Knights win physical game vs. Lima CC

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

LIMA — Once again, Crestview’s defense came up big in the second half.

After playing to a 24-24 halftime tie, the Knights held Lima Central Catholic to just three points in the third quarter and went on to defeat the Thunderbirds 54-42 on Thursday.

The Knights, ranked No. 2 in Division IV, won their 11th consecutive game and improved to 13-1 on the season.

Crestview held a slim 11-9 lead after one quarter, then Lima Central Catholic outscored the Knights 15-13 in the second period, before Miami (OH) bound senior Javin Etzler sparked his team with a pair of big treys in the third quarter.

“We made a bit of an adjustment with our zone offense and putting Kalen (Etzler) at the high post where we thought we could lob it up to him and obviously it’s nice to have that luxury,” Crestview head coach Jeremy Best explained. “If they converge then you have Javin on your right, Derick (Dealey) on the left and Wade (Sheets) posting on the block or you have a turnaround shot.”

“What we got was two kick outs for a pair of threes and that got us going there a little bit and it got them out of their zone and into their man defense,” Best added.

Javin Etzler finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Kalen Etzler finished with 11 points, Dealey scored 10 and Sheets tallied nine points, including six in the fourth quarter. Biggz Johnson led Lima Central Catholic (8-8) with 15, with all of those points coming in the second and fourth quarters.

Best commended the Knights for keeping their composure in a physical game with the Thunderbirds.

“I told them at halftime I was real proud of them for that growth and being able to handle some of that adversity, because at times you want to get a call, but they probably handled it better than I did,” Best said. “It’s tough when you’re fighting for your guys and you see some of them getting the tar beat out of them.”

Crestview’s junior varsity team posted a 51-24 win, while Lima Central Catholic won the freshman game 40-38.

The Knights will host Celina on Saturday, then will host county rival Lincolnview and state ranked and undefeated Hicksville the following weekend.

Scoring summary

Lima CC 9 15 3 15 – 42
Crestview 11 13 12 18 – 54

Crestview: Kalen Etzler 4-3-11; Wade Sheets 2-5-9; Javin Etzler 6-2-17; Drew Kline 1-3-5; Carson Kreischer 1-0-2; Derick Dealey 3-4-10.

Lima Central Catholic: Biggz Johnson 4-6-15; Jeremy Allen 3-0-8; Nate Stolly 0-2-2; Dominic Riepenhoff 0-2-2; Rossy Moore 1-0-2; Jay Ripenhoff 3-0-7; De’Montre Garner 1-0-2; Rodney Bennett 2-0-4