Cougar girls rally past Wayne Trace

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

HAVILAND – Points were at a premium at The Palace on Tuesday night, but Van Wert scored some big ones in the fourth quarter.

A triple by Kyra Welch and a bucket by Sofi Houg halfway through the quarter gave Van Wert the lead for the first time all night, then with a one-point advantage, senior post player Erin Schaufelberger converted a pair of foul shots with six seconds left to give the Cougars a hard fought 29-26 win over Wayne Trace.

The victory improved Van Wert’s overall record to 4-1, while the Raiders fell to 2-3.

“Erin hit those huge free throws at the end to put us up by three and seal the win,” head coach Hannah Phlipot said. “Kyra showed great leadership on both sides of the ball tonight. She handled the ball well in pressure situations and created some turnovers defensively.”

Schaufelberger finished with seven points and 10 rebounds, and Welch tallied six points and five boards. Houg led Van Wert with 11 points.

Van Wert trailed 9-3 after the first quarter, with Houg hitting a bucket and a free throw, while Gracie Shepherd hit a pair of baskets for Wayne Trace. The Cougars trailed 14-8 in the second quarter but scored six unanswered points before halftime to tie the game 14-14 at the break.

Things didn’t get any easier in the third quarter, with Houg and Schaufelberger scoring Van Wert’s only two baskets of the period. Trailing 22-18 entering the final stanza, the Cougars turned the tables and clamped down in the fourth quarter, allowing just four points.

“The entire game was a battle and the girls never stopped fighting,” Van Wert head coach Hannah Phlipot said. “They stayed the course and executed late in the game.”

Van Wert finished 10-of-37 from the field while Wayne Trace connected on 10-of-33 floor shots. The difference was the free throw line, where the Cougars finished 8-of-16, compared to 5-of-10 by Wayne Trace. The Raiders had one more rebound, 29-28, but had more turnovers as well, 14-9. Shepherd led Wayne Trace with eight points and nine rebounds.

The Cougars will host Defiance on Thursday and Wayne Trace will travel to Ayersville the same night.

Box score

Cougars 3 11 4 11 – 29
Raiders 9 5 8 4 – 26

Van Wert: Jordanne Blythe 1-0-2; Kyra Welch 2-1-6; Sofi Houg 4-3-11; Maria Bagley 1-1-3; Erin Schaufelberger 2-3-7

Wayne Trace: Abby Moore 2-0-4; Harper Myers 2-1-6; Gracie Shepherd 4-0-8; Careen Winans 0-2-2; Lexi Moore 0-1-1; Caroline Winans 2-1-5

JV: Wayne Trace 35-30