DELPHOS – They won’t try to do too much. They will do what has worked so well so far. They’ll stick to the game plan.
If Delphos St. John’s Division IV boys basketball state semifinal game against Cleveland Heights Lutheran East on Thursday plays out the way the Blue Jays want, it will probably contain all or most of those elements.
St. John’s (21-4) has won 18 of its last 19 games, including a 44-43 regional championship game win over Mansfield St. Peter’s, who many people had predicted would be making the trip to Columbus.
Lutheran East (18-9) presents “a very big challenge,” St. John’s coach Aaron Elwer said.
Two of the Falcons’ losses are to other teams in other divisions in the state tournament, Lakewood St. Edward and Villa Angela-St. Joseph, and their schedule contains very few Division IV schools
“You look at their record and it’s obviously misleading because of the strength of their schedule. They play the big boys. They obviously scheduled up. Their record doesn’t show how good they are,” Elwer said.
“There is no doubt it is a very big challenge, but we talk to our guys a lot about how it is a great opportunity,” he said.
“I will talk to our guys at length about not being overwhelmed early and being confident in our game plan and what has gotten us to this point.
“I’m sure there are going to be some first-time jitters. That is expected. But our guys need to trust the game plan and not be overwhelmed by their athleticism and ball pressure. We’re going to watch a lot of film and get them prepared as well as we can for Thursday,” Elwer said.
St. John’s is making its first trip to the boys state tournament since the 2002 Blue Jays won the Division IV title.
After a 3-3 start, St. John’s only loss has been to Division III regional runner-up Marion Local.
“We were off to a little shaky start and had a couple of close losses – one in overtime and the other at the buzzer. Those two losses, both on our home floor, have kind of molded us to where we are today and the run we’ve been on since 2017 started,” Elwer said.
“I’m proud of the way our guys have matured and continued to grow and get better throughout the season,” he said.
The St. John’s coach pointed to confidence, depth and team chemistry as big factors in the Blue Jays’ success.
“I thought we had a chance to do something special and win a lot of fames and maybe be in position to win our district. I think we were under the radar with a lot of people, maybe not as much in the community as outside it,” Elwer said.
St. John’s has won three state championships (2002, 1983, 1949), has been runner-up four times and has made 12 state appearances overall. Lutheran East has won one state championship and has been in three state tournaments.
Elwer was a starting guard on the 1998 St. John’s state runner-up team.
“It’s a pretty unique experience to compete back in 1998 as a player for the same school I’m not coaching at,” he said. “To be here as a coach was always a goal of mine and our staff.”
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