Ottoville’s Jace Langhals (left) and Crestview’s Mitch Temple compete for a loose ball during Friday night’s game at Crestview. See more high school basketball photos at LimaScores.com.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
CONVOY — Crestview made a run to end the first half.
Then the Knights made a much longer run to start the second half, which helped pave the way for a convincing 65-45 victory over visiting Ottoville in a nonleague boys basketball matchup Friday at Crestview.
Carson Hunter led Crestview (7-1) with 18 points, including 7 of 8 shooting from the free throw line. Hunter also came away with five rebounds and three assists. Nate Lichtle scored 14 points, including three 3-pointers. Gavin Etzler, the head coach’s son, had 12 points, including three 3-pointers. Etzler also had six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Wren Sheets, a 6-foot-6 sophomore, added nine points, five rebounds, three blocks and two assists for the Knights.
Crestview slipped into the halftime break with a 25-23 lead.
After the break, the Knights came out and outscored the Big Green 40-22 the rest of the way.
“The key in the second half was (that our) defensive effort was great,” Crestview head coach Doug Etzler said. “I thought we tried to do some things, tendency-wise; and we did a good job there. And we didn’t turn the ball over.
“In the first half, we had a couple possessions where we threw it out of the gym. You can’t turn it over. … We did a much better job of that in the second half.”
Michael Turnwald led Ottoville (8-3) with 14 points, including two 3-pointers. Kellen Schlagbaum had 13 points for the Big Green.
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The lead changed hands six times in the first quarter before Ottoville finally slipped out with a 13-9 lead at the first stop.
Crestview turned the ball over seven times in the first eight minutes of action.
The Knights were 3 of 6 shooting from the field. Ottoville was 6 of 13 from the floor.
Hunter led Crestview with seven first-quarter points. Turnwald led the Big Green with five markers.
With three minutes left in the first half, Hunter scored down low to cut the deficit to 1, 20-19.
Crestview went into the halftime break with a 25-23 lead, thanks to an inside bucket by Mitch Temple (six points, five rebounds) at the buzzer.
Hunter led all scorers in the first half with 14 points. The Knights made 8 of 20 shots from the floor for 40-percent shooting.
Schlagbaum led the Big Green with seven points in the first half. Ottoville was 9 of 24 from the field for 38-percent shooting.
Crestview pushed the pace in the third quarter.
The Knights outscored the Big Green 17-7 in the third period to extend their lead to 42-30 by the third stop.
Lichtle scored eight points in the third.
“Quite honestly, the last two minutes of the first half is probably the difference (in the game),” Ottoville head coach Keith Utendorf said. “It really wasn’t our game the whole time. … It wasn’t our tempo or pace.
“Our (defensive) pressure was a little inconsistent. We kind of got lost a couple of times; and that really hurt us at the end of the first half. We let them go (on a) 6-0 (run) and take a two-point lead into the locker room. So, I think that momentum is what really carried through in the second half.”
In the fourth quarter, Crestview made 8 of 11 shots from the floor.
For the game, Crestview shot 50 percent from the field. Ottoville connected on 35 percent of its field goal attempts.
Crestview committed 15 turnovers, while Ottoville turned the ball over 17 times.
Crestview won the boards, 37-23.
Coach Etzler was especially pleased at the effort of Carson Hunter.
“Big game for Carson. I’m glad to see that out of him, because offensively, he’s had a rough year. He’s a very capable guy for us; and he’s usually one of our best defenders. He had a tough assignment tonight; and I thought he did a really good job on (defending) Schlagbaum,” Etzler said.
Mark Altstaetter wrote this story for LimaScores.com. Reach The Lima News sports department at 567-242-0451.
