconds left in the frame. With his back to the basket, Lucas used a spin move to the baseline before rising up to release the basketball just milliseconds before the clock expired. FOX28 cameras were able to showcase this shot on the news broadcast. The camera clearly showed Grose's release beating the neon pink lights in the backboard as the ball swished thru the nets.

Tiger fans jumped out of their seats to cheer Grose's dramatic finish to the 3rd quarter.

Warsaw outscored Plymouth 19-14 to break the game open.

End of Quarter 3: Warsaw 48 - Plymouth 33

Needing just eight solid minutes to claim their first NLC title for seniors Clemens, Conrad, and Linky, the Tigers could smell a championship.

Todd Vervynckt tried to keep Plymouth fans involved as he nailed a 3-pointer to start the final frame. Teammates Curtis Ivy and Sean Smith scored baskets as the Pilgrims mounted a charge.

Zack Linky responded with his 2nd triple of the night and a pair of free throws for a 57-41 Warsaw advantage.

Warsaw and Plymouth were trading baskets over the next four minutes of play. The Pilgrims could get no closer than twelve points. Sophomore Jordyn Coon made 3 out of 4 free throw attempts to put Warsaw ahead 65-51 with 1:58 remaining on the game.

This is where the game became ferociously intense and began to get interesting for the Tigers.

Plymouth employed a full-court press that included a chaotic trap defensive style in a desperation attempt to get back into this game. Junior guard Houston Hodges's steal and 3-point jumper suddenly revived Pilgrim hopes as they trailed by just nine (65-56) with 1:44 to go.

The Pilgrims had nothing to lose in their pressure defense. They either needed a steal or a foul to extend the game so they clearly were slapping away to get the basketball. The referees seemed hesitant to quell the Plymouth aggression which led to intense moments before fouls were finally called. Fans and coaches on both sidelines were screaming at the officials to get control of this game.

With the Tiger lead at ten (69-59) after 2 Justin Clemens free throws, the refs "officially" lost control of this heated affair.

Lucas Grose skied to grab the rebound of an errant Pilgrim jump shot. Plymouth's Bo Davidson grabbed Grose on his way down and proceeded to pull him to the Tiger Den floor. Davidson and Grose exchanged a few choice words while lying on the ground. As the two attempted to get up, both players extended elbows that clashed together like two male Bighorn Mountain Goats battling over a prized female.

Before the refs could get to the skirmish, two Plymouth players that were sitting on the bench rushed the floor in anticipation of a fight. Not only is leaving the bench an immediate ejection, but fans begin to stand and scream creating an immediate chaos in the gymnasium.

Administrators, Principals, and Athletic Directors from both schools ran to the scene of the confrontation before grabbing their players by the jersey. The 10 second emotional meltdown was a sure sign of how bad both teams wanted this NLC trophy -- not to mention the previous 40 years of annual battles that make this rivalry so intense.

After officials sorted out the infractions by the Plymouth players who left the bench, Lucas Grose calmly swished both free throw attempts for the Tigers. Nic Moore was chosen to shoot the technical foul shots. Moore made good on 3 of the 4 free attempts to end his evening of scoring.

Coach Ogle substituted his five players with a fresh five off the bench. This allowed the large Tiger crowd to stand and give appreciation for their NLC Champions.

Lucas Grose led all scorers with 25 points and 10 rebounds. This is the 3rd consecutive game in which a Tiger player has recorded a double-double. Nic Moore scored the last two double-doubles against both Elkhart Memorial and Marion.

Final Score: Warsaw 74 - Plymouth 65

Warsaw improves to 14-2 on the season. The victory clinched the NLC crown for the Tigers. This Warsaw team is the first team to go undefeated in the NLC since the 1999 Tigers. This team will attempt to be the first Tiger squad since the 1997 team to win both an NLC crown and a Sectional Title.

First the Tigers turn their attention to South Bend Clay as they travel to face the Colonials next Tuesday night 2/16. SB Clay is having a rough year at 4-14.

The Tigers will return home Friday night 2/19 for SENIOR NIGHT as they host FW Bishop Luers and the state's leading scorer - DeShaun Thomas. Thomas is the frontrunner to win this year's Mr. Basketball award and is on pace to break Damon Bailey's all time Indiana scoring record.

Last year's game with FW Luers was an instant classic with the Tigers winning 59-54. Nic Moore and DeShaun Thomas put on a show for the near capacity (4,900) Tiger Den attendees. Purdue coach Matt Painter was on hand along with a large contingent of college scouts, local media, and folks from other schools who just wanted to witness the best of Indiana High School Basketball.

Tickets will be available through the WCHS Athletic Department prior to the game.

Continue to follow the Tigers here at www.TigerSportsNation.com

Posted In: Boy's Sports > Basketball

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