Cougars take out Wapak in WBL contest

DAVE MOSIER/independent sports

The Van Wert Lady Cougars shot the eyes out of the basket at the charity stripe en route to a 54-39 victory over Wapakoneta in a Western Buckeye League battle Thursday night in the Cougar’s Den.

It was Seniors Night and two seniors, Alex Morrow and Brooke Keber, took a leadership role in the game. Morrow led the Cougars with 18 points, including an 8-for-8 performance at the free throw line, while Keber scored 10 points for Van Wert. Freshman Alexis Dowdy was also on, offensively, adding 13 points for the Cougars.

The Lady Redskins were led by Sarah Warner’s 11 points, while Tasha Helmstetter added 10 points for Wapak.

Van Wert had a two-point lead, 10-8, at the end of the first quarter, but outscored the Redskins 16-3 in the second period to go up by 15, 26-11, at the half. Both teams scored 28 points in the second half to maintain the 15-point margin of victory.

The key to the game was the free-throw line, where the Cougars hit 16 of 20 (80 percent), versus 6 of 12 (50 percent) for Wapakoneta.

With the win, Van Wert goes to 11-8 overall and 5-3 in the WBL, while the Lady Redskins are now 10-8 overall and 5-3 in league play.

It wasn’t a complete positive for Van Wert, though, as the junior varsity Cougars lose 46-35 to Wapak. The Van Wert JVs are now 14-5 on the year.

The Lady Cougars will next play next Thursday, February 16, at St. Marys Memorial High School in their last WBL contest of the year.