The timing was perfect.
Senior guard Tre Cobbs crossed the 1,000-point mark for his career in an 83-58 win for Lima Central Catholic over Van Buren on Tuesday night in the final home game for the Thunderbirds’ seven seniors.
Even better, it came in a win, which is what Cobbs and his senior teammates have done throughout their careers.
In the last four years, LCC’s boys basketball teams have won 91 games and lost 11, including a Division III state championship two years ago and a state runner-up finish last year.
“It was our last game so we wanted to leave with a bang and that’s what we did,” Cobbs said about one final game in the Monsignor E.C. Herr Gymnasium.
It took the Thunderbirds a while to light the fuse, though, when they scored just four points in the first 4 ½ minutes of the game.
But after a timeout they went on a 17-2 run over the next six minutes. By halftime they were up 43-25 and the lead grew to as many as 31 points in the third quarter.
Dantez Walton and Josh Dixon led LCC (17-1) with 16 points and Nick Taflinger scored 15. Cobbs finished with 10 points, including three dunks.
“We knew coming into the game we were going to have to get off to a fast start,” LCC coach Frank Kill said. “I thought being Senior Night we played with a lot of emotion after the timeout in terms of turning it up.
“I thought everybody, all seven seniors, played their part. I was really proud of the first five for the way they got us going and making it a transition game. When we can get stops and get rebounds and make lay-ups, good things happen.
“It was a night to celebrate these seven seniors and what they’ve done for the program,” he said.
Cobbs came into the game needing eight points to get to 1,000. That milestone came on a lay-up with 1:01 left in the first half. It appeared Cobbs, who had dunked on two of his first three buckets, was considering another slam but he backed off and took a lay-up.
“I just wanted to make sure I was going to get the 1,000th point. I just wanted the two points,” he said.
Cobbs’ teammate Dantez Walton crossed the 1,000-point mark a week and a half ago. They are the sixth and seventh LCC players to get to 1,000 in their careers.
“That’s super awesome. It’s something. Words can’t describe how proud I am of my guys. They’re the reason I’m here today,” Cobbs said.
Kill said Cobbs’ two early dunks “kind of electrified the crowd.”
“If we get that kind of energy, everyone else kind of feeds off it,” he said.
LCC forced 27 turnovers, which helped the Thunderbirds shoot 59 percent on field goals (37 of 63) and throw down six dunks overall. Seven of LCC’s first 14 field goals came after turnovers.
Van Buren (12-3) played without two starters for the second game in a row, both of them losses.
Maybe the most damaging absence was point guard Ryan Turner.
“He really makes our team tick,” Van Buren coach Marc Bishop said. “But regardless of who is out our expectation is that we play hard and win. We didn’t do that tonight, obviously, but I think these are valuable minutes for the guys who were on the floor.”
Braxton Fasone (16 points) and Marcus Brand (15 points) led Van Buren.
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