Tiger Den - Senior Night
February 26, 2011
Warsaw, IN

A familiar foe...one special day for six WCHS seniors.

This contest was originally scheduled for Friday 2/25. Due to another winter storm that passed thru Northern Indiana, the game was moved to Saturday morning.

So for seniors Nic Moore, Jalen Roscoe, Brock Davis, Chris O'Hara, Joey Sparkman, and Travis Thomas - Senior Night turned into Senior Day.

The Tigers opponent was none other than Fort Wayne Carroll. Carroll just happened to be the team that the 2010 Tigers beat in the Semi-State (58-53) to advance to Indianapolis for the IHSAA State Finals.

Needless to say these two teams have become very familiar with one another. A rivalry is certainly beginning to emerge.

After the seniors and their parents were introduced, the Tigers took the floor. Their starting lineup for this game consisted of all seniors - Nic Moore, Joey Sparkman, Chris O'Hara, Brock Davis, and Travis Thomas. For the first 4 minutes this group dominated the basketball floor in every way imaginable. Thomas, Sparkman, and O'Hara combined to score the first nine points. Nic Moore was content to be the facilitator as he threw a few incredible passes to set up his classmates.

For Moore, this was his first action since February 15th when he injured his knee versus SB Clay. Sir Sic Nic was equipped with a special knee brace. Moore played a total of 12 minutes accounting for 7 points, 3 assists, and 1 steal. Most importantly, was his simple presence on the floor for a Tiger team that had dropped its last two games without the 2011 Indiana Mr. Basketball candidate.

Warsaw grabbed a 16-12 advantage after one quarter of action.

Super Sophomore Jared Bloom was firing on all cylinders in this game. Bloom nailed one of his four field goals in the second quarter to pace the Warsaw offense. Junior Jordyn Coon nailed a long jump shot just before the halftime buzzer. Coon has really emerged as the heir apparent to Nic Moore in the scoring column. Jordyn has averaged 16 points per game in the absence of Moore.

Half Time Score: Warsaw 28 - FW Carroll 22

The Tigers would play the 2nd half without Nic Moore. Sir Sic Nic walked out of the locker room sporting an un-tucked shirt and sizable bag of ice around the injured knee. All things being equal, Moore played a great 12 minutes and really lifted the morale of the team on a special day.

Jalen Roscoe picked up the slack as Moore watched on from the bench. Roscoe scored 8 big points in this game to go with a game-high 6 rebounds. Jalen also displayed his greatest asset for all Tiger Fans to see -- his SMILE. #35 had fun in this game and when Jalen is having fun, he is really good.

Warsaw grabbed its largest lead (37-24) of the game in the 3rd quarter. Carroll's Tyler Ault tried his best to keep the Chargers in the game. Ault scored a game-high 13 points to lead his team.

Ault also had success dishing the ball to his teammates. Both Eric Ward and Austin Hille were the beneficiaries of Ault's passing. The trio led the Chargers on a 16-5 run over an eight minute span to make this game a knuckle biter.

Warsaw led by just two (42-40) with 3:00 left in the 4th quarter.

Jordyn Coon nailed two free throws to extend the lead 44-40. Lucas Grose added a free throw on the next Tiger possession.

Eric ward responded with a three pointer to knot the score at 45-45 with just 1:30 to go. Warsaw would not let Carroll score again. The Tigers scored the remaining five points to close out the game and end the regular season at 18-4.

Final Scoring for Warsaw:

The Tigers now turn their attention to the 2011 IHSAA Tournament. The first game will be in Elkhart for action against Concord in sectional #4. Warsaw escaped the Minutemen 57-55 on January 21. That game went into overtime in the Tiger Den.

Tiger Fans are encouraged to make the 40 minute trip to Elkhart to support Coach Doug Ogle and his team. Last season's success in the tournament was in part due to the massive Orange & Black following that continually dominated the opposing fan base. Put on your Tiger gear and bring your loud voices as the 2011 Warsaw Tigers embark on phase 1 of yet another exciting post season.

March 1, 4 & 5 @ Elkhart's North Side Gym

Tuesday, March 1
6:30 pm: Warsaw vs. Concord
8:00 pm: Elkhart Memorial vs. Goshen

Friday, March 4
6:30 pm: Winner Game 1 vs. Northridge
8:00 pm: Winner Game 2 vs. Elkhart Central

Saturday, March 5
Championship Game, 7:30 pm

Indiana High School Basketball at its finest! And there are NO BETTER fans than right here in Warsaw, Indiana.

Go Tigers!

Posted In: Boy's Sports > Basketball

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