July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Jay Co. fights off Hawks
JCHS girls basketball
Jay Co. fights off Hawks
It was all, or nothing.
The Patriots failed to score for the first five-and-a-half minutes of the first quarter and nearly the first five minutes of the fourth. In the second, however, they blanked the visiting Harding Hawks 17-0.
The 11-point lead built in the dominant second quarter was enough for the Jay County High School girls basketball team, which saw its lead dwindle to two points but hit 6-of-7 free throws in the final 2:15 to hold on for a 42-37 victory.
JCHS coach Luke Cummings said after Tuesday's win over Bluffton that how his team handled Harding's pressure would be a key. It was.
"Early on we did a terrible job of (breaking the press)," said Cummings, whose team finished with 24 turnovers. "We played through that first quarter and I was stubborn. I wasn't going to use a timeout ... I thought it was big for our team to hang tough and pull through in the second quarter. They had to get that done together ... They had to come out and they had to execute. It was a big second quarter for us. I think that says a lot about how we're maturing."
The Patriots opened the game 0-for-7 with four turnovers in the first 5:35 of the game before finally getting on the board on a Pazia Speed drive. They still trailed by six at the close of the first quarter, but found their stride as Mariah Hornaday scored the first four points of the second.
The hoops kicked off the shutout quarter, in which Speed hit a pair of 3-pointers and Erin Hunt added another at the buzzer off of a Hornaday assist.
"We were just getting to our spots and executing," said Cummings. "I thought Erin Hunt did a really good job tonight ... She had a good second quarter, just being in the right spot, relieving some of that pressure, breaking the press and then getting it back to Pazia and spreading them out again."
In the second quarter Jay County shut down the Hawks (2-4), who went 0-of-6 from the field and 0-for-2 at the foul line with five turnovers.
The defensive improvement helped the Patriots offensively, as Harding never had a chance to get into its pressure defense.
"The shots they hit in the first quarter, that's what led to their press, and that was part of our disappointment," said Cummings. "We didn't get out on (Takeyah McGraw) like we wanted to. She's a good player with a quick release and we let her get a couple and that led to the press."
The Hawks, who have lost three straight games after a 2-1 start, poured the pressure back on in the fourth quarter. Several turnovers helped them close the gap, and a high-arching 3-pointer from McGraw on the right baseline pulled Harding to within two points with one minute to play.
Hornaday responded with a put-back hoop to make it a two possession game, and Speed, Hornaday and Katie Butcher hit enough free throws down the stretch to put the game away.
"It's been a while since we've had to play with a lead in a tight game. They've got to have confidence that they can get through it together," said Cummings, noting that his team had to stay positive during the late Hawks' run. "I thought Kassi did a nice job. ... She did her job when she was in there.
"I thought it was good for us. They hit that three that cut it down to two, but we stayed tough and took care of the basketball and then made some free throws."
Speed paced the Patriots with 16 points while adding eight rebounds and six assists. Hornaday shot 6-of-8 from the field and made both of her free throws for 14 points. Her 11 rebounds led the Patriots to a 33-13 advantage on the glass.
Hunt hit a pair of 3-pointers for six points, and Link added five boards.
Crystal Weemes was the lone Hawk in double figures with 10 points. Onnie Jordan had nine points, and Shyarra Sanders and Annette Lindsey each totaled six points and four rebounds.
Junior varsity
Jay County held the Hawks scoreless in the first quarter and were up by 20 at halftime in a 53-17 victory.
Maria Murphy scored all of her game-high 13 points in the first half for the Patriots, who improved to 7-1. Mollie May added 11 points, all in the second and third quarters.
LeAnn Horn had seven points in the second half, and Hannah Ainsworth hit a pair of 3-pointers for six points.
Jelicia Walker scored eight points to lead Harding. Shatara Cato and Bresha Adams each added three points.
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The Patriots failed to score for the first five-and-a-half minutes of the first quarter and nearly the first five minutes of the fourth. In the second, however, they blanked the visiting Harding Hawks 17-0.
The 11-point lead built in the dominant second quarter was enough for the Jay County High School girls basketball team, which saw its lead dwindle to two points but hit 6-of-7 free throws in the final 2:15 to hold on for a 42-37 victory.
JCHS coach Luke Cummings said after Tuesday's win over Bluffton that how his team handled Harding's pressure would be a key. It was.
"Early on we did a terrible job of (breaking the press)," said Cummings, whose team finished with 24 turnovers. "We played through that first quarter and I was stubborn. I wasn't going to use a timeout ... I thought it was big for our team to hang tough and pull through in the second quarter. They had to get that done together ... They had to come out and they had to execute. It was a big second quarter for us. I think that says a lot about how we're maturing."
The Patriots opened the game 0-for-7 with four turnovers in the first 5:35 of the game before finally getting on the board on a Pazia Speed drive. They still trailed by six at the close of the first quarter, but found their stride as Mariah Hornaday scored the first four points of the second.
The hoops kicked off the shutout quarter, in which Speed hit a pair of 3-pointers and Erin Hunt added another at the buzzer off of a Hornaday assist.
"We were just getting to our spots and executing," said Cummings. "I thought Erin Hunt did a really good job tonight ... She had a good second quarter, just being in the right spot, relieving some of that pressure, breaking the press and then getting it back to Pazia and spreading them out again."
In the second quarter Jay County shut down the Hawks (2-4), who went 0-of-6 from the field and 0-for-2 at the foul line with five turnovers.
The defensive improvement helped the Patriots offensively, as Harding never had a chance to get into its pressure defense.
"The shots they hit in the first quarter, that's what led to their press, and that was part of our disappointment," said Cummings. "We didn't get out on (Takeyah McGraw) like we wanted to. She's a good player with a quick release and we let her get a couple and that led to the press."
The Hawks, who have lost three straight games after a 2-1 start, poured the pressure back on in the fourth quarter. Several turnovers helped them close the gap, and a high-arching 3-pointer from McGraw on the right baseline pulled Harding to within two points with one minute to play.
Hornaday responded with a put-back hoop to make it a two possession game, and Speed, Hornaday and Katie Butcher hit enough free throws down the stretch to put the game away.
"It's been a while since we've had to play with a lead in a tight game. They've got to have confidence that they can get through it together," said Cummings, noting that his team had to stay positive during the late Hawks' run. "I thought Kassi did a nice job. ... She did her job when she was in there.
"I thought it was good for us. They hit that three that cut it down to two, but we stayed tough and took care of the basketball and then made some free throws."
Speed paced the Patriots with 16 points while adding eight rebounds and six assists. Hornaday shot 6-of-8 from the field and made both of her free throws for 14 points. Her 11 rebounds led the Patriots to a 33-13 advantage on the glass.
Hunt hit a pair of 3-pointers for six points, and Link added five boards.
Crystal Weemes was the lone Hawk in double figures with 10 points. Onnie Jordan had nine points, and Shyarra Sanders and Annette Lindsey each totaled six points and four rebounds.
Junior varsity
Jay County held the Hawks scoreless in the first quarter and were up by 20 at halftime in a 53-17 victory.
Maria Murphy scored all of her game-high 13 points in the first half for the Patriots, who improved to 7-1. Mollie May added 11 points, all in the second and third quarters.
LeAnn Horn had seven points in the second half, and Hannah Ainsworth hit a pair of 3-pointers for six points.
Jelicia Walker scored eight points to lead Harding. Shatara Cato and Bresha Adams each added three points.
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