A record night

Fans packed the Jay County High School gym hoping to see history.
Brock McFarland didn’t make them wait long.
The Patriot senior tied Dan Ferrell’s 20-year-old career scoring record in less than four minutes, and then became the JCHS all-time leader on a put-back basket at the 1:19 mark of the opening period. He went on to lead the team with 19 points as it broke and tied several other records Friday in a 66-25 victory over the visiting Bellmont Braves.
“My head’s still racing a million miles an hour,” said McFarland following a whirlwind of congratulations after the game. “I’m still just trying to grasp what’s going on. …
“I almost couldn’t think because it was so loud when it happened. It was just crazy. When they stopped the game, it was just awesome. … It’s just a surreal feeling, it really is.
“I just want to thank everybody. We had a huge crowd tonight. It was awesome.”
McFarland scored his first five points on the evening on assists from Trey Teagle, opening with a 3-pointer from the left wing and then hitting a reverse lay-up underneath the basket. He added another hoop off of a steal, and then pulled even with Ferrell when he scored in the paint at the 4:16 mark to give the Patriots a 13-0 lead.
He broke the record three minutes later when he pulled down an offensive rebound following a Scott Schwieterman miss and put the ball back up off the glass from the left side of the lane. The crowd immediately erupted as officials stopped the game
“That was such a big moment,” said JCHS coach Craig Teagle. “I’m happy for him. He’s deserving of it. He’s worked really hard and been very committed.”
McFarland, who shot 9-of-12 from the field and also paced the Patriots with nine rebounds, broke Ferrell’s record of 1,155 points that had stood since 1993. They are the only players in school history to have reached the 1,000-point mark.
“I’m very excited for him,” said Ferrell in a phone interview prior to the game. “That record has been around for 20 years. It’s time somebody was able to knock that off.
“I’m happy for him because I know it takes a lot of hard work and a lot of consistency to do what he’s doing.”
McFarland’s mark was just one of the milestones for the Patriots (20-2) on Friday as they set the school record for regular-season winning percentage (.909) and extended their record for wins in a regular season. They matched the 2005-06 state runner-up squad for most wins in a season, and tied the 2007-08 team for longest winning streak (14).
“There was a lot that we could accomplish tonight … and they knew that,” said Teagle, whose team finished 11-0 on its home floor. “They wanted to get that stuff accomplished. And with all that too, part of it was sectional momentum. They wanted to continue to play well so that we could build and go out on Friday night and have a good game.”
The result of the game was never in doubt as Jay County ran out to a 20-2 lead over the Braves (4-16) and led by 21 at halftime. It was up by 29 after three periods, and Schwieterman went on a personal 10-0 run as the Patriots outscored Bellmont 15-2 in the final period.
Ross Smith was the only Brave in double figures with 10 points as the team shot 36 percent.
“We were down a couple guys … and they definitely took advantage of that by creating turnovers,” said Bellmont coach John Baker. “I’m sure that’s not a sight that’s unusual with the way they play defense.
“They’re a very good team that can definitely make a run in the 4A tournament.”
It was a big night for the senior class as a whole as Schwieterman followed McFarland with 18 points, and Kegan Comer finished with 11. Tyler Back added six points and a team-high five assists, and Darren Bogenschutz chipped in three points.
The group led the Patriots to their first Class 4A sectional title in 2010, set the school record for defensive points allowed last season at 35 per game and won 13 games by 20 points or more this year.
“They’ve meant a lot obviously,” said Teagle of the seniors. “And I told them in (the locker room) … this is the best team that I’ve coached in my 15 years. They’re the best team overall offensively and defensively. They’re a special group. They play together awfully well.”

Junior varsity
Jay County dominated the first half on the way to a 54-35 victory over the Braves.
Josh Selvey was 7-for-7 at the free-throw line in the third quarter and scored 14 points to lead the Patriots (12-8), who were up 28-10 at the half. Zach Pryor added nine points, and Zane Shreve scored seven.
Evan Selking finished with 12 points to lead Bellmont.[[In-content Ad]]