Van Wert tops Crestview in see-saw battle

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

CONVOY — A roller coaster ride – that’s the best way to describe Friday night’s season opener at Ray Etzler Gymnasium.

Both teams got off to a slow start and just when it appeared Van Wert might run away with the game, Crestview took control for a time, only to see the Cougars come back and win 57-52.

Despite being held scoreless for the first 3:30 of the opening quarter, Van Wert jumped out to a 14-5 lead, with Xavier Kelly and Keaten Welch each accounting for five points. Crestview closed the gap to 14-9 by the end of the period, but the Knights struggled at the offensive end in the second stanza.

“I’m disappointed in how we started the game,” Crestview head coach Doug Etzler said. “We were not very sharp with our movement on offense and missed a few shots that we have to make if we want to compete against a good team like Van Wert.”

Crestview was held off the scoreboard for more than five minutes in the second quarter and finished with just six points in the period, including two on foul shots by Hayden Perrott with no time left on the clock, which trimmed Van Wert’s lead to 25-15.

“I was really pleased with how we closed the final part of the first half, until our last possession,” Van Wert head coach Jeremy Best said. “Those are areas where our kids have to grow.”

The third quarter belonged to Crestview, as the Knights scored the first 14 points of the period, including eight by Perrott, which allowed the hosts to grab a 29-25 lead. However, McCracken drilled three consecutive treys to give Van Wert a 34-31 lead, but Owen Heckler and Perrott scored the final points of the quarter, giving the Knights a 35-34 lead entering the final period. Perrott finished with a game high 20 points, including 17 in the second half, while McCracken finished with a team high 17 points for Van Wert.

“We had some really good looks to start the second half but I thought we were able to keep it together through some foul trouble and get some stops and some rebounds, then Griff hit the threes,” Best said.

The two teams exchanged the lead multiple times in the fourth quarter, but Van Wert was able to secure the win by going 11-of-12 from the foul line in the period, with McCracken and Welch each going 4-for-4. In addition, Zach Crummey scored six of his 13 points in the final quarter.

“We didn’t finish the game out like we needed to do,” Best said. “We made some silly errors, we did hit free throws but I would have loved to have not been in that situation. “I’m super happy for our kids – they earned it and I told them that’s what’s fun about it, when you really fight for something and you get rewarded.”

“I’m very proud of our toughness and aggressiveness in the second half,” Etzler said. “We had a great third quarter, but gave up 23 fourth quarter points. “I told our guys I liked their fight in the second half, but if we want to beat good teams we need that same toughness all four quarters. Give credit to Van Wert for staying composed and their senior (McCracken) hit three big threes in the third quarter when we had a chance to put them away. Van Wert is a very skilled team and they are going to win a lot of games.”

Both teams shot 28 percent from the floor, with Van Wert converting 19-of-50 shot attempts, compared to 21-of-55 by Crestview. The Cougars connected on 14-of-16 free throws, compared to 8-of-11 by the Knights. Crestview held a slight rebounding advantage, 29-27 and had one less turnover (six) than Van Wert.

Van Wert is scheduled to play at Delphos St. John’s tonight. The Knights will travel to Shawnee on Friday.

Box score

Van Wert  14  11   9  23 – 57

Crestview   9    6 20  17 – 52

Van Wert: Xavier Kelly 3-1-8; Griffin McCracken 5-4-17; Keaten Welch 4-6-15; Caden Collins 0-2-2; Zach Crummey 6-1-13; Cohen Bragg 1-0-2

Crestview: Hayden Perrott 3-8-20; Liam Putman 3-0-6; Owen Heckler 5-0-10; Will Sheets 8-0-16

JV – Crestview 53-26