Wawasee trips Skins

By STU SWARTZ
Goshen News Sports Editor

February 08, 2008 01:23 pm

— It was “Ruch in the Clutch” for the Wawasee High School boys basketball Warriors on Thursday night.
Grant Ruch, 6-1 junior, hit a couple 3-pointers late in the contest, helping Wawasee hold off the Goshen Redskins 49-47 in a Northern Lakes Conference sizzler at WHS in Syracuse.
Ruch hit four ‘3s’ overall to lead the Warriors with 12 points as they improved to 10-6 overall and 4-3 in the NLC.
His final ‘3’, with 2:29 to play, gave Wawasee a 44-39 lead and two free throws at 1:28 by 6-1 junior Ross Stichter made it 46-39.
Goshen then made a charge as 6-2 junior Ethan Hussey converted a three-point play off a drive to the basket at 1:07 and 5-10 senior Jordan Short, after a Warrior turnover, was fouled and hit two free throws to get the Redskins within 46-44 at the 1:00 mark.
Stichter hit two free tosses for Wawasee with 0:56 to go, making it 48-44. Hussey then drilled a ‘3’ from the top of the circle, drawing GHS within 48-47 with 0:44 on the clock.
Brad Granger, 5-10 Wawasee senior, hit one of two free throws at 0:20 for the final tally.
Hussey rebounded Granger’s miss and the Redskins worked for a tying shot which spun out of the hoop and was rebounded by 6-5 Warrior senior Brandon Geiger.
Goshen was without 6-0 senior point guard Ryan Bartley who, like several Redskins, has been battling flu-like systems all week.
“It came down to the end and Goshen did a nice job battling adversity, losing a couple guys,” said Wawasee coach Phil Mishler. “Coach (Brian) Bechtel does a nice job with his team and we knew it would be a battle.
“Goshen works hard on defense and takes away a lot of things you like to do. Ruch hit some big shots for us. He has done that before and has confidence in his shot.”
The Redskins, dropping to 9-7 overall and 2-5 in the NLC, were plagued by 17 turnovers.
“Our guys gave a gutsy performance, considering all the sickness we have had,” said Bechtel. “We had a lot of silly turnovers in the open court and that’s hard to figure.
“The first thing we have to do is get healthy. Bartley is a big part of what we do offensively. We weren’t getting into offensive sets and didn’t recognize defenses very good.”
Hussey scored 17 points for Goshen, 6-1 senior Cam Snyder nine and 6-6 senior Nathan Stegelmann eight. Hussey and Stegelmann both had five rebounds; Snyder three assists and 6-1 senior Brad Sink two; Hussey three steals, Snyder and Sink both two.
Geiger and 6-5 senior Chas Amadeo both added 10 points for Wawasee and Stichter seven. Geiger and Amadeo both grabbed five rebounds.
Goshen scored the first seven points of the game, then tallied just two in the next six minutes. The Warriors scored 13 straight to grab a 15-9 lead early in the second quarter.
The Redskins tied it 21-21 on a free throw by Snyder with 22 seconds until intermission. Michael Jenkins, 6-6 junior, beat the clock with a bucket to give WHS a two-point halftime lead.
The teams traded scores most of the third period and the Warriors led 35-32 going into the fourth.
Goshen beat the Warrior press for a Stegelmann layup with 6:08 to go and Hussey hit a turnaround 10-footer for a 36-35 Redskin lead with 4:41 remaining.
Stichter at 4:06, Ruch at 3:08 and 2:29 hit ‘3s’ to help Wawasee re-establish control.
Bechtel said, “We started the fourth quarter with several stops in a row, but then Ruch hits a couple tough shots and that was the difference in the game. He hit them when they mattered.
“Hussey got to the basket late in the game and hit some big shots. He and Snyder had to play a ton of minutes since we are shorthanded.”
Mishler said, “Brad Granger needs to be mentioned. He tied people us, hit a big 3 and was all over the place defensively. Seniors dictate how games go, especially at tournament time. Hopefully, we can build off his leadership.”
Goshen visits Wawasee in Kendallville and Wawasee goes to Central Noble in Albion on Saturday. At both sites, JV games start at 1 p.m. and varsity about 2:30.
Junior Varsity
Goshen’s JV got back on the winning track, 46-43, led by 6-4 sophomore Taylor Kolbus with 15 points and 5-9 junior Scott Landis nine.
Kolbus had nine rebounds, Andrew Litwiller four assists and Landis three and Andrew Bowers two steals for the 15-1 Redskins.
Sophomore Keegan Beer tallied 17 points and freshman Chad Schrock 12 for 5-11 Wawasee.

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