VW County rivals go head-to-head Friday

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

It should prove to be an entertaining matchup between two Van Wert County and Northwest Conference rivals, when the Crestview Knights host the Lincolnview Lancers Friday night.

Along with bragging rights, a win by the Knights would allow Crestview to keep pace with Spencerville in the Northwest Conference title race, while a Lancer victory would keep Lincolnview’s slim title hopes alive.

Crestview (8-4, 3-0 NWC) had a three-game winning streak snapped with Tuesday night’s 61-59 loss to Shawnee.

“We showed some growth,” Best said, despite the loss.

Crestview’s four losses have come by a combined total of 10 points, and the Knights are averaging 52.1 points per game, while yielding 45.1 points per contest.

Three sophomores are team leaders in scoring: 6-6 wing Javin Etzler averages 14.5 points per game, 6-4 wing Derek Stout averages 10.7 points per game, and 5-9 point guard Drew Kline contributes an average of 8.6 points per game.

Going into Friday night’s game and beyond, Best said the Knights have room to improve in several areas.

“One of our largest areas is our mental approach to competition, and how we prepare for practice and competition,” Best explained. “We go through too many stretches during which we fail to mentally lock-in.”

Along with those concerns, Best knows his team is about to play an opponent that is gaining momentum during the second half of the regular season.

“Lincolnview is playing their best basketball of the year,” Best said. “They play to their strengths and maximize their abilities. I’m very impressed with what I’ve seen from them.”

The Lancers (7-7, 2-2 NWC) have won three straight games, posting victories over Miller City, Columbus Grove, and Antwerp. During that stretch, the team averaged 60.6 points per game, while giving up 49.6 per game.

“We have been able to execute on both ends of the floor better; we have gotten better offensively and defensively,” Lincolnview head coach Brett Hammons said. “One of our biggest improvements is our confidence that our players are starting to believe in our abilities and their teammates abilities.”

Like Crestview, the Lancers feature balanced scoring: 5-9 junior guard Caden Ringwald leads the way with 12.4 points per game, 6-1 senior guard Ryan Rager is averaging 11.4 points per game, and 5-9 junior guard Chayten Overholt averages 10.4 points per game.

Hammons knows the Crestview Knights will pose a big challenge for his team.

“They have very good inside play by Etzler and Stout that can create problems,” Hammons said. “Also, Kline has the ability to create for his teammates and himself, and he puts a lot of pressure on the defense by the way he attacks. We have to be able to handle the defensive pressure that they will put on us.”

Friday night’s Lincolnview-Crestview game will air live on WSKD 99.7 FM, and will stream live at www.wksd997.com and The Van Wert Independent (www.thevwindependent.com).