Delphos St. John’s Cam Elwer launches a step-back three-pointer over the defensive effort of Botkins’ Eli Pitts during Saturday’s 62-39 regional final win over the Trojans. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Sonny Fulks)
As if by script, Cam Elwer and his relatives, along with some enviable depth of roster, erupted during the middle sixteen minutes of the Division VII regional final to send a competitive Botkins home, 62-39.
Vandalia, OH – As Cam Elwer games go, it was a modest example of what the state’s most lethal and efficient scorer can do when needed, or when he sets his mind to it.
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Elwer started slowly, caught fire during a critical stretch of the second quarter. Then he ignited in the third quarter to score a game-high 26 points in #1-ranked Delphos St. John’s 62-39 win over the #2-ranked Botkins Trojans Saturday evening in the OHSAA Division VII regional final at the Student Activity Center in Vandalia.
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It raised St. John’s season record to a still unblemished 27-0, and for the growing audience that’s packing gyms along the way to see the much-profiled candidate for Ohio Mr. Basketball, firsthand, it didn’t do him any harm either.
“I’ve never seen a better basketball player in high school,” a second row patron said following the Delphos win Saturday, who claimed to be one of the first hundred in when the doors opened so as to be guaranteed a front-row seat.
“He was the best player in the game, and surely he’s the best player in the state.”
This, if there’s any question about the old adage about there being no impression like a first impression!
There was plenty of help…St John’s Jackson Wiechart (above) slips between Botkins defenders to score two of his 10 points in Saturday’s regional final win.
And two hours later there must have been little question among the defensively talented Botkins Trojans (23-4), as well, who actually played well in an effort to return to the OHSAA Final Four for the first time since their title year in 2021.
However, there was an inevitable exception of the middle eight minutes of the game – the last four minutes of the second quarter and the first four minutes of the third.
“Credit to them, they’re one of the best offensive teams I’ve coached against,” said Botkins coach Phil Groves, outside the Trojans’ locker room, afterwards. “They can go on an explosive run like snapping your fingers. We had opportunities to match buckets with them, but we missed some point-blank shots, and when you miss and they go down and score…and you miss again and they go down and score…it’s just not the outcome we’d hoped for.”
But in the opening quarter the Trojans were matching buckets with Elwer and company, and defensive specialist, Botkins guard Eli Pitts was giving Elwer fits. Pitts got right in his grill, forced him to give up the ball, affected a steal on one possession, and was clearly disruptive.
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The problem was, and is, when Elwer gives up the ball he finds his brother Andrew, and cousin Easton, open for wide-open three-pointers, and Saturday they didn’t miss.
But, on the other end Botkins shooters Brayden Welsh and Tucker Huelskamp were keeping up, accounting for half the points in the Trojans first quarter. They trailed at the end, but only by a 14-12 margin.
The second quarter started differently, however, when Easton Elwer again took advantage of the over-play on Cam and canned a long three-pointer to start the engine.
You don’t hear about him much, but beside hitting a trio of three-pointers, Easton Elwer made this no-look pass for an assist.
On a quick 9-4 run, St. John’s Tyce McLean netted a quick five points. Then Elwer, who had scored just 4 in the first quarter, scored on a transition layup off a steal, then on the next possession hit a three from the top of the key, and then on a pair of free throws, all in less than two minutes off the clock. The earlier 9-4 run, along with Cam’s 7-0 personal run, allowed the Blue Jays to outscore Botkins 19-9 in the quarter, and extend their halftime lead to 33-21.
Twelve point deficits are overcome every day in the era of the three-point shot, but a double-digit margin with Delphos St. John is another matter. Like sharks smelling blood they came back to start the third quarter in the manner in which they finished the second. In addition, the Blue Jays’ defense was now up in bit, denying and pawing at every exposure of the basketball. Eli Pitts scored on a couple of buckets near the rim for the Trojans, and on a pair of free throws…while the Elwers and company struck back in kamikaze fashion.
Cam Elwer opened with a driving layup at the rim, then added back-to-back-to back three-pointers, like bam…bam…bam.
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Andrew Elwer sunk another long three from the wing.
And Easton Elwer sneaked in his third three of the game, all part of a 19-6 run that lasted just seconds longer than six minutes off the clock. Teammate Jackson Wiechart added the final bucket of the quarter, and Delphos had effectively salted the game, and the regional title away. They led 52-28 starting the final quarter.
Speed to burn…St. John’s Tyce McClain gets to the rim during Saturday’s regional win at the Student Activity Center in Vandalia.
Forced to foul to save time, Botkins sent Delphos to the charity stripe ten times…and the Jays hit all ten.
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Forced to put up as many shots as possible, Botkins hit 4 of 10 for the quarter, in addition to three made free throws, and outscored Delphos 11-10. But it wasn’t enough and the Blue Jays were crowned as regional champions, 63-39.
Cam Elwer led all scorers with his 26, while Jackson Wiechart had 10, Easton Elwer had 9, and Andrew Elwer had 8.
For Botkins, Eli Pitts had a team-high 16 points, Will Monnin had 9, and Tucker Huelskamp had 6. Brayden Welsh and Owen Zimpher added 3 points each.
It marked their 13th regional title in school history, and the Blue Jays have gone on to win the state title twice since their first back in 1949. But this one, for the fact of so much written and followed over the Blue Jays’ unbeaten record and #1-ranking throughout the year in Division VII, was especially valued by coach Aaron Elwer.
“I was an emotional wreck today…didn’t tell our guys that, but I was,” said Elwer. “A year ago at Bowling Green we were up by ten in the third quarter and we didn’t finish the deal. We lost to Arlington. After the media session I apologized to Cam – I’m not sure why, but I did – and he told me, ‘Next year, Dad.’ And I’ll never forget that. It was in my mind all day today. We just needed to get this done, and clear this hurdle. League titles, sectional titles, district titles…regional titles are harder to win because you know what’s coming. And our guys played so well tonight in this facility, and I’m happy for our community, and I’m happy for our guys.”
Popular sub…Delphos’ bench player Ian Fairchild (above, in white) scored the game’s final basket.
And to the middle eight minutes, Elwer was no less excited about how his ‘guys’ seized the opportunities about which Phil Groves had spoken…the runs in the second and third quarters that broke the game open.
“Yeah, I had a little bit of the feeling there in the second quarter, but I felt like they might recover at halftime just because that’s what they do. They are as tough a group as anyone we’ve faced all year. Sometimes you talk to your players about breaking a team, and there might have been a bit of that there in the third. But to do that with a team that has the reputation for toughness that they have…that was a great job by our guys.”
So on a night that saw undefeated Tri-Village lose to #1-ranked Marion Local in the second regional final game in Vandalia, it sets up one of the area’s most anticipated and exciting OHSAA Final Fours in recent memory come next weekend. Marion Local will face Lincolnview in one state Division VI semi-final bracket (the winner to play the winner of Berlin Hiland and Kirtland); and in Division VII St. John will play the winner of Sunday’s regional final between Fairfield and Malvern. The winner of that game will play the winner of Kalida vs. Hillsdale.
Marion, who finished runner-up a year ago, would seek its first title since winning in 2018, and fourth title all time (2003 and 1975).
Delphos previously won in 2002, in 1983, and in 1949.
And the question will rage this week, regardless of who wins Ohio Mr. Basketball…is Cam Elwer really the best player in the state, as one eye-witness claimed Saturday night?
You can expect the largest Division VII crowds next week in recent tournament history to see him make his case. One milestone cleared……
Another awaits!
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