July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Jay tops NC
JCHS girls basketball
Jay tops NC
Close game?
No problem.
The Patriots know the drill.
Once again the Jay County High School girls basketball team had a game come down to the final possession. And, again, it got the job done.
Brilliant use of fouls bled the clock away Tuesday, and the visiting New Castle Trojans missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Patriots picked up a 31-29 victory.
"Now we know that we can make plays at the end," said JCHS coach Luke Cummings, whose team got the game-winning hoop from Pazia Speed with 2:20 left and held New Castle scoreless the rest of the way. "Our girls have confidence in our defense. They have pride in what we want to do. Tonight it was on that end where we had to get the big stop, and we did.
"It's a big win for us, to beat a team that was 11-1."
The teams traded several unsuccesful possessions following Speed's hoop, leaving the ball in the Trojans' hands with 14.8 seconds to play. But that 14.8 quickly slipped away.
The Patriots (12-3), who had just three team fouls, used three more to keep New Castle from being able to run a play. Speed gave the first two fouls, and when Danielle Link committed the third there were just 3.3 seconds left for the Trojans to work with.
"Those situations you practice and practice," said Cummings. "We had some fouls to give, and we're not used to having fouls to give at the end of a game. So we switched to our man (defense) and wanted to make sure we got to a situation where they really had to press for a shot."
New Castle (11-2) was still able to get a decent look at the basket as Courtney Baker inbounded the ball from the baseline to Miranda Wallen near mid-court.
Wallen tossed a pass back to Baker in the left corner, but her 3-point try went just long off the rim as time expired.
"You know, I'll be honest with you, if you had told me we were going to come in here and have a shot to get a 3-pointer off and have a chance to win it, I would have took it before the game," said New Castle coach Curt Bell. "She got it and got it off, and I even thought it might go in there for a minute. It's about as good as you can get with two or three seconds to go.
"Our kids hung and had a chance to win, and that's about all you can ask on the road and against a tough opponent like that."
Jay County has become as tough to beat in a close game as any team, with three of its last six wins having come on the last possession. The Patriots defeated Muncie Central on a last-second Speed lay-up Dec. 8, and then knocked off Plainfield 35-33 on a couple of Maria Murphy free throws late in double overtime in the Hall of Fame Classic.
Also thrown into the last month is a four-point win over Fort Recovery. And their three losses this season have come against three of the best - Class 3A No. 1 Rushville (14-1), Class 2A No. 1 Winchester (12-0) and Class 3A No. 2 Norwell (11-0).
Speed's winning hoop against the Trojans came on a spinning, pull-up jumper in the lane.
"You don't coach that. You don't teach it," said Cummings of Speed's ability to create shots for herself. "She's in control out there.
"Pazia shot the ball really well tonight. She's had the ball in her hands a lot and she's scored a lot for us, but she hasn't always shot the basketball (well). She was very efficient, because there weren't a lot of possessions in this game."
The senior scored more than half of the Patriots' points as she finished with 17 while shooting 5-of-8 from the field, including 2-of-3 from long distance, and 5-of-6 from the line. She also had three rebounds and three assists.
"Speed is an exceptional player. I like her," said Bell, adding that he hopes to see her playing collegiately next season. "(She has) speed, strength. She's a cagey player, smart player. She has a nose for the ball. She understands the game. She's got the right combination. She can shoot the three. She can take you off the dribble. ... She's just the total package."
New Castle rolled out to a 9-1 lead early, hitting its first three 3-pointers of the game, and were still up by eight at the close of the first quarter. But the Patriots started extending their zone defense and taking away the long-distance looks, limiting the visitors to just one 3-pointer over the final three quarters.
"They adjusted and didn't give (Kaycee) Dobbs any looks anymore," said Bell. "Wallens, our No. 1 3-point shooter, after getting one early they pretty much closed her out. We tried to push some stuff to go inside-out ... but our passing wasn't very good."
Jay County scored the final seven points of the first half, including a couple of free throws from Speed with no time on the clock, to take a one-point lead. The teams were tied after three quarters, and the Patriot defense limited New Castle to 2-of-7 shooting in the final period.
Danielle Link totaled eight points, three rebounds and two blocks for JCHS, and also altered shots on a pair of drives by Baker in the final minutes. Murphy came off the bench to grab a team-high four rebounds, and Erin Hunt had three assists.
"I thought she played a really good game on both ends," said Cummings of Link. "She did a good job of sealing and finishing inside. Our last five games that's something she's really improved on.
"She's a key to our defense, being able to stop the drive ... She's settled into that role really well. As quick as (Baker) is, she forced her to take some jump shots tonight.
"Murphy off the bench was big. She came in and rebounded really well. There were a couple down there deep late in the game that she got a hand on or pulled down. She did a nice job."
Dobbs led New Castle with nine points, all on 3-pointers as she went 0-for-5 from two-point range. Baker added eight points and three assists, and Molly Swift grabbed six rebounds.
Junior varsity
An 8-0 run to open the fourth quarter helped lift the Patriots to a 26-20 victory over New Castle.
Jay County led 15-7 at halftime, but managed just one second quarter point and the Trojans pulled even. However, the Patriots ran off four straight baskets to open the fourth quarter as they held New Castle scoreless for more than five minutes.
Hannah Ainsworth paced JCHS with nine points, and Shelby Shirk scored five. Mollie May and Maria Murphy added four points apiece.
Allyson Garret totaled seven points to lead the Trojans. Brooke Hughes was next with five points.[[In-content Ad]]
No problem.
The Patriots know the drill.
Once again the Jay County High School girls basketball team had a game come down to the final possession. And, again, it got the job done.
Brilliant use of fouls bled the clock away Tuesday, and the visiting New Castle Trojans missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Patriots picked up a 31-29 victory.
"Now we know that we can make plays at the end," said JCHS coach Luke Cummings, whose team got the game-winning hoop from Pazia Speed with 2:20 left and held New Castle scoreless the rest of the way. "Our girls have confidence in our defense. They have pride in what we want to do. Tonight it was on that end where we had to get the big stop, and we did.
"It's a big win for us, to beat a team that was 11-1."
The teams traded several unsuccesful possessions following Speed's hoop, leaving the ball in the Trojans' hands with 14.8 seconds to play. But that 14.8 quickly slipped away.
The Patriots (12-3), who had just three team fouls, used three more to keep New Castle from being able to run a play. Speed gave the first two fouls, and when Danielle Link committed the third there were just 3.3 seconds left for the Trojans to work with.
"Those situations you practice and practice," said Cummings. "We had some fouls to give, and we're not used to having fouls to give at the end of a game. So we switched to our man (defense) and wanted to make sure we got to a situation where they really had to press for a shot."
New Castle (11-2) was still able to get a decent look at the basket as Courtney Baker inbounded the ball from the baseline to Miranda Wallen near mid-court.
Wallen tossed a pass back to Baker in the left corner, but her 3-point try went just long off the rim as time expired.
"You know, I'll be honest with you, if you had told me we were going to come in here and have a shot to get a 3-pointer off and have a chance to win it, I would have took it before the game," said New Castle coach Curt Bell. "She got it and got it off, and I even thought it might go in there for a minute. It's about as good as you can get with two or three seconds to go.
"Our kids hung and had a chance to win, and that's about all you can ask on the road and against a tough opponent like that."
Jay County has become as tough to beat in a close game as any team, with three of its last six wins having come on the last possession. The Patriots defeated Muncie Central on a last-second Speed lay-up Dec. 8, and then knocked off Plainfield 35-33 on a couple of Maria Murphy free throws late in double overtime in the Hall of Fame Classic.
Also thrown into the last month is a four-point win over Fort Recovery. And their three losses this season have come against three of the best - Class 3A No. 1 Rushville (14-1), Class 2A No. 1 Winchester (12-0) and Class 3A No. 2 Norwell (11-0).
Speed's winning hoop against the Trojans came on a spinning, pull-up jumper in the lane.
"You don't coach that. You don't teach it," said Cummings of Speed's ability to create shots for herself. "She's in control out there.
"Pazia shot the ball really well tonight. She's had the ball in her hands a lot and she's scored a lot for us, but she hasn't always shot the basketball (well). She was very efficient, because there weren't a lot of possessions in this game."
The senior scored more than half of the Patriots' points as she finished with 17 while shooting 5-of-8 from the field, including 2-of-3 from long distance, and 5-of-6 from the line. She also had three rebounds and three assists.
"Speed is an exceptional player. I like her," said Bell, adding that he hopes to see her playing collegiately next season. "(She has) speed, strength. She's a cagey player, smart player. She has a nose for the ball. She understands the game. She's got the right combination. She can shoot the three. She can take you off the dribble. ... She's just the total package."
New Castle rolled out to a 9-1 lead early, hitting its first three 3-pointers of the game, and were still up by eight at the close of the first quarter. But the Patriots started extending their zone defense and taking away the long-distance looks, limiting the visitors to just one 3-pointer over the final three quarters.
"They adjusted and didn't give (Kaycee) Dobbs any looks anymore," said Bell. "Wallens, our No. 1 3-point shooter, after getting one early they pretty much closed her out. We tried to push some stuff to go inside-out ... but our passing wasn't very good."
Jay County scored the final seven points of the first half, including a couple of free throws from Speed with no time on the clock, to take a one-point lead. The teams were tied after three quarters, and the Patriot defense limited New Castle to 2-of-7 shooting in the final period.
Danielle Link totaled eight points, three rebounds and two blocks for JCHS, and also altered shots on a pair of drives by Baker in the final minutes. Murphy came off the bench to grab a team-high four rebounds, and Erin Hunt had three assists.
"I thought she played a really good game on both ends," said Cummings of Link. "She did a good job of sealing and finishing inside. Our last five games that's something she's really improved on.
"She's a key to our defense, being able to stop the drive ... She's settled into that role really well. As quick as (Baker) is, she forced her to take some jump shots tonight.
"Murphy off the bench was big. She came in and rebounded really well. There were a couple down there deep late in the game that she got a hand on or pulled down. She did a nice job."
Dobbs led New Castle with nine points, all on 3-pointers as she went 0-for-5 from two-point range. Baker added eight points and three assists, and Molly Swift grabbed six rebounds.
Junior varsity
An 8-0 run to open the fourth quarter helped lift the Patriots to a 26-20 victory over New Castle.
Jay County led 15-7 at halftime, but managed just one second quarter point and the Trojans pulled even. However, the Patriots ran off four straight baskets to open the fourth quarter as they held New Castle scoreless for more than five minutes.
Hannah Ainsworth paced JCHS with nine points, and Shelby Shirk scored five. Mollie May and Maria Murphy added four points apiece.
Allyson Garret totaled seven points to lead the Trojans. Brooke Hughes was next with five points.[[In-content Ad]]
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