By Allison Roorda
Community Post
The Wildcats' last home game was a struggle from start to finish until the Delphos St. John Blue Jays emerged with a 48-44 win.

“It was a tough game,” said Minster head coach Mike Lee. “Anytime you play a league on a Friday night, and they were the aggressor.”
To start out, both teams threw up three-point shots to no effect. Wes Ulm of Delphos finally sank his three-point basket, and Logan Sommer followed with a layup for two. Tim Clark scored the next points with a jump shot off a Blue Jays rebound. Andrew Baumer went down on Minster's next possession and limped off the floor. Eric Buettner sank two three-point baskets in a row to end the period at 11-2 for the Blue Jays.
Sommer opened the second quarter with a two-point jump off a Minster rebound. Kieth Nerderman got a three-point basket from the right wing, and Sam Otting sank two points from under the basket to put the score at 11-9. Otting got fouled next and sank one free throw. Baumer came back in for Minster and sank three points to put the Wildcats ahead, 13-11. Jordan Boeke got fouled and made two for Minster, but Cameron Hermiller sank a three-point shot at the end to send the teams into the lockers looking at a score of 15-14, with Minster maintaining a slight lead.
“They're quick. They're just a match-up for Minster,” Lee commented of Delphos St. John. “Their quickness and aggressiveness just came into play throughout most of the game.”
After halftime, the two teams traded the ball back and forth for two minutes with no new points. Buettner finally sank a layup for the Blue Jays, and Otting answered with a shot from under the basket. Hermiller shot a two-point jump from the top of the key. Buettner shot two more three-pointers to pull the Blue Jays to a 24-17 lead. Sommer got fouled and made two free throws. Kieth Nerderman sank a three-point from the left side after a Delphos St. John run. Otting got fouled while sinking a Minster layup and added an extra point to Minster's score for the final points of the quarter. The Blue Jays now maintained a five-point lead with a score of 30-25.
Hermiller opened the final period with a two-point jump, and Nerderman shot a three-point jump from the right wing. A couple two-point baskets from each team plus Minster fouls widened the Blue Jay lead, 38-33. Sommer got fouled and added two points to Minster's score. Hermiller followed the example and shot two free throws of his own, and Delphos St. John remained in the lead by five points with a minute left to play. Otting made a layup, but Sommer fouled Hermiller, who sank two more free throws. Sommer scored with a jump shot under Minster's basket. Brian Mueller sank a breakaway layup a few seconds later to make the score 44-41 with five seconds left. Sommer fouled Scott Recker, who made two. Nerderman sank a three-point basket and called a time out from the floor. His decision caused a technical foul as Minster had no remaining time outs. Hermiller shot two free throws to end the game at 48-44.
“It was just a game of low possessions,” lamented Lee, “and ultimately a three- or four-point lead just felt like nine or ten points through most of the night.”
Her miller led the Blue Jays with 18 individual points, followed by Buettner, who scored 14. The Wildcats divided their scoring between three: Otting had 15 points, Nerderman sank 12 and Sommer scored 10 points.