Face to face matchup…between LCC’s Jordan Priddy (in white) and Delphos St. John’s Cam Elwer. The two combined for 65 points in Sunday’s 66-62 overtime win by Delphos St John’s. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Sonny Fulks)
A large enthusiastic crowd enjoyed a showdown in Lima Sunday between two top scorers and two teams expecting to make big tournament runs.
Lima, OH – Style and substance. Substance and style.
The Delphos St. John’s boys basketball team is loaded with both in interchangeable ways, never one over the other. Their style – lights-out three-point shooting and the elite scoring ability of all-stater Cam Elwer – hogs the spotlight.
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Their offensive style, however, is based on the substance of sharing the ball and trusting each other. The other ingredients that produce substance often get lost in all the stylish scoring that makes the Blue Jays one of the most feared Division VII teams in the state.
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And sometimes it’s those other substances – defense, winning plays at winning time, sinking free throws when it matters most – that win the day.
Sunday afternoon at Lima Central Catholic in a near sellout of Monsignor Edward C. Herr Gymnasium, in a traditional and passionate nonconference rivalry, those aforementioned, often-overlooked substances of winning allowed St. John’s to steal a thrilling 66-62 overtime victory from the Division VI Thunderbirds.
Oh, the game-within-a-game matchup of seniors Elwer and LCC star Jordan Priddy was something to watch. Elwer, signed to play at Division I Furman, and Priddy guarded each other with great energy. Elwer scored 31 points. Priddy scored 34.
“You’ve got two of the best scorers in the state of Ohio going toe to toe,” St. John’s coach Aaron Elwer said. “People for the $8 price of admission saw a great game. They saw a great individual battle as well.”
Delphos St. John’s Andrew Elwer gets smacked in the face by an LCC defender during Sunday’s showcase matinee in Lima. “Our response at different times was just a credit to our guys and their overall toughness.” – Delphos St. John’s coach Aaron Elwer
But the result came down to the Blue Jays’ final winning plays that were all substance, the stuff winning streaks are made of.
“We did not play our best basketball game, and it’s not always going to be as easy as sometimes it’s come this year for us,” Aaron Elwer said. “But our response at different times was just a credit to our guys and their overall toughness.”
The Blue Jays (12-0) didn’t let an early second-half, 10-point deficit overwhelm them. They didn’t let a last-second-of-regulation basket by Priddy to force overtime distract them. Instead, they owned the final two minutes of overtime, paid for with defense.
“Your defense has to travel, your toughness has to travel,” Aaron Elwer said. “You have to be together. And we continue to fight. We found a way.”
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LCC (7-5) led 63-62 and was killing the clock when sophomore Easton Elwer (Cam’s cousin) stole the ball and went in for a go-ahead layup with 1:34 left. Then Cam Elwer deflected the ball to brother Andrew Elwer for another steal.
The Blue Jays ran 30 seconds off the clock before Andrew Elwer was fouled with 40 seconds left. He missed the first, made the second for a 64-62 lead and the Blue Jays had to play defense again.
It was physical (for Cam Elwer #11, above), and LCC coach Sean Powell questioned the disparity off 22 fouls called against the T-Birds in the second half, as opposed to one against Delphos St John’s.
This time Priddy drove Cam Elwer to the basket as he had done several times before. But this time, with Elwer defending vertically, Priddy’s shot, as the the two bumped mid-air with 14 seconds left, was off the backboard and over the rim.
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Brayden Klaus grabbed the rebound, dribbled out of the lane and passed ahead to Jackson Wiechart, who was fouled with seven seconds left. The Blue Jays shoot over 80% from the free-throw line but finished an uncharacteristic 21 for 31 (67.7%), so Wiechart’s trip to the line didn’t feel like the lock it normally does.
Furthermore, Wiechart missed one of two free throws with 17 seconds left in regulation that left room for Priddy to force overtime. This time Wiechart made them both to seal the win.
“You just got to move on,” said Wiechart, who made four of six after halftime and five of eight for the game. “I shoot a lot of free throws, so I just got to trust myself that I’m going to go two for two this time.”
Cam Elwer never had a doubt.
“I’m confident in him,” he said. “He’s with me at 6 a.m. with most of our guys when we’re getting shots up, and I have the utmost trust in all of our guys. I believed he was going to hit both those three throws.”
When it was over the St. John’s fans who filled one side of the 2000-seat gym were rewarded for giving up their Sunday. About 100 of them were lined up before the doors opened at noon for the 1 p.m. JV start. They filed in and quickly found the seats they wanted. By game time their blue shirts and sweatshirts had taken over. The 50-50 drawing, with a convenient QR code on the rosters that were handed out at the door, reached more than $12,000.
St. John’s Easton Elwer scoops up a turnover by LCC’s Jordan Priddy (background) during the Blue Jays’ second half rally in Sunday’s overtime win.
“I’ve been in this locker room now 10 times as a head coach, and every Sunday is like that,” said Aaron Elwer, who is in his 19th year as head coach. “This is draining and a very emotional game. This is such a big deal to both communities. It’s a great rivalry.”
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St. John’s had two fouls to give late in regulation without sending LCC to the line. They fouled at 10.9 seconds and 3.1 seconds to reach their limit. That left LCC with 3.1 seconds left, down two, and taking the ball out of bounds on the baseline.
LCC coach Sean Powell realized St. John’s knew each of his inbounds plays. So he drew one up in the huddle. He sent freshman shooter Cole Mack to the three-point line off an elevator screen partially set by Priddy. He used 6-foot-6 Dom McKee, who had scored 12 points in the paint, as another decoy to roll across the lane toward the ball. Priddy slipped what looked like was going to be a screen for McKee and dove to the opposite block, using his quickness and strength to get inside position on Cam Elwer. He scored with a second left.
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“He’s always drawing up amazing plays, he’s a smart person,” Priddy said. “Cole, being such a three-point threat, they had to come out. And Dom, being such a dominant force down there, they couldn’t really switch, or else he would be wide open. And then I sealed Cam and got a nice layup.”
The respect between Cam Elwer and Priddy is as strong as the way they competed against each other. They’ve faced off many times in AAU tournaments and as high school rivals.
DSJ’s Jackson Wiechart sunk two free throws in overtime to seal the deal and keep the Blue Jays unbeaten.
“I have a lot of respect for him and his game,” Cam Elwer said. “He’s so strong, like he gets a step and he just shields you off, and then he goes and finishes. I wish him the best in the future.”
Priddy, who doesn’t know his college future yet, said he remained focused on his job despite the nature of his rivalry with Elwer.
“That matchup is a matchup I’m always looking forward to, and I love that type of matchup,” he said. “I was really excited for this game, and nothing was going to keep my mind off of what I’m supposed to do, what my task is.”
Easton Elwer scored 11 points and Andrew Elwer and Wiechart scored eight apiece to lead the Blue Jays’ supporting cast. And while the Blue Jays struggled from three-point range, making only five, and from the free-throw line, they had the advantage of shooting 31 free throws to seven for LCC, including a 22 to one advantage in the second half.
Trailing by ten points in the third quarter, Cam Elwer (above) made it his time, scoring 16 points in the quarter, on his way to 31 for the game.
“I don’t think they gave them a call or anything like that,” Powell said. “What I’m saying is, if it’s 22 free throws to one, we’re attacking the rim, they’re attacking the rim. Make it make sense … make it make sense. That’s all I’m saying. We’re going vertical. They’re going vertical.”
Still, LCC led most of the first half and 27-21 at halftime behind 16 points from Priddy. Cam Elwer had 13, but he was just getting started. When Priddy’s 15-footer put LCC up 36-26 two minutes into the second half, it was Cam Elwer time. He scored 16 points in the quarter, mostly attacking Priddy with the dribble and once on a step-back 3-pointer with a hand in his face to cut LCC’s lead to one entering the fourth.
“I’ve had to coach against Cam Elwer the last four years, and the last year and a half I realized he’s a heck of a ball player,” Powell said. “But more, he’s probably a smarter coach than I am. The kid understands the game … it’s crazy. We had a junk defense ready for him, but if you throw a junk defense out there against Cam Elwer and his dad, they’re just going to tear you apart.”
With style and with substance.
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