December 10, 2014 at 6:42 p.m.
Patriots seeing early success
Rays of Insight
Teams focus on reaching their peak at the end of the season. They want to be playing their best come tournament time.
But the importance of a hot start shouldn’t be overlooked.
No team wants to start off the season with a loss. And a few in a row early on can turn what was thought to be a promising season into a struggle.
But victories early can serve as confidence builders. They can reinforce the certainty a group of athletes already had in their ability, or they can build that belief in a squad that hasn’t had past successes.
Three Jay County High School teams have opened their winter seasons so strongly that Patriot fans can only hope their levels of success continue.
Girls basketball
After a run of 11 straight winning seasons, JCHS had back-to-back losing campaigns. The team lost 13 games in both 2012-13 and last season.
It has already taken giant steps toward making sure the skid doesn’t extend into a third year.
Relying heavily on strong team defense, the Patriots dominated their first three games against Monroe Central, Bellmont and Winchester. They didn’t allow a team to reach the 30-point mark until their 42-36 win over Fort Wayne South Side, a team they had not beaten since the undefeated regular season of 2007-08. And they rank third in the state in defensive average as they give up just 33.7 points per game.
Jay County won its first six games, all by at least six points, before falling 48-40 Tuesday at Muncie Central. No team likes to lose, but falling to the Bearcats is nothing about which to be ashamed.
Central won 18 games and was a regional finalist a year ago. And junior Jayla Scaife, who has verbally committed to play college basketball at the University of Dayton, is likely the best individual player the Patriots will face all year.
JCHS has built some early momentum, but five of their first six games were at home. The key stretch is upcoming, as after hosting Adams Central Friday the Patriots won’t return to their home court for more than a month.
Girls swimming
Swimming is a progressive sport.
It’s about building.
Swimmers have a starting point, and they put in thousands of yards during practice throughout the season in an effort to be posting top times late in the year. That’s when records fall, at conference tournaments and sectional meets.
Usually.
Jay County’s girls swimmers wasted no time this year, opening their season with three new school records at the Westfield Invitational.
Freshman Alex Bader made an immediate impact, shattering the school record in the 100-yard breaststroke. Her time of 1 minute, 6.67 seconds, was nearly two seconds faster than the previous mark of 1:08.4 held by Mary Hudson.
And, not to be outdone, her sister Sophie broke her own school record in the individual medley in 2:12.87. The Bader sisters also teamed with their cousin Anne Vormohr and senior Katy Smeltzer for a new pool record in the 200 medley relay in 1:51.19.
Jay County finished third at the meet behind No. 2 Fishers and the host Shamrocks, and has gone on to four consecutive wins in dual meets. Big goals — a sectional title and state medals — remain for the Patriots this year, but by breaking records from the start they’ve already set the tone for an exciting season.
Boys basketball
Every year fans want to know how good the boys basketball team will be.
Fans got some immediate answers this year, as Jay County faced the challenge of playing Muncie Central — in reality the combined Muncie Central and Muncie Southside squads — in their season opener. It responded in typical fashion.
Despite a lackluster first half, Jay County never panicked. They played with poise, made good decisions and hit free throws late to force overtime. Then, in the extra session, they took control.
That three-point opening win has turned into a 4-0 start, with JCHS winning each of the next three games by double figures. That stretch included a victory over defending Allen County Athletic Conference champion Woodlan.
The team’s third 4-0 start in four years has coincided with the emergence of post player Adam Dirksen. The junior, who rarely saw the varsity court last year, is leading the team with an average of 14.5 points per game. He also leads the team in rebounds, and has averaged four blocks per game.
The next two games will be big tests, as JCHS travels Saturday to Richmond and then Dec. 19 to undefeated Leo.
These Patriots have been on fire so far. We can only hope they finish their seasons as strong as they’ve started them.
But the importance of a hot start shouldn’t be overlooked.
No team wants to start off the season with a loss. And a few in a row early on can turn what was thought to be a promising season into a struggle.
But victories early can serve as confidence builders. They can reinforce the certainty a group of athletes already had in their ability, or they can build that belief in a squad that hasn’t had past successes.
Three Jay County High School teams have opened their winter seasons so strongly that Patriot fans can only hope their levels of success continue.
Girls basketball
After a run of 11 straight winning seasons, JCHS had back-to-back losing campaigns. The team lost 13 games in both 2012-13 and last season.
It has already taken giant steps toward making sure the skid doesn’t extend into a third year.
Relying heavily on strong team defense, the Patriots dominated their first three games against Monroe Central, Bellmont and Winchester. They didn’t allow a team to reach the 30-point mark until their 42-36 win over Fort Wayne South Side, a team they had not beaten since the undefeated regular season of 2007-08. And they rank third in the state in defensive average as they give up just 33.7 points per game.
Jay County won its first six games, all by at least six points, before falling 48-40 Tuesday at Muncie Central. No team likes to lose, but falling to the Bearcats is nothing about which to be ashamed.
Central won 18 games and was a regional finalist a year ago. And junior Jayla Scaife, who has verbally committed to play college basketball at the University of Dayton, is likely the best individual player the Patriots will face all year.
JCHS has built some early momentum, but five of their first six games were at home. The key stretch is upcoming, as after hosting Adams Central Friday the Patriots won’t return to their home court for more than a month.
Girls swimming
Swimming is a progressive sport.
It’s about building.
Swimmers have a starting point, and they put in thousands of yards during practice throughout the season in an effort to be posting top times late in the year. That’s when records fall, at conference tournaments and sectional meets.
Usually.
Jay County’s girls swimmers wasted no time this year, opening their season with three new school records at the Westfield Invitational.
Freshman Alex Bader made an immediate impact, shattering the school record in the 100-yard breaststroke. Her time of 1 minute, 6.67 seconds, was nearly two seconds faster than the previous mark of 1:08.4 held by Mary Hudson.
And, not to be outdone, her sister Sophie broke her own school record in the individual medley in 2:12.87. The Bader sisters also teamed with their cousin Anne Vormohr and senior Katy Smeltzer for a new pool record in the 200 medley relay in 1:51.19.
Jay County finished third at the meet behind No. 2 Fishers and the host Shamrocks, and has gone on to four consecutive wins in dual meets. Big goals — a sectional title and state medals — remain for the Patriots this year, but by breaking records from the start they’ve already set the tone for an exciting season.
Boys basketball
Every year fans want to know how good the boys basketball team will be.
Fans got some immediate answers this year, as Jay County faced the challenge of playing Muncie Central — in reality the combined Muncie Central and Muncie Southside squads — in their season opener. It responded in typical fashion.
Despite a lackluster first half, Jay County never panicked. They played with poise, made good decisions and hit free throws late to force overtime. Then, in the extra session, they took control.
That three-point opening win has turned into a 4-0 start, with JCHS winning each of the next three games by double figures. That stretch included a victory over defending Allen County Athletic Conference champion Woodlan.
The team’s third 4-0 start in four years has coincided with the emergence of post player Adam Dirksen. The junior, who rarely saw the varsity court last year, is leading the team with an average of 14.5 points per game. He also leads the team in rebounds, and has averaged four blocks per game.
The next two games will be big tests, as JCHS travels Saturday to Richmond and then Dec. 19 to undefeated Leo.
These Patriots have been on fire so far. We can only hope they finish their seasons as strong as they’ve started them.
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