Cougars fall to Elida in overtime 63-59

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

ELIDA — No. 5 seed Van Wert pushed No 1 seed Elida to the limit, but the Cougars came up short in overtime, losing to the Bulldogs 63-59 in a Division IV sectional championship game at the Elida Fieldhouse on Friday. The loss ended Van Wert’s season at 10-13, while Elida improved to 16-7 and advanced to Tuesday’s district semifinal game against Bath.

“This game was like the sequel to several of our games this season,” Van Wert head coach Jeremy Best said. “Our guys did everything from an effort standpoint.”

After a neck-and-neck first quarter, the Cougars led 20-19, with Cohen Bragg pumping in a pair of treys and Keaten Welch added six points on a pair of buckets and two foul shots, while Elida’s A’Mari Wash also scored six points.

The scoring pace slowed considerably in the second quarter, with the Cougars outscoring the Bulldogs 8-4 for a 28-23 halftime lead. Elida trailed by as many as six in the third quarter but Wash and Zori Island each scored six points to pull within two by the end of the quarter, 41-39. Van Wert’s Caden Collins had a big third period, swishing in a trey and adding a pair of conventional baskets.

The fourth quarter turned out to be a back and fourth affair,w ith the Bulldogs taking a 44-43 lead on an offensive rebound and layup by Parker Crim. Later in the period, a three point bomb by Griff McCracken gave the Cougars a 48-46 lead. Van Wert’s last bucket in regulation came on a layup by Zach Crummey with 2:40 left. Island tied the game 52-52 with two foul shots with 1:48 left.

After a layup by Island to start overtime, back-to-back layups by Crummey gave the Cougars a 56-54 lead, but Wash scored five straight points to give Elida the lead for good. Wash went on to lead all scorers with 26 points. Two free throws by McCracken pulled Van Wert to within one, 59-58, but that was as close at Cougars would get. 

Crummey led the Cougars with 16 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots, while Bragg added 10 points. Van Wert finished 23-of-51 from the floor and 11-of-14 from the foul line. The Cougars also out-rebounded the Bulldogs 25-24. 

“My heart is full of pride for our guys, our team and our program,” Best said. “Our kids learned how to do hard things this year. They did everything I asked them to do. I’m proud that they call me their coach.”

“I’d like to thank our fans, especially the Cat Pack,” he added. “There’s some pride and excitement in what direction this program is headed, but there is still more work to do.”

Box score

Bulldogs  19   4  16  13  11 – 63

Cougars  20   8  13  11    7 – 59

Elida: Zori Island 7-1-16; Brody Altenbach 2-0-5; Parker Crim 3-0-6; Marcus Hill 3-4-10; Amari Wash 8-10-26

Van Wert: Xavier Kelly 3-0-6; Griff McCracken 2-2-7; Keaten Welch 2-5-9; Nate Gearhart 1-0-2; Caden Collins 4-0-9; Zach Crummey 6-4-16; Cohen Bragg 4-0-10