WARSAW – Warsaw boys basketball coach Doug Ogle admitted that he was worried about his undefeated team having a letdown Saturday night.

Kyle Mangas made sure to put those worries to rest for his coach.

Mangas returned to his fantastic form on the offensive end and the Tigers were strong again on the defensive end to turn back Elkhart Central 49-35.

Mangas, despite playing on an injured ankle, bounced back from a tough game on Friday night to put the hurt on the Blue Blazers in the Tiger Den. The junior star poured in a game-high 24 points as Class 4-A No. 5 Warsaw improved to 17-0, the best record in the state.

The Tigers used a strong start and a very strong second-half performance to take care of business one night after an emotion-charged 51-35 conference win at Class 3-A No. 2 NorthWood in front of a capacity crowd some 3,300 strong.

Senior ace Paul Marandet netted nine points and senior Riley Rhoades and junior Jeremy David each had strong showings again as Warsaw remained unbeaten.

Junior Cornell Conner scored 14 points to go with 12 rebounds and seniors Clinton Parker and Langston Johnson each had seven points to lead Central, which falls to 10-4.

“I’m happy with this win because I was worried about a letdown after last night,” said Ogle. “We talked this morning about competitive credibility. That was the phrase that coach Wayne (David Wayne) used. That we come back ready to go and not flat tonight. The guys did that. They demonstrated that they have competitive credibility.”

The Tigers never trailed in the contest.  The hosts got off to a 12-2 lead to open the game as both Rhoades and David scored four points.

The second quarter belonged to Mangas. The 6-3 junior guard scored all eight of his team’s points as Warsaw led 20-16 at halftime. The Tigers shot just 7-19 from the field in the opening half.

“We got off to a good start and then hit a lull in the second quarter,”  noted Ogle. “We just did not shoot it well in the first half. We got good shots we just did not make them. I knew that we would shoot it better in the second half.”

Central, coming off a 73-58 loss at Mishawaka Marian Friday night, was within 23-21 early in the third period on a trey by Adam DeShone. Mangas then hit a triple of his own to answer, sparking a 10-6 Warsaw run that put the Tigers ahead 33-27 at the end of the third period. Mangas scored eight points in the third stanza.

The Blue Blazers, who have now lost their last 14 meetings versus Warsaw, could get no closer than six points in the final frame. Marandet scored six points and Mangas five in the final quarter to close the deal.

Mangas, who hurt his ankle in the fourth quarter Friday night, was back to his usual outstanding self Saturday night.  The backcourt star, who was held to 10 points versus NorthWood, hit 9-13 shots overall from the field (including 4-6 from distance) and was 2-2 at the line. Mangas entered play Friday night averaging a team-high 20 points-per-game.

“Kyle was good tonight,” Ogle stated. “He shot it well. i just think that he was playing at a better pace than he did Friday night. But the only thing that you need to know about Kyle is that a tough night offensively on Friday did not affect any other parts of his game, not his defense or his team spirit. That’s the kind of player Kyle is.”

Warsaw shot an outstanding 10-15 from the field in the final half Saturday night to finish at 17-34 for the game. The Blue Blazers were just 12-35 from the field, including 3-16 from distance. Central was 6-20 from the field in the final half.

The Tigers, who beat Central 46-39 last season, also had just four turnovers in the win.

Rhoades had six points and four rebounds and David four points and seven rebounds. Ross Johnson scored three points, Jaceb Burish two and Asher Blum one for the Tigers.

Warsaw could see the Blue Blazers again come tourney time as both will play in the Elkhart Sectional in March.

Warsaw won the junior varsity game by a 53-42 final. Asher Blum pumped in 22 points to pace the Tigers. Jack Rhoades scored 10 points and Shane Powers added eight for Warsaw, now 13-4. Cody Spencer and Tyrique Cossey each had 11 points and Joey Rowan nine to lead Central.

Warsaw plays at conference foe Elkhart Memorial and Central plays at Jimtown on Thursday night.