VW Cougars use foul line to defeat LCC

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Van Wert didn’t hit a basket in overtime but the Cougars converted 5-of-10 foul shots in the extra session, including one by Carson Smith with 25 seconds left and one by Luke Wessell with 10 seconds remaining, enough for an exciting 61-56 win over Lima Central Catholic on Tuesday.

“There might be people who sit in the stands and wonder if we ever shoot free throws at practice,” Van Wert head coach Ben Laudick said with a chuckle. “We went to the line and tried to be positive and we were lucky enough to make enough in the final stanza to come away with a win against a really solid LCC team.”

The Cougars (7-3) trailed 49-43 with 5:38 left in the fourth quarter but went on a 9-2 run to tie the game 52-52. Nate Phillips hit a pair of free throws, Wessell scored off a steal, Smith had a bucket and Aidan Pratt converted two foul shots during the run. Garett Gunter forced overtime by hitting a short runner with just 2.5 seconds left.

“His defender opened his hips and Garett had a nice driving lane and made a tough shot,” Laudick said.

The Thunderbirds (4-5) led 13-12 after one quarter, with Carson Parker scoring five points. Parker added eight more in the second quarter, including a trey to beat the halftime buzzer for a 28-25 lead. Smith pumped in 10 points in the second quarter for Van Wert. Wessell and Pratt combined for 14 points in the third quarter, but the Cougars trailed by one, 42-41 entering the fourth quarter.

Parker led all scorers with 21, while Willie Foster Jr. added 12 for Lima Central Catholic. Wessell led Van Wert with 17 points, Smith added 15 and Pratt finished with 14 points.

“I have to praise Nate Phillips – he got challenged at halftime and I thought he did an exceptional job against the Foster kid in the second half by making him go left,” Laudick said. “He took some really tough shots and didn’t convert them and I think our other guys fed off that. Nate took on the challenge and we were able to get enough stops and we rebounded it well enough at the end, so I’m pleased with an overtime victory at home.”

Van Wert hit 23-of-53 floor shots and 13-of-24 free throws, while the Thunderbirds knocked down 22-of-54 shots and 8-of-12 foul shots. The Cougars enjoyed a 33-25 rebounding advantage.

Van Wert will travel to St. Marys Memorial on Friday.

Box score

Van Wert 12 13 16 15 5 – 61
Lima CC 13 15 14 14 0 – 56

Van Wert: Nate Phillips 2-2-6; Luke Wessell 6-4-17; Carson Smith 6-2-15; Garett Gunter 4-1-9; Aidan Pratt 5-3-14

Lima Central Catholic: Carson Parker 9-2-21; Matthew Quatman 4-1-9; Willie Foster 4-2-12; Parker Judy 3-0-7; Payne Cutlip 0-1-1; Billy Bourke 1-2-4; Jacob Lauck 1-0-2

JV: Van Wert 52-35