Cougars eke out WBL win over Celina

DAVE MOSIER/independent sports

CELINA – The Van Wert Cougar boys’ basketball team has struggle many times in the Celina High School gymnasium and Friday was no exception, as the Cougars were lucky to escape with a 63-61 Western Buckeye League victory over the Bulldogs on their home turf.

Van Wert led 15-13 at the end of the first period and was up by three points, 32-29, at the half. The Cougars had stretched their lead to seven, 52-45, by the end of the third quarter and were up by 12 points early in the fourth stanza when Celina switched to full-court pressure and the Cougars lost their composure — and their free-throwing shooting touch — but held onto the lead for the win.

It was the second game in a row where Van Wert’s free throw shooting was subpar. The first game was a 61-40 loss to Kalida on Tuesday when the Cougars went an incredible 0-for-8 at the line, including an 0-for-3 performance by Jacob Myers, a 90-percent free-throw shooter.

Myers was 7 of 9 from the line Friday, but Joey Hurless, also an excellent free-throw shooter, made only 2 of 8 free throw attempts, with most of those misses coming in the crucial fourth quarter. On the other hand, the two baskets he did make at the charity stripe were the difference in the game, coming as they did with less than a half-minute remaining.

Another indication that the Cougars had trouble with Celina’s defensive pressure was the 21 turnovers they made in the game, compared to 12 for the Bulldogs.

Myers had a season-best 32 points for Van Wert, while Reggie Smith added 10 points for the Cougars. Scott Moeder was unstoppable inside for Celina, scoring 25 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Matt Buschor scored 13 points and Braden Billger added 11 points for Celina.

Van Wert was 21 of 41 from two-point range (52.1 percent) and made 3 of 8 three-point attempts (37.5 percent). The Cougars hit 12 of their 23 free-throw attempts (52.2 percent). Celina made 25 of 42 two-point attempts (59.5 percent) and was 3 of 11 from three-point range (27.3 percent). Thankfully for Van Wert, the Bulldogs had a bad night at the free-throw line, hitting only 4 of 17 attempts at the line (23.5 percent).

The Cougars dominated the boards, bringing down 29 rebounds to 20 for Celina.

With the win, Van Wert improved to 10-3 overall and 4-1 in the WBL, while the Bulldogs are 5-7 overall and 1-4 in league play.

The Cougar junior varsity team continued its winning ways, going to 12-0 on the year with a 52-39 victory over Celina. Leading the way for Van Wert was Kyle Keber, who scored 18 points, while Matt Bidlack added 17 counters for the Cougars.

Van Wert will need to be hitting on all cylinders this coming Friday when it hosts league-leader Defiance for a battle of two of the WBL’s top teams.