Cougs fall to Riders, Knights win in OT

Van Wert independent sports

The Van Wert Lady Cougars got off to a bad start, and that was at least one key to a 46-24 Western Buckeye League loss to St. Marys on Thursday.

The Lady Roughriders showed why they’re leading the WBL, outscoring Van Wert 30-6 in the first half to take a 24-point lead into the locker room. While the Lady Cougars then outscored St. Marys in the second half, the difference was just two points, not enough to appreciably dent the large lead the Roughriders had compiled in the first two quarters.

St. Marys used its height advantage to good effect, as well as a balanced offensive effort led by 6-foot senior forward Erika Thornsberry, who canned 16 points to lead all scorers in the game. Classmate Jo Steva added 10 points for the Roughriders, while Rachel Wale scored 9 points for St. Marys.

The Cougars were led by Alex Morrow, who scored 10 points, but no other Van Wert player had even 5 points in the game.

With the win, the Lady Riders are now 8-0 in league play and 16-2 overall. Van Wert’s record is 1-7 in the WBL and 5-13 overall.

Elsewhere, the Lincolnview Lady Lancers lost another close one to Spencerville, 57-53, in a Northwest Conference match-up played at Lincolnview.

The Lancers took the early lead on the strength of an 18-14 first quarter against Spencerville. The Lady Bearcats topped Lincolnview 12-10 in the second quarter, but still trailed by a basket, 18-16, at the half. The third period was the key, as Spencerville outscored the Lancers 17-12 to take a three-point lead in the game. The Bearcats also edged Lincolnview 14-13 in the final quarter and Spencerville pulled out a four-point win in league play.

The Lancers were led by three players in double-figures: Katie Dye, Audrey Bowen and Kaitlyn Brant, all with 10 points, while Carley Springer and Abbi Alvarez both had 8 points for Lincolnview. Three players were also in double figures for Spencerville. They include Courtney Miller, who had 18 points, and Alyssa Mulholland and Brittany Kill, who each had 12 points.

Turnovers were the difference in the game as the Lancers outshot their opponents in everything but three-point goals. Lincolnview was 21 of 44 from the field (47.7 percent) and 1 of 4 from beyond the arc (25 percent), while hitting 10 of 15 free throws (66.7 percent).

The Bearcats were 20 of 48 from field-goal range, but hit 6 of 10 three-point attempts (60 percent). They were 11 of 21 at the free-throw line (52.4 percent).

Both teams had 19 rebounds, although Spencerville brought down 9 offensive boards to 6 for the Lady Lancers.

With the loss, Lincolnview falls to 1-7 in the NWC and 4-13 overall, while the Bearcats are now 4-4 in league play and 5-12 overall.

Also Thursday, the Crestview Lady Knights barely pulled out a 54-53 overtime win over Columbus Grove in a NWC game played on Thursday.

With the win, the Knights go to 6-2 in the league and 10-7 overall, while Grove is now 3-5 in the NWC and 5-12 overall.