Cameron Elwer of Delphos St. John’s drives to the hoop against Dayton Dunbar at the O-G Winter Classic on Saturday.
Dean Brown | The Lima News
OTTAWA — Delphos St. John’s started the Ottawa-Glandorf Winter Classic with an 82-54 boys basketball win over Dayton Dunbar in the first game on Saturday but it was all downhill after that for area teams.
In the second game of the day, Rocky River Lutheran West rolled over Lima Senior 77-49. That was followed by Shelby’s 59-53 win over Findlay and, in a bit of a surprise, Troy Christian’s 61-50 victory over Ottawa-Glandorf.
St. John’s (18-2) had to bounce back from a slow start after falling behind 10-0 to start its game.
Dunbar (12-9) had a 15-10 lead after one quarter but the Blue Jays went on a 24-5 run in the first 5:45 of the second quarter to take a 34-20 lead. Their lead never dropped below 10 points after that.
“I thought we handled it extremely well. I’m so proud of our guys, getting down, and then playing really good basketball for 3 1/2 quarters,” St. John’s coach Aaron Elwer said.
“It was back-to-back games with a league game (against St. Henry on Friday night) we spent a lot of time with. It was an early start (1:30 p.m.), so that was different. Unfortunately, we didn’t handle those two things well. I think we’re a mature team, I think we’re a really good team and we were able to overcome that.
“Once we got going, they had a tough time guarding us and that has held true recently with our team,” he said.
Cameron Elwer scored 38 points, including seven 3-pointers for St. John’s. After scoring five points in the first quarter, he had 17 points in the second quarter and 16 points in the first 5 1/2 minutes of the second quarter. He hit 12 of 17 field goal attempts and was 6 of 8 at the free throw line.
Bulldogs buying in and building
ELIDA – It has been a work in progress for Elida boys basketball coach Matt Tabler. After 14 successful seasons at Perry, Tabler took over the Elida program in 2021.
This season, Tabler’s Elida program has reached new heights.
In Friday’s key Western Buckeye League matchup against visiting St. Marys, Elida came roaring back from an eight-point halftime deficit and out-scored the Roughriders 34-17 in the second half, en route to a 58-49 victory over St. Marys at the Elida Fieldhouse.
With the win, Elida improved to 13-5 overall and 5-2 in the WBL. St. Marys slipped to 12-6 in all games played and 4-3 in league action.
Tabler said it’s been a matter of the athletes buying into the process.
“First off, all the credit goes to the guys. Some of these guys have been here since day one, and they’ve had to go through some growing pains,” Tabler said. “The system that we play is not easy. A lot of them could’ve just left, but they stuck it out. So, I’m proud of them.”
A’Mari Wash led Elida on Friday with 17 points on 6 of 10 shooting from the field and 5 of 6 shooting from the free-throw line. Wash also came away with eight rebounds from his guard spot.
David Etzkorn scored 16 points, 12 of those points coming in the second half. Etzkorn also pulled down eight boards. Zori Island added 10 points, including 4 of 5 shooting from the free-throw line for the Bulldogs.
Evan Angstmann and Cobain Owens led St. Marys with 13 points each. Angstmann and Owens each connected three times from behind the 3-point line. Jace Turner had nine points and five boards for the Roughriders.
O-G sits alone at the top
SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP — Shawnee never looked comfortable in a 55-41 loss to Ottawa-Glandorf in a match-up of the two top teams in the Western Buckeye League on Friday night.
In other words, O-G had the Indians exactly where it wanted them.
The Titans (16-2, 7-0 WBL) dominated offensively and defensively. They jumped out to a 25-9 lead three minutes into the second quarter and by then there was not a lot Shawnee could do to make the discomfort go away.
“We didn’t want them to get open looks, we wanted them to earn it,” Ottawa-Glandorf coach Tyson McGlaughlin said. “I thought we did a good job of making them shoot contested shots.”
Colin White’s 16 points led O-G, but the 6-6 senior spent an uncharacteristic amount of time on the bench in foul trouble. Grady Toumazos had 14 points and Caden Erford scored 11 points.
Beckett Bertke led Shawnee (11-6, 6-1 WBL) with 21 points.
Shawnee coach Mark Triplett said, “If you had told me (before the game) we’d give up 55 points, I’d have been feeling good that we’d have a chance to win that game.”
What he saw instead was the Indians score a season-low 41 points against O-G’s defense.
“You kind of get deceptively open looks against them where you feel like you’ve got a good look but it’s not really a great look and you’re forcing your body to be contorted and your hips are out of position and you’re shooting shots that are lay-ups but they’re awkward lay-ups. Early on, we shot those types of shots,” Triplett said.
“Our kids scrapped but you can’t score 41 points and beat Ottawa-Glandorf. It’s just not going to happen,” he said.
Bearcats adjust and excel
SPENCERVILLE — Spencerville made some second-half adjustments and secured their 17th consecutive conference victory and fifth straight game against Allen East 68-48 on Friday night.
Four ties and lead changes took place in the first quarter before the Bearcats gained the advantage for good in the final seconds. Trey Hensley connected on a pair of makes from downtown to give the Mustangs (9-8) some momentum out of the gate, but Spencerville never waivered, matching Allen East’s strong early shooting effort and turning it up on the defensive end in the second half.
“I thought our guys played hard tonight, especially in the second half. We defended okay and didn’t give up a lot of easy shots,” Spencerville coach Kevin Sensabaugh said. “But we didn’t rebound well and we did not get to loose balls in the first half. We addressed that at halftime. I thought we were much better in the second half.”
Spencerville (14-4) was consistent in all four quarters on the offensive side, finding double-digit scoring from five different players. Evan Osting and Carder Orr each finished with 10 points.
Osting hit a three at the beginning of the third quarter, starting a 20-14 frame in favor of the Bearcats that widened the gap to 12.
“I thought Evan (Osting) was good on both ends tonight. He took care of the ball and defended well,” said Sensabaugh. “Carder (Orr) I thought had of his better games in recent memory. He played consistently. And he had to tonight with Carter (Sudhoff) battling an illness.”
Sudhoff was playing under the weather but still put together a respectable performance. He finished with 12 points, five rebounds, and two blocks in limited action.
Rockets ride out the storm
COLUMBUS GROVE — As the adage goes, “survival of the fittest” is a commonly used mantra for teams this time of year.
That’s exactly how Pandora-Gilboa coach Mike Lee characterized the Rockets’ 55-48 overtime victory on Tuesday night over Columbus Grove.
“Our kids were very much aware that we were walking into a hornet’s nest here,” Lee said. “This time of year, you’re going to get everybody’s best. We just kept hanging around and hanging around and we finally hit a couple of shots to get a little bit of space, lead-wise. That’s a very good basketball team that we went up against, so I give our guys a lot of credit.”
Pandora-Gilboa’s win pushed them to 16-2 on the year with a still unblemished mark of 5-0 in the Putnam County League. Columbus Grove slipped to 9-8 overall and 3-3 in the PCL.
Pandora-Gilboa closed the game with nine of the final 10 points after trailing for the first two minutes of the extra period.
Colin Harris hit the go-ahead hoop with 2:20 left to make it 48-47, accounting for the 14th and final lead change on the night.
Aiden Harris led the way for Pandora-Gilboa with 18 points. Colin Harris added 11.
Columbus Grove played the majority of the second half without Bo Birnesser after he picked up his fourth foul midway through the third quarter.
With Birnesser out, Trenton Barraza shouldered the offensive load, scoring 10 straight Columbus Grove points in the third quarter and finishing the night with a game-high 20 points.
Big scorers
Several area boys basketball players topped the 15-point plateau in recent games:
• Jarron Swick of Fort Jennings scored 27 points in a win over Delphos Jefferson. He also had 25 points in a loss to Allen East.
• Zavier Tickle of Bath scored 23 points during a loss to New Bremen.
• Maddox Underwood of Upper Scioto Valley led all scorers with 23 points against Ridgedale. He added 19 points in a win over Hardin Northern
• Aaron Moenter of Delphos St. John’s was one of four Blue Jays in double figures with 22 points in a win over St. Henry.
• Silas Niese of Miller City scored a game-high 22 points in a win over Elmwood.
• Jayce Brecht had 21 points in Leipsic’s narrow victory over Ada.
• Ethan Yoder of Kenton scored 20 points in an overtime victory against Van Wert.
• Blake Sommers of Bluffton helped his team snap a three-game losing streak with 19 points in a win over Ridgedale.
• Owen Cavelage of Fort Jennings had 17 points in a win over Delphos Jefferson.
• Trenton Barraza of Columbus Grove scored 17 points, leading the Bulldogs past Bluffton.
• Gavin Payne of Kenton contributed 17 points in a win over Van Wert.
• Colin White of Ottawa-Glandorf scored 17 points in a loss to Troy Christian.
• Levi Glick of Waynesfield-Goshen had 16 points during a 54-46 loss to Columbus Grove.
• Xander Wilson of Hardin Northern tallied 16 points in a loss to Riverdale.
• Zamere Daniel of Perry scored 16 points in a 64-36 win over Elgin.
• Karder Agner of Delphos Jefferson had 16 points in a three-point victory over Lincolnview.
• Alex Sanders of Upper Scioto Valley contributed 15 points in a 31-point win over Ridgedale. He added 16 points in a win over Hardin Northern.
• Cameron Elwer of Delphos St. John’s scored 15 points in a statement win over St. Henry.
• Wade Ginther of Bluffton contributed 15 points in a win over Riverdale.
• Carson Clum of Allen East scored 15 points in a win over Fort Jennings.
BOYS BASKETBALL STANDINGS
Western Buckeye League
`WBL`ALL
Ottawa-Glandorf`7-0`16-3
Shawnee`6-1`12-6
Elida`5-2`13-5
Celina`5-2`12-8
St. Marys`4-3`13-6
Wapakoneta`3-4`9-10
Defiance`3-4`7-13
Kenton`2-5`11-8
Van Wert`0-7`3-17
Bath`0-7`2-16
Midwest Athletic Conference
`MAC`All
St. John’s`7-0`18-2
Coldwater`7-0`16-3
St. Henry`7-2`15-4
Minster`4-3`12-8
Versailles`4-4`10-10
New Bremen`3-4`8-11
Marion Local`3-4`8-11
Parkway`2-5`11-8
New Knoxville`0-7`4-15
Fort Recovery`0-8`5-13
Northwest Conference
`NWC`All
Spencerville`6-0`15-4
Bluffton`5-2`15-4
Crestview`4-2`13-7
Allen East`4-2`10-8
Leipsic`4-3`9-9
Columbus Grove`3-3`11-7
Delphos Jefferson`2-4`6-12
Lincolnview`0-6`4-15
Ada`0-6`3-15
Northwest Central Conference
`NWCC`All
Upper Scioto Valley`7-0`12-7
Ridgemont`5-2`13-6
Cory-Rawson`5-2`8-9
Perry`5-2`7-10
Waynesfield-Goshen`3-3`5-11
Hardin Northern`3-4`5-15
Ridgedale`2-5`9-9
Elgin`2-6`3-15
North Baltimore`1-4`8-9
Temple Christian`1-6`8-11
Putnam County League
`PCL`All
Pandora – Gilboa`5-0`18-2
Ottoville`5-1`14-5
Miller City`4-2`14-4
Columbus Grove`3-3`11-8
Leipsic`2-3`10-9
Kalida`2-4`3-16
Fort Jennings`1-4`8-12
Continental`0-5`2-16
Toledo City Athletic League
`TCAL`All
Start`5-1`8-11
Lima Senior`4-1`11-8
Scott`5-2`10-7
Bowsher`3-3`4-15
Rogers`2-4`10-10
Woodward`1-5`3-15
Waite`0-4`1-18
RESULTS AND SCHEDULE
Friday
Ottawa-Glandorf 55, Shawnee 41
Spencerville 68, Allen East 48
Elida 58, St. Marys 49
Columbus Grove 47, Bluffton 35
Delphos St. John’s 74, St. Henry 41
Leipsic 57, Ada 54
Ottoville 58, Continental 23
Delphos Jefferson 46, Lincolnview 43
Kenton 65, Van Wert 61
Upper Scioto Valley 67, Hardin Northern 34
Perry 64, Elgin 36
North Baltimore 37, Temple Christian 35
LCC 49, Crestview 48
Wapakoneta 36, Bath 31
Lima Senior 72, Thurgood Marshall 47
Pandora-Gilboa 78, McComb 47
Waynesfield-Goshen 54, Ridgedale 34
Miller City 54, Kalida 46
Celina 55, Defiance 47
Coldwater 53, Marion Local 40
Wayne Trace 75, Fairview 42
New Bremen 47, Parkway 43
Minster 66, Fort Recovery 53
Versailles 75, New Knoxville 41
Liberty-Benton 60, Riverdale 37
Arlington 96, Vanlue 28
Van Buren 36, Elmwood 33
Cory-Rawson 55, Ridgemont 54
Antwerp 65, Hicksville 26
Ayersville 54, Edgerton 44
Tinora 58, Paulding 47
Saturday
Delphos St. John’s 82, Dunbar 54
Troy Christian 61, Ottawa-Glandorf 50
Lutheran West 77, Lima Senior 49
Spencerville 56, Marion Local 43
Wapakoneta 43, Kalida 48
Temple Christian 43, McComb 39
Bluffton 62, Riverdale 50
Allen East 58, Fort Jennings 47
Miller City 62, Elmwood 36
Columbus Grove 54, Waynesfield-Goshen 46
Pandora-Gilboa 72, Upper Scioto Valley 37
Kenton 60, Perry 34
Shawnee 59, Botkins 45
St. Marys 67, Minster 28
Celina 50, Bryan 34
Whitmer 52, Defiance 39
St. Henry 74, Van Wert 39
Coldwater 49, Fort Loramie 42
Fort Recovery 63, Newton Local 56
Jackson Center 54, New Bremen 49
Versailles 55, Anna 49
Paulding 55, Lincolnview 47
Montpelier 50, Continental 39
Monday
Riverdale 45, Hardin Northern 39
Tuesday
Games ended after The Lima News deadline. Find scores, game stories, photos and more on LimaScores.com.
Elida at Bluffton, 7:30 p.m.
Delphos Jefferson at LCC, 7:30 p.m.
Miller City at Perry, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Delphos St. John’s at Coldwater, 7 p.m.
Spencerville at Ada, 7:30 p.m.
Allen East at Bluffton, 7:30 p.m.
St. Marys at Bath, 7:30 p.m.
Delphos Jefferson at Columbus Grove, 7:30 p.m.
Elida at Van Wert, 7:30 p.m.
Continental at Kalida, 7:30 p.m.
Ottoville at LCC, 7:30 p.m.
Lima Senior at Scott, 7 p.m.
Ottawa-Glandorf at Defiance, 7:30 p.m.
Perry at Ridgedale, 7:30 p.m.
Kenton at Shawnee, 7:30 p.m.
Cory-Rawson at Temple Christian, 7:30 p.m.
Wapakoneta at Celina, 7:30 p.m.
Ridgemont at Waynesfield-Goshen, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Delphos Jefferson at Elida, 4:30 p.m.
Allen East at Bath, 6 p.m.
Ottawa-Glandorf at Lexington, 6:30 p.m.
Columbus Grove at Miller City, 7 p.m.
Ada at Temple Christian, 7:30 p.m.
Pandora-Gilboa at Fort Jennings, 7:30 p.m.
Lima Senior at LCC, 7 p.m.
Leipsic at Ottoville, 7:30 p.m.
Wayne Trace at Shawnee, 7:30 p.m.
Spencerville at Parkway, 7:30 p.m.
Coldwater at Wapakoneta, 7:30 p.m.
Waynesfield-Goshen at Mechanicsburg, 7:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL RESULTS AND SCHEDULE
Friday
Scott 64, Lima Senior 32
Saturday
Shawnee 56, LCC 27
Allen East 50, Botkins 27
Miller City 36, Van Buren 33
Waynesfield-Goshen 47, Ridgedale 33
Kalida 35, Leipsic 25
Findlay 56, Defiance 31
Bellefontaine 45, St. Marys 37
Versailles 38, West Liberty-Salem 27
Montpelier 51, Continental 20
St. Henry 51, Arcanum 33
Arcadia 45, Cory-Rawson 29,
Riverdale 55, Ridgemont 24
Monday
Delphos Jefferson 56, Fort Jennings 23
Miller City 55, Arlington 34
Perry 66, Vanlue 36
Bryan 49, Holgate 16
Northwood 50, North Baltimore 21
Crestview 43, Wayne Trace 35
Tuesday
Games ended after The Lima News deadline. Find scores, game stories, photos and more on LimaScores.com.
Parkway at Spencerville, 6:30 p.m.
Liberty-Benton at Ottoville, 7 p.m.
Minster at Kalida, 7:30 p.m.
Coldwater at Elida, 7:30 p.m.
Ottawa-Glandorf at Archbold, 7:30 p.m.
Wapakoneta at Fort Recovery, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday
Coldwater at Delphos St. John’s, 7 p.m.
Spencerville at Ada, 7:30 p.m.
Bluffton at Allen East, 7:30 p.m.
Bath at St. Marys, 7:30 p.m.
Columbus Grove at Delphos Jefferson, 7:30 p.m.
Van Wert at Elida, 7:30 p.m.
Kalida at Continental, 7:30 p.m.
Defiance at Ottawa-Glandorf, 7:30 p.m.
Ridgedale at Perry, 7:30 p.m.
Shawnee at Kenton, 7:30 p.m.
Celina at Wapakoneta, 7:30 p.m.
Waynesfield-Goshen at Ridgemont, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Miller City at Fort Jennings, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Columbus Grove at Pandora-Gilboa, 12 p.m.
Allen East at Shawnee, 1:30 p.m.
