Cougar boys lose to Delphos St. John’s

Van Wert boys’ basketball information

The Van Wert Cougar boys ended strong, but a slow start doomed them to remain winless after a 53-44 loss to Delphos St. John’s on Tuesday.

The Blue Jays outscored Van Wert 14-4 for a 10-point first-quarter lead and were up by 11 points, 26-15, at the half. A 19-8 third quarter differential put St. John’s up by 22 points, 45-23, heading into the fourth quarter.

The Cougars made a furious comeback in the final stanza, outscoring Delphos by 13 points, 21-8, but the effort wasn’t enough to affect the outcome of the game.

Jacoby Kelly was the only Van Wert player in double figures, with 12 points, while Ryan McCracken and Colin Smith added 9 points apiece, and Josh Braun scored 8 for the Cougars. St. John’s had three players in double figures, led by Tim Kreeger’s 18 points. Owen Rode scored 16 points for the ‘Jays, while Ryan Hellman added 12 points for St. John’s.

The Cougars had their opportunities in the fourth quarter, getting to within six points, 46-40, in the final stanza. But the Blue Jays held on, hitting some clutch shots and free throws to outlast Van Wert.

St. John’s held the Cougars to 38.6 percent shooting from the field (17 of 44), while Van Wert hit just 4 of 17 three-point attempts (23.5 percent). The Cougars also faltered at the line, making just 6 of 15 free throw attempts (40 percent). The Blue Jays were 18 of 34 from the field (53 percent), including 3 of 9 from three-point range (33.3 percent), while making 14 of 18 free throw attempts (77.8 percent).

The taller St. John’s team also outrebounded the Cougars 27-12, while Van Wert took better care of the ball, with 11 fewer turnovers (15-26) than the Blue Jays.

The Van Wert junior varsity team won their game, 46-40 in overtime, with Nate Place and Dylan Lautzenheiser leading the Cougar JVs with 10 points apiece. Lucas Metcalf of St. John’s led all scorers with 16 points.

Van Wert will try to get on the winning track on December 28 when the Cougars host Wayne Trace.