C’view, Raiders to play for regional crown

DAVE MOSIER/independent sports

BOWLING GREEN — The Crestview Knights cut down the tall trees of Ottawa Hills – including Northwest District Division IV Player of the Year Geoff Beans – beating the Green Bears 49-26 to earn a shot at a state berth on Friday.

Cam Etzler, a 5-11 senior, got the toughest defensive assignment of the night: guard the 6-7 Beans, who has averaged 18 points a game thus far in the season. It was an assignment Etzler was up for, though, as he held Beans to a pair of free throws as the Knights advance to Friday’s regional finals game against Wayne Trace.

Crestview held Ottawa Hills to just three points in the first quarter to lead by nine, 12-3, at the end of the period. The Knights’ defense held the Green Bears to only single-digit scoring in three of four quarters, with Ottawa Hills scoring 10 points in the second quarter to trail by eight points, 21-13, at the half.

It was a nine-point lead, 29-20, at the three-quarter mark before Crestview’s offense spread the floor in the final stanza to get some easy layups and make clutch free throws to enable the Knights to finally pull away from Ottawa Hills.

The Green Bears’ 6-9 post player, RJ Coil, led all scorers with 19 points, including 9 of 15 at the line. Coil was the only Ottawa Hills player in double figures.

Crestview’s offense was more balanced, with three players scoring in double figures, led by Etzler’s 11 points. Connor Lautzenheiser and Damian Helm each added 10 points for the Knights.

Also crucial was the fact that the much shorter Crestview players had nearly as many rebounds (26-29) as the Green Bears, who started two 6-7 players, as well as the 6-9 Coil.

The Knight defense did an outstanding job of forcing Ottawa Hills into 16 turnovers, while making just three miscues on the offensive side.

Neither team shot well from the field. Crestview was 14 of 42 (33.3 percent), including 4 of 14 from three-point range, while the Green Bears hit just 6 of 25 field goal attempts (24 percent) – none of those beyond the arc.

The Knights were 17 of 22 at the line (77.3 percent), while Ottawa Hills made 14 of 21 free throw attempts (66.7 percent).

Now, Crestview must play the Raiders for a third time this season, not an enviable task, even though the Knights have won the other two meetings this year.

In the other regional semifinals game, Wayne Trace Coach Jim Linder’s two sons, freshman Ethan and junior Corbin, did most of the offensive damage as the Raiders pummeled Buckeye Central 78-51 to earn a chance at a rematch with Crestview in the regional finals on Friday.

The Linder brothers scored 62 of Wayne Trace’s points as the Raiders made it look easy against Buckeye Central.

Wayne Trace led by 13 points, 22-9, at the end of the first quarter and was up by 16, 44-28, at the half. Both teams scored 16 points in the third period to maintain the Raiders’ 16-point lead and Wayne Trace went on an 18-7 run in the fourth quarter to close out the game in style.

Corbin Linder led all scorers with 32 points, while brother Ethan added 30 points for Wayne Trace. Cady Kaple led the Bucks with 21 points, while Austin Wurm added 15 for Buckeye Central.

The Raiders made 29 of 49 field goal attempts (59.2 percent), including 8 of 18 from three-point range, while Buckeye Central, who couldn’t solve Wayne Trace’s 1-3-1 zone defense, was 17 of 48 (35.4 percent) from the field. The Raiders made 14 of 20 free throws (70 percent), while Buckeye Central was 13 of 17 from the line (76.5 percent).

Wayne Trace had the edge in rebounding, 30-29, while also having fewer turnovers, 14-20, than the Bucks.

Now the Raiders must find a way to defeat Crestview, which has already beaten them twice during the regular season.