Lancers fall to No. 2 Columbus Grove

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

In a matchup of two state ranked Division IV teams, No. 2 Columbus Grove controlled nearly every statistical category, especially rebounding, and the Bulldogs pulled away from No. 16 Lincolnview 70-49 on Tuesday night.

It was the first Northwest Conference loss of the season for the Lancers (10-3, 3-1 NWC), while Columbus Grove improved to 10-1 (4-0 NWC) and took sole possession of first place in the conference. Lincolnview’s three losses have come to teams that have been ranked No. 1 or 2 in the state.

The Lancers finished 18-of-44 (41 percent) from the floor, while Columbus Grove shot 29-of-57 (51 percent). In addition, the Bulldogs held a 31-15 rebounding advantage, including 14 offensive rebounds, many of which were converted into second chance points. Lincolnview also had 11 turnovers, compared to eight by Columbus Grove.

“Give them some credit, they played good defense,” Lincolnview head coach Brett Hammons said. “We had open shots and we didn’t knock them in and credit them, but we have to be better. We didn’t play our normal game, we didn’t play like ourselves and we got our tails kicked tonight.”

“Just on the offensive rebounding end I think they had more offensive rebounds than we had total rebounds,” Hammons added. “You can’t give them that many second and third chance opportunities because it’s going to burn you and that’s what happened tonight.”

“The best thing we did was make shots and we got a lot of offensive rebounds,” Columbus Grove head coach Chris Sautter said. “When you rebound the ball at the offensive end, they can’t leak out like they want to and get going.”

The two teams were nip-and-tuck in the first quarter, with Columbus Grove holding a 15-14 lead at the end of the period, including eight points by Blake Reynolds. Lincolnview’s final points of the quarter came on a buzzer beater by Landon Price.

The Bulldogs started to pull away in the second quarter. A three pointer and a bucket off an offensive rebound put Columbus Grove up 20-14 early in the second quarter and the lead grew 37-24 at the end of the period. Sautter scored 11 of his 13 points in the quarter, including three treys.

By the midway point of the third quarter, Columbus Grove used a 7-0 scoring run to increase the lead to 46-28 and by the end of the period, the Bulldogs enjoyed a 54-40 lead. Gabe Clement scored six of his 14 points in the quarter, while Ethan Halker accounted of six of his 12 points, plus 10 rebounds.

Any hope of a Lancer comeback was dashed in the fourth quarter, when Tayt Birnesser hit four consecutive treys to increase the lead to 66-45. Birnesser finished with a game high 16 points and was one of five Bulldogs who finished in double digits.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who can do some good things for us and that’s what we want to see,” Sautter said. “We want to see four or five guys in double figures. We don’t want to see one guy with 30 or two guys with 20. Balanced scoring is when we’re at our best.”

Lincolnview was led in scoring by Collin Overholt, who finished with 12 points. Aaron Cavinder added nine points and Jake Bowersock and Creed Jessee each tallied eight.

The Lancers are scheduled to play at Delphos Jefferson on Friday night.

“I believe Jefferson only has one loss in the conference so we have to come ready to go,” Hammons said. “We get to go to the stage so we have to refocus and get ourselves ready in two days, go get a win and get back in the win column and not let this one stick with us too long. They exposed us and we have to get better in those areas.”

Scoring summary

Lincolnview 14 10 16 9 – 49
Col. Grove 15 22 17 16 – 70

Lincolnview: Clayton Leeth 2-1-6; Aaron Cavinder 3-0-9; Collin Overholt 3-6-12; Landon Price 1-0-2; Daegan Hatfield 1-0-2; Jake Bowersock 4-0-8; Creed Jessee 3-0-8; Fletcher Collins 1-0-2