MANSFIELD, Ohio — St. Peter’s Fab Four put on a show Tuesday at the Franciscan Activity Center.
Elijah Cobb scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds as the Spartans cruised to an 83-44 win over Crestline in Mid-Buckeye Conference action.
Cobb, Jared Jakubick (21 points), Tyson Kent (14 points) and Mason Campbell (12 points) combined to score 71 of St. Peter’s 73 points through three quarters. All four sat out the fourth.
“It’s pretty difficult to defend us when we all get it going like that,” said Cobb, who was 11 of 15 from the field and swiped eight offensive boards. “Teams can’t just focus on taking one or two guys away.”
Cobb scored seven points in the first quarter as the Spartans (14-2, 7-0) stormed to a 19-6 lead. St. Peter’s opened the game on a 9-0 run before Ty Clark broke the ice for the Bulldogs (3-10, 1-7). Clark scored all six of Crestline’s first-quarter points en route to a team-high 14.
“He’s been our most consistent player all season,” Crestline coach Rob Lisle said. “Every single night you know what you’re going to get out of him.”
The Spartans, ranked fourth in Division IV in this week’s state poll, outscored the Bulldogs 26-10 in the second to open a 45-16 halftime lead. Cobb, Jakubick, Kent and Campbell each had 10 or more points before the break.
“It’s a nice thing to have when you’ve got four players who can score,” St. Peter’s coach Joe Jakubick said. “It’s not only their scoring ability, but it’s their ball skills. As a team we had 18 assists. They’re all sharing the ball and doing things.
“I feel like we’re a challenging team to guard.”
Grand Theft: The Spartans forced 33 turnovers, scoring 43 points off Crestline miscues. Cobb and Jonah Ramey each had four steals while Campbell, Jakubick and Kent each had three.
“We’re just not taking care of the ball,” Lisle said. “Tonight we were at least attacking. They got a lot of steals but at least we were going toward the rim.”
Small Steps: Crestline has lost three straight after winning back-to-back games for the first time since the start of the 2013-14 season. The Bulldogs were 1-22 last year.
“We’re definitely growing,” Lisle said. “We’re trying to build something here and it’s not going to happen overnight.
“Tonight doesn’t show it, but we’ve turned the corner and are getting better.”
