Cougars in search of WBL championship

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

To say the atmosphere should be electric may be an understatement. Many people have dubbed it the “WBL championship game” and in many respects it is, as Van Wert (15-4, 7-0 WBL) will welcome in defending league champion Shawnee (15-5, 7-0 WBL) Friday night. The winner will clinch at least a share of the WBL title with one week left to go in the regular season.

While Shawnee won last last year’s league title outright, Van Wert’s last WBL boys basketball championship came during the 2006-2007 season.

Last season, Van Wert was fourth in the league standings with a very young starting lineup – all underclassmen, including two freshmen, and many believed the Cougars would make a jump this season. How big the jump would be was unknown.

“We were 5-4 in the WBL last year and were a few possessions away from possibly winning a couple more,” Van Wert head coach Jeremy Best said.  “We are keeping the same mindset and approach we’ve had all year, and that the Shawnee game is the biggest WBL game of the year for us, because it is the next game for us.”

A key piece to the league title chase was last week’s win at Ottawa-Glandorf. Van Wert hadn’t won at the Supreme Court since the 1989-90 season. The Cougars controlled the first and third quarters of Friday’s game, dealt with some foul trouble and converted nine straight free throw attempts late in the fourth quarter to come away with a 61-51 win.

Van Wert opened the season with three straight wins then dropped back-to-back games, 49-44 at Kalida and 79-45 to Delphos St. John’s, putting the Cougars at 3-2. What followed was a tough 42-40 overtime win at Bath, then a 73-42 win over Springfield, a pair of victories that seemed to get the Cougars back on track. From there, Van Wert won 12 of 13 games, with the only loss coming to Division VI No. 1 Marion Local.

“Our guys have been coachable since Day No. 1,” Best said. They are invested in trusting the daily process and come to practice every day with the right mindset. They enjoy competing, and they genuinely care about each other. We’ve had really good balance all year on the offensive end, and we have been diverse enough at times defensively to hide our weaknesses.”

The balance mentioned by Best comes in the form of sophomore guard Xavier Kelly (11.7 points per game), sophomore post player Zach Crummey (11.6 points, 8.1 rebounds per game), junior guard Keaten Welch (10.3 points per game), junior wing Cohen Bragg (8.9 points per game) and senior guard Griffin McCracken (8.5 points per game).

“They have five threats who can hurt you in a multitude of ways,” Shawnee head coach Mark Triplett said. “They play extremely well together – trust one another – and play for one another. They are a hungry team who is getting better and better as the season progresses.”

“We will have our hands full on Friday night,” he added.

Like Van Wert, most of Shawnee’s losses have come to formidable foes – Lima Central Catholic, Hilliard Bradley, Delphos St. John’s, St. Henry and Lima Sr. It’s no secret that things run through the brothers Bertke – 6-7  senior forward Beckett Bertke (21 points per game, 10.1 rebounds per game), who has committed to play basketball at the University of Findlay, and 607 junior guard Trevick Bertke (18.5 ppg, 8.1 rebounds per game). The Indians average 66 points per game.

“Shawnee is a matchup nightmare for many teams, including us,” Best said. “The Bertke brothers are always open, and they are both special talents. In addition, the role players on this Shawnee team have been great at playing their roles very well and complement the Bertke brothers nicely.  Coach Triplett always has his team prepared, and they are the defending champions.”

Presale tickets for Friday’s game will be sold in the high school athletic office from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday. The game will air live on WERT 1220AM/104.3FM.

While it won’t count in the league standings, the Coguars will host another talented opponent Saturday night, one that’s new to the schedule – Spencerville, with brothers Will and Owen Sensabaugh.

Next Friday, Van Wert will travel to Kenton for the regular season finale, while Shawnee will host Ottawa-Glandorf.