Zach Riley follows through on a jumper Friday night. Riley scored eight points and hit a pair of huge treys to help Warsaw top NorthWood 54-37.
WARSAW – It was all about the compliments, as well as the complements Friday night for the Warsaw boys basketball team.
Star Kyle Mangas earned every postgame plaudit afforded him.
His complementary cast of teammates earned plenty of postgame praise too and rightfully so.
The combination of Mangas and his outstanding supporting cast were enough to earn rave reviews after the Tigers easily dispatched of Class 3-A No. 1 and previously undefeated NorthWood 54-37.
Mangas, showing his talents at both ends of the floor, led the way as Warsaw pummeled the Panthers in the second half in the highly-anticipated Northern Lakes Conference clash of powers in front of a fired-up crowd estimated at 3,500 in the Tiger Den.
Mangas fired in 21 points as Warsaw won its 19th straight league game, the best streak in the illustrious history of the conference. The Tigers improve to 12-5 overall and move to 5-0 in the league, just two wins away from becoming the first team to ever go 7-0 in the NLC for three straight seasons.
The duo of juniors Asher Blum and Zach Riley were big for the Tigers. Each scored eight points and Riley hit 2-2 from distance. Senior Jeremy David had six points and a team-high five rebounds and senior Jaceb Burish five points.
Warsaw used a recipe of its usual outstanding defense and some surprising marksmanship from 3-point land to handle the Panthers, who fall to 14-1 overall and go to 4-1 in league play. NorthWood entered play Friday night as one of just three undefeated teams in the state, joined by South Bend Riley and Brownstown Central.
The Tigers, who entered the game ranked fourth in the state in points-per-game allowed at just 40 per game, held NorthWood to its lowest scoring output of the season. The Panthers, who were averaging 61 points-per-game, previous low was 51 points in a 51-50 NLC win over Goshen on Jan. 20. NorthWood was outscored 28-16 in the second half as they shot just 5-22 from the field. Warsaw held Panther star guard Vinny Miranda to just 13 points on a 3-13 shooting night.
Warsaw also dialed in it from distance. The Tigers drained 8-12 from long range. The Panthers, conversely, were 6-19 from deep.
Kyle Mangas led the Tigers with 21 points.
“Our team was confident for this game, but not overconfident,” said Warsaw coach Doug Ogle. “We knew that NorthWood was very capable. We thought that if we could contain Miranda and rebound we would be okay. And we did that. Our defense on Miranda was good. We put in a lot of time and effort this week working on how we wanted to guard him. We were there all the time on him.
“I was just very pleased overall with how we played tonight. Kyle was extra good. He’s the best player in the conference. He’s the common denominator in what we have done these past three seasons so far in the NLC.
“The thing tonight that was the story of the game was our 3-point shooting. I was not counting on going 8-12. We had a lot of guys make threes tonight. Zach Riley was 1-13 before tonight and went 2-2 tonight. Jaceb Burish hit one, Braxton Minix hit one. We shoot like that from three and that made it hard on them.
“The thing is that we have really improved since playing in the Hall of Fame Classic in New Castle in late December. We are not the same team now. We are so much more balanced offensively now than we were in 2016.”
Warsaw never trailed in the game and there was just one tie early on at 6-6. The hosts led 16-11 after the opening period as five different players scored in the frame for the Tigers. Miranda hit for eight first-quarter points.
The Tigers were up just 26-21 at halftime despite the fact that Miranda sat out most of the second quarter after getting his second foul with 6:49 to play. The first foul on the senior star was called as he and Mangas were whistled for a double foul with 2.5 seconds to play in the opening quarter as Miranda tried to shoot a 3-pointer contested by Mangas. The questionable double foul call came after the officials huddled for several minutes.
“Their explanation to me was that Vinny was fouled on his 3-point shot and then he pulled the defender down when he came down,” offered NorthWood coach Aaron Wolfe when asked about the pivotal play.
Miranda then picked up his second foul with 6:49 to play in the opening half as Burish made an outstanding defensive play to draw a charging call on the a drive by the NorthWood star. Miranda sat out over six minutes in the second stanza.
Asher Blum continued his fine play with eight key points.
The Tigers took control with a 7-0 run to open the second half to make it 33-21. The Panthers did not score in the key third quarter until the 4:19 mark. Warsaw led 39-27 at the end of the third period and Mangas ruled the final frame with 11 points to complete the blowout win.
Mangas, who now has 1,181 career points to tie for seventh place all-time, has scored 20 or more points in eight straight game. The 6-3 savvy and ultra-efficient guard also had five assists and just one turnover in the win. He was 6-9 from the field, including 3-5 from deep, and 6-7 from the line. The All-Star candidate and Indiana Wesleyan recruit also had four rebounds and three steals in yet another virtuoso performance.
Miranda, who was averaging 22 points-per-game had just one basket after the first quarter. That was a trey with 43 seconds to play in the game. Miranda was just 2-12 from the field last season in a 51-35 home loss to the Tigers.
“The big difference tonight was that they shoot 8-12 from threes,” said Wolfe of Warsaw. “Give them credit. Mangas commands so much attention and their role players hit big shots tonight. Big shots at key momentum swing points in the game.
“If we finish a few plays and knock down some free throws. We were just 7-15 from the line. They put a run on us to start the second half and that was a big momentum swing. We have been very good this year at starting halves, but we had like three empty possessions there to start the second half.
“We will use this game and get better from it. I like our guys and judging by their response after the game I think that they will respond.”
Junior Caleb Lung had 12 points and senior Luke Zurcher six for the Panthers, who shot 12-37 for the game.
NorthWood, which has finished 6-1 in the NLC each of the past three years, is now 3-7 versus Warsaw under Wolfe. Wolfe, whose teams have won 20 or more games each of the past three seasons, is a former Warsaw assistant coach.
Warsaw shot 19-34 from the field, including a crisp 8-13 in the second half. The Tigers had a 24-18 rebounding edge.
Warsaw still has NLC games left with Elkhart Memorial (Feb. 2) and at Plymouth (Feb. 10). NorthWood has league games left with Concord and Memorial.
NorthWood won the junior varsity game 40-37. Kaden Gongwer led the winners with 14 points. Landen Ferber had 19 points and Jaylen Reese eight to pace Warsaw.
Warsaw plays Elkhart Central at North Side Gym Saturday night in non-conference action. NorthWood hosts Concord next Thursday night in an NLC contest. Central improved to 11-2 with a 54-51 win over Mishawaka Marian Friday night. Concord edged past Wawasee 29-28 Friday night to improve to 6-8.
NorthWood star Vinny Miranda was chased all night by the tough Warsaw defense.