jmetcalfe@delphosherald.com

Entering the final month and a half of the regular season, both Jefferson head boys basketball coach Marc Smith and his St. John’s counterpart, Aaron Elwer, have seen progress from their respective teams.

Smith, whose Wildcat team is 3-6, 1-1 in the Northwest Conference, can see light at the end of the tunnel.

“We are markedly improved from the start of the season. We’ve won our last two and if we continue to progress and play with the effort we have been, I can see a few more wins the rest of the season,” Smith acknowledged. “The kids have worked really hard and it’s nice to see some reward for that work ethic. We still do our scouting reports on our opponents and have our game plans but the focus has been on what we are doing more than what our opponents are. We have focused a lot on the fundamentals and will continue to do so; the kids have bought into the approach and they display a great attitude and work ethic to get better.