Cougars earn victory over Bryan

DAVE MOSIER/independent sports

The Van Wert Cougars outscored Bryan 16-7 in the second quarter and staved off the Golden Bears the rest of the way to win 45-32 in a non-conference game played Saturday in the Cougar’s Den.

AJ Smith rebounded from Friday’s loss to Bath, scoring 17 points, including four treys, while Kyle Keber added 10 points for Van Wert. Jordan Spiess was Bryan’s top scorer with 9 points.

The Golden Bears led by a point, 6-5, after a less-than-exciting first quarter, but Van Wert’s 16-7 run in the second stanza had the Cougars up by eight, 21-13, at the half. Bryan cut the lead to five points, 45-40, heading into the final period of play after outscoring Van Wert 17-14 in the third quarter, but the Cougars went on a 10-2 run in the final stanza to earn the victory.

Van Wert was 14 of 26 from two-point range (53.8 percent) and hit 6 of 11 three-point attempts (54.5 percent) for an overall field goal average of 54.1 percent. The Cougars made 9 of 11 at the free throw line (81.8 percent).

Bryan were hot from the field, making 18 of 27 two-point attempts (66.7 percent), although they hit just 3 of 16 from three-point range (18.75 percent) for an overall field goal percentage of 48.8 percent). The Golden Bears were 5 of 6 from the free-throw line (83.3 percent).

Van Wert had the edge in rebounding, 26-23 and also had fewer turnovers, 8-11, in the game.

With the win, the Cougars are now 8-5 overall, while Bryan is now 7-7 on the year.

The Van Wert junior varsity team upped its record to 12-1 on the year with a 40-34 victory over the Golden Bears. Drew Myers led the Cougar JVs with 11 points, while Nathan Stoller added 9 for Van Wert. Kyle Rupp was the game’s high scorer with 24 points.

The Cougars will next play Kalida on Tuesday, with a Western Buckeye League game against Celina on Friday. Both games are at Van Wert.