Lancer boys rally to beat VW Cougars

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

Fueled by a 17-9 fourth quarter scoring advantage, the Lincolnview Lancers rallied to top the Van Wert Cougars 63-60 in the season opener for both teams.

The Cougars led 51-46 to open the final quarter of play, but the Lancer  were able to tie the game three different times before taking a 59-57 lead on a basket by Ryan Rager with 55 seconds left.  It was Lincolnview’s first lead since the opening quarter. After a pair of missed three pointers by the Cougars, the Lancers (1-0) sealed the victory with four consecutive free throws by Rager and Isiac Bowersock.  Rager finished with 19 points.

The Cougars hit just two baskets in the fourth quarter, with one of those being a three pointer by Jacoby Kelly at the final buzzer. He finished with a game high 22 points. Two other Cougars scored double digits, Nate Place (13) and Blake Henry (11).

In front of a sizable crowd, the two teams went back and forth to open the game, with the Cougars leading 13-12 after one quarter, and 33-30 at halftime.  In his first varsity start, Lincolnview’s Chayten Overholt scored 14 in the first half, and finished with a team high 20 points.

Van Wert (0-1) stretched the lead to six twice in the third quarter, with Place scoring the first five points for the Cougars.

“I thought we did a lot better job in that fourth quarter in not letting them in the paint, controlling that area and forcing them into tougher shots,” Lincolnview head coach Brett Hammons said.

“Not only this game, but in a lot of games we’re going to be undersized, and we just have to be tough, have a nose for the ball and go get it,” Hammons added.

While pleased with his team’s effort, Van Wert head coach Mark Bagley lamented the fourth quarter.

“I thought Lincolnview made the tough plays down the stretch,” Bagley said.

“We didn’t convert offensively or defensively, and had a couple of costly turnovers to start the quarter, and that gave them some momentum.”

Despite the loss, Bagley said there were some positives.

“We were there the whole game; I thought for most of the game it felt like we were in control, but we just needed to get one more run.”

The Cougars shot better from the field, hitting 25 of 41 field goals (61 percent), including 7 of 13 (53.8 percent) from three-point range. Where Van Wert fell down was at the free throw line, where the Cougars were just 9 of 16 for the game (56.3 percent).

Lincolnview was 23 of 49 (46.9 percent) from the field, including 4 of 15 from behind the arc (26.7 percent), but blistered the nets at the free-throw line, making 11 of 12 (91.7 percent) at the charity stripe.

The Lancers also won the junior varsity game, 43-37. Alek Bowersock led the Lincolnview JVs with 21 points, while Joey Schaufelberger scored 10 points for Van Wert.

Both teams will travel to Upper Scioto Valley this weekend. Lincolnview will take on the Rams Friday, and the Cougars will play USV Saturday.

Van Wert was scheduled to play Minster Friday, but that game has been canceled and will not be rescheduled.