Fast start propels Van Wert to victory

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

Owen Treece scored 34 points and Jake Hilleary finished with 16 to power Van Wert past Elida 67-60 on Friday night.

Treece scored 10 points in the opening quarter alone, hitting two treys, a pair of free throws and a basket, while Hilleary drilled two triples as the Cougars (5-13, 2-5 WBL) raced out to a 23-9 lead.

“It was very important to get off to a fast start just to get the bad taste of Tuesday night out of our mouths,” Van Wert head coach Ben Laudick explained. “The good thing was a lot of our shots were going in and a lot from three point range, but it kind of caught up to us a little bit in the second quarter and it allowed Elida to get back in it.”

Behind six points each by Isaac Manley and Tyler Long, Elida was able to trim the deficit to 35-27 at halftime. Treece scored eight of Van Wert’s 12 second quarter points, while Parker Conrad scored twice.

Treece scored eight more in the third quarter and Keaton Brown scored four of his seven points in the period to help Van Wert to a 50-43 lead. Each team scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, with Treece accounting for eight and Hilleary seven, including a big three pointer.

“Owen had 34 points and he’s a guy that we rely on a lot, but Jake Hilleary had a really good night tonight,” Laudick said. “He brings a toughness and he’s a competitor, he wants to win and he likes to get after it. He had to battle through some foul trouble but at the same time he’s a guy we had to keep on the floor for quite a bit.”

Quan Moore led Elida with 28 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter. Manley added 14 for the Bulldogs (6-12, 2-5 WBL). Elida finished the night 23-57 (40 percent) from the floor and 9-13 from the foul line.

Van Wert connected on 20-53 (38 percent) shots and the Cougars were 20-25 from the free throw line, including 15-18 by Treece. Van Wert held a slight 26-24 rebounding advantage.

The Cougars will host St. Henry tonight.

Scoring summary

VWHS 23 12 15 17 – 67
Elida 9 18 16 17 – 60

Van Wert: Owen Treece 8-15-34; Keaton Brown 3-1-7; Nate Jackson 0-1-1; Parker Conrad 3-0-6; Colin Place 1-0-3; Jake Hilleary 5-3-16

Elida: Dylan Buetner 3-0-6; Quan Moore 9-9-28; Riley Creps 2-0-6; Tyler Long 2-0-6; Isaac Manley 7-0-14

JV: Van Wert 40-16