Weekend prep basketball roundup

VW independent sports

Boys basketball

Van Wert 73 Springfield 42

DEFIANCE – Van Wert put the wraps on a successful weekend with a 73-42 victory over Holland Springfield at the Grubbe Family Holiday Classic at Defiance High School on Saturday. The one-day classic pitted schools from the Western Buckeye League against teams from the Northern Lakes League. The WBL went 5-0 on the day.

The Cougars (5-2), who enjoyed a 42-40 overtime win over Bath on Friday night, trailed the Blue Devils 15-14 after the first quarter, with Zach Crummey accounting for six of Van Wert’s points. Van Wert kicked it in gear in the second quarter, outscoring Springfield (1-6), a member of the Northern Lakes League, 20-9. Keaten Welch poured in 10 points in the period, including six foul shots, and Cohen Bragg hit a pair of treys and a free throw. Leading 34-24 to start the second half, the Cougars ended any hopes of a Springfield comeback by outscoring the Blue Devils by a 24-5 margin. Welch added six more points, Griffin McCracken scored five points and Xavier Kelly and Crummey each added two buckets.

All five Cougar starters finished in double figures – Welch led all scorers with 18 points, Crummey had 14 points, McCracken tallied 13 points, Bragg had 11 points and Kelley finished with 10 points. Kai Tyler was Springfield’s only player in double figures, with 10 points.

Van Wert has a pair of holiday week non-conference games on tap. The Cougars will host Columbus Grove on Tuesday (5 p.m. junior varsity start), then will entertain Ottoville on Saturday (4 p.m. junior varsity start).

Crestview 48 Kalida 29

KALIDA — Will Sheets scored 22 points and Crestview shook off Friday’s loss to Columbus Grove with a 48-29 win at Kalida on Saturday.

Sheets scored 10 points on five baskets in the first quarter alone and the Knights led 14-12 at the end of the period. Logan Kerner accounted for eight of Kalida’s points, including a pair of triples. Each team scored just five points in the second quarter and Crestview carried a 19-17 lead into halftime. However, the Knights pulled away in the third quarter, as Hayden Perrott, who finished with 14 points, scored five points and Sheets and Cash Hammons each put in two baskets, and Crestview led 35-20 entering the final stanza. Sheets added six more points in the final quarter.

“Our guys played really hard tonight,” Crestview head coach Doug Etzler said. “It’s been a learning experience for our group so far. Hopefully this shows them what can happen when you take care of the ball and play as hard as you can.”

Kerner led the Wildcats with 11 points and Jaxon Hoffman added 10 points.

Crestview (3-5) will travel to Ottoville Friday night.

Lincolnview 43 Fort Jennings 41

It wasn’t easy, but the Lancers improved to 6-1 on the season with a 43-41 win over visiting Fort Jennings on Saturday.

Lincolnview led 12-4 after the first quarter and 25-16 at halftime. However, the Musketeers closed the gap to 30-28 after three quarters. Each team scored 13 fourth quarter points. Max Hammons led the Lancers with 13 points and Gavin Evans had a team high six rebounds. Adler Pothast led Fort Jennings with 12 points and Calvin Menke added 11 points.

The difference in the game was the foul line, where both teams shot 75 percent, but the Lancers had far more attempts, converting 12-of-16 tries, while Fort Jennings connected on 3-of-4 free throws. Both teams struggled from beyond the three point arc. Fort Jennings hit 2-of-11 trey attemps, while Lincolnview was 3-of-15. The Musketeers had a 31-19 rebounding advantage.

Lincolnview will return to action on Monday, December 29, at Kalida.

Girls basketball

Crestview 32 Kalida 22

KALIDA — In a defensive struggle at Kalida High School, Crestview emerged with a 32-22 win on Saturday afternoon.

Kaci Gregory led the Lady Knights with 13 points by hitting three treys and going 4-of-4 from the foul line. Peyton Hoffman added eight points and Haley McCoy finished with six points. Crestview led 8-7 after one quarter and 19-15 at halftime. The lead ballooned to 12 after three quarters, 30-17, as the Lady Knights allowed just two baskets the entire second half. Kalida’s Addilyn Huber led all scorers with 14 points. 

Crestview will travel to Liberty-Benton (7-2) tonight, then will host Ottawa-Glandorf (7-0) on Saturday.