Fort Wayne Carroll edges Cougar boys

DAVE MOSIER/independent sports

The Van Wert Cougars started off good, but couldn’t sustain the effort, as the Fort Wayne (Indiana) Carroll High School boys rallied for a 53-50 non-conference win over the Cougars.

Van Wert had a 10-point lead, 11-1, at the end of the first quarter, but then saw Carroll chip away at its advantage. The lead was down to five points, 21-16, at the half, and shrunk to just a basket, 34-32, at the end of three periods of play.

Carroll then outscored the Cougars 21-17 in the final stanza to come away with the hard-fought victory.

Van Wert had three players in double figures, with Nick Keber, Connor Holliday and Jacoby Kelly each scoring 12 points in the contest. Colin Smith added 9 points for Van Wert. The Fort Wayne squad was led by game high scorer Kyle Mallers, who had 19 points, including 8 of 10 from the free-throw line. Jacob Redding scored 10 points for Carroll, while Jeremy Kalonji added 8 points.

The Cougars shot well from the field, hitting 17 of 35 (48.6 percent), including 7 of 17 from three-point range (41.2 percent). Van Wert was 9 of 16 at the free-throw line (56.3 percent). Fort Wayne Carroll made 17 of 31 from the field (54.8 percent), including an outstanding 15 of 21 from two-point range (71.4 percent). Carroll made 17 of 28 free-throw attempts (60.7 percent).

Van Wert (2-3 overall) had a small edge in rebounding, 18-17, while also having three fewer turnovers, 7-10.

The Cougar junior varsity team also lost to Carroll, 44-31. Davis Munroe led the Van Wert JVs with 10 points, while Tony Martin had 16 points for Carroll.

The Cougars will next play Tuesday, December 30, at home against Delphos St. John’s.