Cougar boys lose to Delphos St. John’s

Van Wert independent sports

The Van Wert Cougars had one bad quarter, but it was the difference between a win and a loss as the Cougars fell to Delphos St. John’s 51-43 in a non-conference game played Tuesday at Van Wert.

Both teams scored 14 points in the first quarter, but the Blue Jays went on a 14-7 run in the second period to lead 28-21 at the half. That was the difference as the Cougars scored 23 points in the second half, to 22 for St. John’s.

Van Wert’s Jacoby Kelly led all scorers with 18 points, including three treys, while Nate Place added 10 points for the Cougars. The Blue Jays had three players in double figures, led by Tim Kreeger’s 14 points. Owen Rode added 13 points for Delphos, while Collin Will had 10 points for the ‘Jays.

Three-pointers and free throws were key for St. John’s in the game. Van Wert was 19 of 44 (43.2 percent), including just 4 of 19 from three-point range (21.1 percent). The Cougars hit 3 of 7 free throws (42.9 percent).

St. John’s made 19 of 46 field-goal attempts (41.3 percent); however, six of those were three-pointers, versus four for Van Wert. The Blue Jays were 7 of 10 (70 percent) at the free throw line, including 3 of 4 down the stretch in the fourth quarter.

Delphos also had the edge in rebounds, 28-30, while also having one fewer turnover (6-7).

The Cougar junior varsity team edged St. John’s 44-41 in the first game of the night. Clayton Proffitt scored 11 points for Van Wert, while Curtis Schwinnen had 16 and Matthew Miller scored 11 for the Blue Jay JVs.

Van Wert will next play on Friday against Lima Central Catholic.

Box score

St. John’s 14 14 11 11–51

Van Wert  14  7 10 13–43

St. John’s (51) — Tim Kreeger 14, Jared Wurst 3, Richard Cocuzza 6, Josh Warnecke 2, Owen Rode 13, Connor Hulihan 3, Collin Will 10. Totals: 19 7-10 51.

Van Wert (43) — Jacoby Kelly 18, Nate Place 10, Nick Gutierrez 2, Dylan Lautzenheiser 4, Drew Bagley 5, Blake Henry 2, Mat Reichert 2. Totals: 19 3-7 43.

JV game: Van Wert wins 44-41