Jay Co. takes on Spartans

By no means did the Patriots draw the easy path.
Jay County High School opened the Class 4A boys basketball sectional tournament by knocking off the host school. Its reward for that overtime win is a date Friday against the sectional favorite.
The Patriots (15-6), who topped Huntington North 53-48 in overtime Tuesday, will play the Homestead Spartans (14-5) in the semifinal round Friday at 6 p.m.
“A lot like Huntington, they’ve got a lot of balance,” said Teagle of the Spartans. “They’ve got three or four players who can score the ball. They spread you out. They look for the three a lot, but they can take you off the dribble. The difference is they’ve got better size and they’ve got experience with six seniors ...”
While the teams’ records are similar, Homestead had a perfect record against sectional foes during the regular season. It defeated Huntington North 57-45, Fort Wayne South Side 74-64 and defending champion Fort Wayne North Side 71-53, and had a 7-2 record against Class 4A opponents overall.
Meanwhile, the Patriots did not play any of their sectional rivals during the regular season, and went 2-2 against Class 4A competition.
“It’s been a fun year,” said Homestead coach Chris Johnson, whose team has won eight of its last nine games. “I have a very unselfish group of kids. They play hard, play together, are not worried about individual glory. They’re a blue-collar type of team.”
Evan Rhoades and Drew Sery each scored 13.7 points per game to lead four Spartans, and point guard Nick Gamble adds 13.3.  Rhoades and Garrett Bastin each added 5.3 rebounds per contest, and Gamble averages 4.4 assists and 1.7 steals.
“The Sery kid is just a really good basketball player,” said Teagle. “He can shoot the three, and he can shoot it off the dribble. He’s good at hesitation moves, exploding to the basket.
“(Gamble) is probably as quick as any individual we’ve played all year. He can get to the hole right or left. And then what he does is he goes so hard to the hole he pulls defense and then kicks to Rhoades, Sery or (Joe) Olivieri.”
Two Patriots are averaging more than 10 points per game this season, with sophomore Brock McFarland leading the group with 13.6. Kegan Comer, his classmate, adds 10.8 points per game, to go along with team highs of 3.7 assists and two steals.
Senior Garrett Krieg has hit 36 3-pointers this season and adds 9.6 points per game, and Scott Schwieterman averages 7.5 points , 7.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.
“I was very impressed with the way they played and hung in there (Tuesday night),” said Johnson. “They stayed with their game plan. They didn’t get rattled when they got behind.
“I have a lot of respect for coach Teagle and what he does. … You can tell he has his kids prepared every game. He does very well with getting them to play hard and getting them to do the things he wants them to do. They play together. There is no selfishness on this team. They are a very dangerous ball club.”
The Patriots’ victory over Huntington North was just their second in seven years of Class 4A tournament play, and a win over Homestead would give them a chance at their first sectional title since 2007. They played Marion in the 2008 sectional championship game, falling 49-39.
“Friday night’s game does not have to be pretty, it just has to be a win,” said Teagle. “Whatever we do, we have to find a way to win that basketball game.”[[In-content Ad]]