Cougars win home finale over Lima CC

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

Van Wert outscored Lima Central Catholic in each of the four quarters on the way to a 70-50 win in the home finale Tuesday night.

Along the way, four Cougars finished in double figures. Nate Place led the way with 19, including 10 in the first quarter. Owen Treece finished with 17, Drew Bagley tallied 12 and LeTrey Williams scored 11.

Led by Place, Van Wert led 15-11 after the first quarter, then enjoyed a 19-13 scoring advantage in the second period, with Treece hitting a pair of treys and a bucket and Bagley converting three baskets.

“We got off to a slow start but enjoyed a great second quarter and led 34-24 at the half,” head coach Mark Bagley said.

The Cougars were able to add on to the lead with by outscoring the Thunderbirds 19-11 in the third quarter, with Williams leading the way with a pair of baskets and a triple, while Bagley and Treece each accounted for four points. Biggz Johnson scored nine of Lima Central Catholic’s 11 points in the quarter, and Johnson went on to finish with a game high 22 points for the Thunderbirds, who dropped to 10-11.

Leading 55-35 at the end of the third quarter, Van Wert outscored the visitors 17-15 in the final period.

“The seniors enjoyed a great fourth quarter and finished off their careers in the Den the right way,” Bagley said. “Blake Henry had a great floor game with seven points.”

Van Wert (12-9) will finish the regular season at Defiance on Friday, then will open Division II sectional competition against Bath at Findlay on Tuesday.

“We look to finish the season at Defiance on a strong note heading to the tournament,” Bagley said.

Scoring summary

Van Wert 15 19 19 17 – 70
Lima CC 11 13 11 15 – 50

Van Wert: Owen Treece 7-0-17; Nate Place 8-2-19; Tanner Barnhart 1-0-2; LeTrey Williams 4-2-11; Blake Henry 2-3-7; Lawson Blackmore 1-0-2; Drew Bagley 5-2-12

Lima Central Catholic: Biggz Johnson 8-4-22; Jeremy Allen 1-0-2; Nate Stolly 1-0-3; Ron Banks 0-2-2; Rossy Moore 4-0-8; Jay Riepenhoff 0-2-2; Tre Garner 3-1-7; Rodney Bennett 1-0-2

JV: Van Wert 42-33