The Van Wert County Courthouse

Thursday, Mar. 28, 2024

Cougs lose; Knights, Lancers get wins

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Van Wert Cougars’ fourth-quarter rally wasn’t enough as they lost their Western Buckeye League battle with Lima Bath 72-56. The Crestview Knights had a much easier time, as they downed Paulding 62-36 in a Northwest Conference match-up on Friday, while Lincolnview outlasted Delphos Jefferson 45-42 in another NWC contest for stay perfect on the year.

The Cougars (4-12 overall, 1-5 in the WBL) spotted Bath (7-10, 4-2) a 10-point lead in the first quarter, trailing 17-7 at the end of the period, and were down by 17 points, 37-20, at the half. It was 61-38 at the three-quarter mark before Van Wert went on an 18-11 run in the final stanza to get within 16 points at the end.

Crestview' Brant Richardson (55) puts in a layup over a Paulding defender during the Knights' 62-36 win over the Panthers. (Bob Barnes/Van Wert independent)
Crestview’ Brant Richardson (55) puts in a layup over a Paulding defender during the Knights’ 62-36 win over the Panthers. (Bob Barnes/Van Wert independent)

The Cougars had three players in double figures, with Josh Braun leading the way with 15 points. Jacoby Kelly scored 11 points for Van Wert, while Ryan McCracken added 10 points and Colin Smith scored 9.

Andrew Renner and Chase Clark were the Wildcats’ main offensive weapons, as they combined for 39 of Bath’s 72 points. Cam Clark had 8 points for the Wildcats.

Turnovers, a lack of rebounding, and Bath’s three-point shooting all combined for the Cougars’ loss. While Van Wert did well from the field, hitting 20 of 44 attempts (45.5 percent), including 6 of 16 three-point shots (37.5 percent), the Wildcats were 10 of 18 from three-point range (55.6 percent), while hitting 29 of 59 overall (49.2 percent).

The Cougars were 10 of 13 at the free throw line (76.9 percent), while Bath made 4 of 7 free throws (57.1 percent).

The Wildcats dominated the boards, bringing down 33 rebounds to 24 for the Van Wert. The Cougars also had 21 turnovers, compared to 14 for Bath.

The Van Wert junior varsity ran its record to 12-4 with a 50-42 victory over the Wildcat JVs. Both teams had three players in double figures. Blake Henry led all scorers with 24 points, while Nate Place added 17 points and Drew Bagley scored 10 points for the Cougars. Zac States led Bath with 14 points, while Isaiah Bolon and his brother, Jeremiah, each scored 13 points for the Wildcat JVs.

Van Wert will travel to Fort Wayne Carroll tonight for a non-conference match-up.

The Crestview Knights took a nine-point lead over Paulding’s Panthers, 20-11, and never looked back in their 62-36 pounding of the Panthers in Northwest Conference boys’ basketball action at Crestview.

The Knights were up by 10, 32-22, at the half, and led by 16 points, 47-31, at the three-quarter mark.

Connor Lautzenheiser led Crestview with 22 points, while Javin Etzler added 16 for the Knights. Alex Arellano was Paulding’s top scorer, with 15 points, while Marcus Miller added 10 for the Panthers.

Connor Lautzenheiser (11) puts up a basket for Crestview during Friday's match-up with Paulding. (Bob Barnes/Van Wert independent)
Connor Lautzenheiser (11) puts up a basket for Crestview during Friday’s match-up with Paulding. (Bob Barnes/Van Wert independent)

Crestview shot 60 percent from the field (23 of 38), including 10 of 17 three-point attempts (58 percent), while the Knight defense held Paulding to 12 of 43 from the field (27 percent) and just 1 of 18 from three-point range (5 percent).

Crestview also had a slim edge in rebounding, 23-22, while losing the ball 12 times, versus 15 for the Panthers.

Delphos Jefferson was looking for an upset over Division IV’s No. 1-ranked Lincolnview Lancers, and nearly got it, losing 45-42 in a game held at Jefferson Middle School in Delphos.

Jefferson (11-5,3-2 NWC) held a one-point lead, 11-10, at the end of the first quarter, and maintained that lead at the half, 20-19. The Lancers (17-0, 6-0 NWC) tied it up at 34-all at the three-quarter mark, and then outscored Delphos 11-8 in the final stanza to eke out the win.

The game was nip-and-tuck all the way, with the lead changing hands multiple times during the course of the hard-fought contest.

Hayden Ludwig led the Lancers with 15 points — including three treys — while Chandler Adams added 12 points for Lincolnview. Jefferson was led by Trey Smith’s 19 points, while Jace Stockwell added 16 points for the Delphos squad. The difference was in the depth of scoring, as the Jeffcats had just four players score, while Lincolnview had six players in the scoring column.

POSTED: 01/30/16 at 10:03 am. FILED UNDER: Sports