Cameron Elwer of St. John’s puts up a three over Luke Schweiterman of Coldwater on Friday night.
Chris Howell | The Lima News
COLDWATER — The moment itself, was as big as it could’ve possibly been.
But as we’ve all learned over the past two seasons, no moment is too big for Cameron Elwer.
With 4.1 seconds left and St. John’s deadlocked with Coldwater at 57, Elwer needed only a shred of daylight to catch an in-bounds pass from Austin Moenter and sink a fadeaway three from the corner, sending the Blue Jays home with a 60-57 win and at least a share of the MAC championship.
Both teams entered Friday night 7-0 in the conference.
With the game and the league title on the line, it seemed as if everyone in the gym knew where the ball was going on that final possession. But that assumption was wrong.
“Before we called a timeout with four seconds left, we had Aaron (Moenter) on a layup, so we tried to run that again, but they adjusted,” St. John’s coach Aaron Elwer said. “They fouled and that took time off the clock. It put pressure on us to make the right call. Any coach will tell you that it’s not about plays, it’s about players and fortunately, we have a lot of them. We have a really good one as well.”
“I was supposed to set a back-screen for Aaron (Moenter) and he was going to get the first look to see if my guy would help off on him,” Cam Elwer said. “I didn’t see if he was there, but there was screen-to-screen action with Drew (Boggs). I don’t know how Austin (Moenter) passed it. I was not expecting the ball, but it came to me, and I knocked it in.”
Elwer’s game-winning triple gave him 40 points on the night.
St. John’s (19-2) now sits alone at the top of the MAC standings at 8-0 with a chance to win the conference outright next week against Marion Local.
Parker plays hero
LIMA — Carson Parker held the Lima Cup, which goes to the winner of the annual boys basketball rivalry game between Lima Senior and Lima Central Catholic, as he stood on the court at the Monsignor E.C. Herr Gymnasium after the Thunderbirds’ 56-47 overtime win against the Spartans on Saturday night.
A few minutes earlier, he’d held the fate of the game in those same hands.
Parker’s 15-footer from the right side as time ran out sent the game into overtime. And once the overtime began, the momentum didn’t just shift to the Thunderbirds, it stampeded toward them when they outscored Lima Senior 9-0 in OT.
LCC’s win ended Lima Senior’s nine-year winning streak in the rivalry.
Parker scored 21 points and had 11 rebounds, Jordan Priddy scored 13 points, and Billy Bourk had 8 points and 13 rebounds to lead LCC (18-2). Isaiah Wilson’s 17 points led Lima Senior (13-9) and Shawn Foster scored 11 points.
Lima Senior led by seven points with four minutes to play. But a bucket by Parker and a 3-pointer by Priddy, combined with the Spartans going scoreless in the final four minutes, set up Parker’s shot that put the game into overtime.
“There was no quit in my kids. We kept fighting. Our crowd stayed in the game and Carson Parker is Carson Parker,” LCC coach Sean Powell said. “I believe if we’re down four, he would have hit a four-pointer for us.”
As it was, a two-pointer was enough to launch the Thunderbirds toward their electrifying overtime win.
That game-changing play began with LCC 94 feet from its basket with 2.5 seconds on the clock.
The plan was to throw the in-bounds pass to a player in the frontcourt and call a quick timeout, but a Lima Senior defender knocked the ball out of bounds in front of the Thunderbirds’ bench.
So, LCC now had two seconds to get a shot off. The T-Birds wanted to throw a lob pass to Parker near the basket. But when Lima Senior’s 6-7 Jagger Hutchins moved into the lane instead of defending against Bourk, who was making the in-bounds pass, the Thunderbirds improvised.
“The reason I was taking it out was to have their tall guy on the ball. So when they dropped their tall guy, I was like, ‘Coach, it’s a different read. Am I still going to the same spot?’ and he said, ‘Hit Carson, hit Carson,’ ” Bourk said.
“I saw Carson take that turn and I just let that thing fly, hoping he was going to go get it. I saw him catch it, turn around, the clock’s running and he hit that shot. (Now let’s) take it to overtime and win that thing.”
Parker said, “It was designed for me to get a lob. When I saw the guy (Hutchins) guarding Billy in the paint, I still was like, ‘I hope he throws it to me.’ I knew the layup wasn’t going to be there, so I turned around.
“When I turned around, I couldn’t even see the rim. When I shot it, it felt good. When it rattled in it was my best moment in high school.”
Ruhe runs Bulldogs off
MILLER CITY — Miller City used a big third-quarter outburst from Andon Ruhe to top Columbus Grove, 49-40, on Saturday night.
Ruhe scored 12 of his game-high 19 points in the third stanza, helping the Wildcats (16-4, 5-2 Putnam County League) turn a two-point halftime lead into as many as eight points. Ruhe made his six offensive rebounds count in the game, scoring four of his points off them and getting other good shots.
“My teammates were shooting shots that bounced off the rim,” said the 6-foot-4 senior forward. “I can get to those rebounds and put them back up. If they defended me when I was open, I was able to get off some passes. I’m just glad they trusted me in my ability to score.”
Ruhe finished with a game-high 10 rebounds. The Wildcats out-rebounded Columbus Grove 32-18, including 12-6 on the offensive end.
Bo Birnesser led the Bulldogs (12-9, 3-4 PCL) with 13 points, including a fourth-quarter 3-pointer. Birnesser and Zach Reynolds each had a team-high five rebounds.
A tale of two halves
LIMA — The first act belonged to Ottoville. But the loudest cheers and the curtain calls belonged to Lima Central Catholic.
LCC weathered a blazing start by Ottoville – one that included what might have been the Big Green’s best quarter of the season – to get a 63-46 non-league boys basketball win on Friday night at Monsignor E.C. Herr Gymnasium.
The Thunderbirds (17-2) outscored Ottoville 39-17 in the second half, which made their win look easier than it actually was.
Sophomore guard Willie Foster led LCC with 20 points. He had a pair of 3-pointers and three dunks, the best of which came in the first quarter when he went above the rim to catch a pass with his right hand and delivered a powerful slam. He made all but one of his 10 field goal attempts.
Carson Parker had 16 points and 7 rebounds for the Thunderbirds. DeMarr Foster scored 11 points and Jordan Priddy got all eight of his points in the third quarter when LCC took control of the game. Keaton Schnipke’s 12 points led Ottoville (14-6).
“We mixed up some defenses and I think that kind of threw them off a little bit and slowed them down and helped with defending their dribble drive. We were able to create a couple of turnovers which allowed our offense to start flowing,” LCC coach Sean Powell said.
Bluffton bounces back
BLUFFTON – Needed is a pretty strong word, but Bluffton’s 73-66 boys basketball win over Elida on Tuesday night was something the Pirates wanted, welcomed, and probably did need.
After winning 14 of its first 15 games, Bluffton then lost three games in a row, starting with a stunning overtime heartbreaker against Spencerville, and got a probably closer than expected win over Riverdale, a team with twice as many losses as wins, last Saturday night.
Tuesday night, the Pirates looked like they were back, especially in the last five minutes of the game when they were the more dominant team and moved from a 56-56 tie to their seven-point win.
Marek Donaldson’s 19 points, including three 3-pointers, led Bluffton (16-4). Blake Sommers scored 15 points and Landon Worcester contributed 11 points. Brody Sommers had nine points off the bench.
Zori Island scored 24 points to lead Elida (13-6) and Jackson Covault and A’Mari Wash got 11 points.
“After the Spencerville loss, we lost a few and we just weren’t ourselves. This should get us back on track,” Blake Sommers said.
“You could tell some of the guys were down at practice and everything but over time we just got better and got our confidence back up. We knew Elida was a very good team. We knew we had to win this game to get our confidence back up,” he said.
Bluffton coach Todd Boblitt said, “We have a good offensive team. We hit a little spell for a few games where we didn’t shoot the ball particularly well and we weren’t real assertive inside, either. I thought tonight we looked more like ourselves offensively.
“I think the environment here tonight was a tournament-type atmosphere. It was two good teams and I think our guys drew some energy from it,” he said.
Big scorers
Several area boys basketball players topped the 15-point plateau in recent games:
• Colin White of Ottawa-Glandorf scored 25 points in a win over Lexington. He added 21 points in the Titans’ conference-clinching win over Defiance.
• Ethan Young of Allen East dropped 25 points in an 11-point victory over Bath.
• Beckett Bertke of Shawnee scored 24 and pulled down six boards in a tightly contested win over Wayne Trace. He added 18 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Kenton.
• Zavier Tickle of Bath scored 22 points in a double overtime loss to St. Marys.
• Jace Turner had a game-high 22 points in a win over Bath.
• Jaxon Foster of Bath scored 22 points in a losing effort against Allen East.
• Dalton Jordan of Waynesfield-Goshen scored 22 points in a win over Ridgemont.
• Michael Turnwald turned in 21 points, giving Ottoville a PCL win over Leipsic
• Levi Glick contributed 21 points in Waynesfield-Goshen’s win over Ridgemont.
• Owen Sensabaugh of Spencerville drained six triples and finished with 20 points in a 66-44 win over Parkway.
• Bo Birnesser scored 20 points, leading Columbus Grove to an NWC win over Delphos Jefferson.
• Zori Island led Elida with 20 points in a 52-46 win over Van Wert.
• Zach Zimmerman of Ada had 20 points, five rebounds, and six steals in a win over Temple Christian.
• Marek Donaldson of Bluffton led all scorers with 19 points in a win over Allen East.
• Cash Schadl of Wapakoneta scored 17 points in a 32-point win over Coldwater.
• Andon Ruhe scored 17 points and pulled down eight rebounds, leading Miller City to a 14-point win over Perry.
• Trevick Bertke of Shawnee finished with a stat line of 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists in a win over Wayne Trace.
• Grady Toumazos of Ottawa-Glandorf had 16 points against Defiance.
• Marcus Hill of Perry tallied 15 points in a loss to Miller City.
• David Etzkorn of Elida had 15 points against Van Wert. He added 15 points in a 67-32 win over Delphos Jefferson.
• Amari Wash of Elida scored 15 points in a 35-point victory over Delphos Jefferson.
• Carson Clum of Allen East tallied 15 points in a win over Bath.
BOYS BASKETBALL STANDINGS
Western Buckeye League
`WBL`All
Ottawa-Glandorf`8-0`18-3
Shawnee`7-1`14-6
Elida`6-2`15-6
St. Marys`5-3`15-6
Celina`5-3`12-9
Wapakoneta`4-4`11-10
Defiance`3-5`7-14
Kenton`2-6`11-10
Van Wert`0-8`3-18
Bath`0-8`2-19
Midwest Athletic Conference
`MAC`All
St. John’s`8-0`19-2
Coldwater`7-1`16-5
St. Henry`8-2`17-5
Minster`5-3`13-8
Versailles`4-4`11-10
Marion Local`3-4`8-12
New Bremen`3-5`8-13
Parkway`2-6`11-10
New Knoxville`0-7`4-16
Fort Recovery`0-8`5-13
Northwest Conference
`NWC`All
Spencerville`7-0`17-4
Bluffton`6-2`17-4
Crestview`5-2`14-7
Columbus Grove`4-3`12-9
Allen East`4-3`11-9
Leipsic`4-3`10-10
Delphos Jefferson`2-5`6-15
Lincolnview`0-7`4-17
Ada`0-7`4-16
Northwest Central Conference
`NWCC`All
Upper Scioto Valley`8-0`13-8
Cory-Rawson`6-2`10-11
Ridgemont`5-3`14-7
Perry`5-3`7-13
Waynesfield-Goshen`4-3`8-12
Hardin Northern`4-4`6-15
Ridgedale`3-5`11-9
North Baltimore`2-5`8-12
Temple Christian`1-7`8-13
Elgin`1-7`3-17
Putnam County League
`PCL`All
Pandora – Gilboa`6-0`19-2
Ottoville`6-1`15-6
Miller City`5-2`16-4
Columbus Grove`3-4`12-9
Kalida`3-4`4-16
Leipsic`2-4`10-10
Fort Jennings`1-5`8-13
Continental`0-6`2-18
Toledo City Athletic League
`TCAL`All
Lima Senior`5-1`12-9
Start`5-1`7-12
Scott`5-3`11-8
Rogers`2-4`11-10
Woodward`2-4`5-15
Bowsher`2-4`3-16
Waite`0-4`1-18
RESULTS AND SCHEDULE
Friday
Ottawa-Glandorf 59, Defiance 36
LCC 63, Ottoville 46
St. John’s 60, Coldwater 57
Bluffton 69, Allen East 47
St. Marys 65, Bath 56
Columbus Grove 45, Delphos Jefferson 41
Elida 52, Van Wert 46
Kalida 49, Continental 27
Shawnee 76, Kenton 48
Wapakoneta 36, Celina 25
Waynesfield-Goshen 66, Ridgemont 59
Cory-Rawson 51, Temple Christian 48
Ridgedale 58, Perry 51
Crestview 63, Lincolnview 43
Fort Recovery 39, New Knoxville 34
Minster 46, New Bremen 44
Marion Local 56, Versailles 43
St. Henry 57, Parkway 50
Upper Scioto Valley 68, North Baltimore 48
Hardin Northern 42, Elgin 37
Wayne Trace 44, Paulding 33
Saturday
LCC 56, Lima Senior 47
Miller City 51, Columbus Grove 40
Elida 67, Delphos Jefferson 32
Allen East 66, Bath 55
Ottawa-Glandorf 58, Lexington 54
Ada 44, Temple Christian 37
Pandora-Gilboa 64, Fort Jennings 46
Ottoville 79, Leipsic 55
Shawnee 67, Wayne Trace 63
Spencerville 66, Parkway 44
Wapakoneta 70, Coldwater 38
Waynesfield-Goshen 48, Mechanicsburg 45
Pleasant 58, Kenton 56
St. Marys 68, St. Henry 52
Tri-Village 64, Fort Recovery 41
Russia 57, Marion Local 52
Anna 55, New Bremen 50
Botkins 34, New Knoxville 23
Holgate 47, Continental 45
Arlington 71, Lincolnview 49
Carey 57, Upper Scioto Valley 42
Monday
St. Henry 75, Bath 69
Tuesday
Games ended after The Lima News deadline. Find scores, game stories, photos and more on LimaScores.com.
Kalida at Shawnee, 7:30 p.m.
LCC at Liberty-Benton, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday
Paulding at Miller City, 7 p.m.
Fort Jennings at Leipsic, 7:30 p.m.
Continental at Pandora-Gilboa, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
Hicksville at Miller City, 7 p.m.
Marion Local at Delphos St. John’s, 7 p.m.
LCC at Arlington, 7:15 p.m.
Lincolnview at Ada, 7:30 p.m.
Columbus Grove at Allen East, 7:30 p.m.
Van Wert at Bath, 7:30 p.m.
Paulding at Bluffton, 7:30 p.m.
Delphos Jefferson at Spencerville, 7:30 p.m.
Shawnee at Elida, 7:30 p.m.
Ayersville at Kalida, 7:30 p.m.
Wayne Trace at Ottoville, 7:30 p.m.
Perry at Ridgemont, 7:30 p.m.
Waynesfield-Goshen at Temple Christian, 7:30 p.m.
Defiance at Wapakoneta, 7:30 p.m.
Kenton at Ottawa-Glandorf, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
LCC at Defiance, 6 p.m.
Ada at Vanlue, 7:30 p.m.
Allen East at Perry, 7:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL RESULTS AND SCHEDULE
Friday
Miller City 54, Fort Jennings 37
Saturday
Columbus Grove 58, Pandora-Gilboa 29
Allen East 65, Shawnee 43
Wednesday
LCC at Cory-Rawson, 7 p.m.
Delphos St. John’s at Leipsic, 7 p.m.
Fort Jennings at Pandora-Gilboa, 7 p.m.
Continental at Lincolnview, 7 p.m.
New Bremen at Spencerville, 7 p.m.
Hardin Northern at Marion Local, 7 p.m.
Waynesfield-Goshen at Ada, 7 p.m.
Bluffton at Paulding, 7 p.m.
Lima Senior at Mansfield Madison Comprehensive, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Defiance at Bath, 7 p.m.
Van Wert at Elida, 7 p.m.
Shawnee at Rogers, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Elmwood at Ottawa-Glandorf, 7 p.m.
