JC controls Rebels

The last few weeks have been a struggle for the Patriots.
They had lost five of their last six games. And even in the lone win they fell behind 10-2.
On Monday night, they took control early and never let go.
Jay County used a 13-0 run in the first quarter to open a double-digit lead and rolled to a 58-36 victory over the visiting Muncie Southside Rebels.
“It was nice,” said JCHS coach Chris Krieg of the early lead. “We went through that period where we lost four in a row, and then we got a win at Blackford and then played well at Fort Recovery and came back tonight and just hit them hard. We play hard. We’ve just got to keep working on (things).
“The girls played well. They communicated well the first half defensively and took them out of a lot of things.”
The Patriots (4-7) trailed only briefly at 3-2 before scoring 13 points in a row.
Katie Aker started the run when she scored off an assist from Alex Loy just 1:12 into the game. Loy hit the next hoop on an assist from Amber Huelskamp, and then Catherine Dunn buried a 3-pointer from another Huelskamp assist. A Loy assist led to a hoop from Bre McIntire, and then Dunn scored four points to end the run.
Dunn added two more baskets, one off of a offensive rebound and assist from Katie Aker and the second following a steal, later in the quarter. She hit five of her first six field-goal attempts and scored 11 of her game-high 18 points in the opening period.
Jay County went on to shoot 55 percent in the first half as it built a 33-13 advantage.
“We did shoot the ball extremely well in the first half,” said Krieg. “We got great looks. …
“We attacked the basket. Catherine attacked it really, really well. … She did a great job of finishing.”
While the Patriots were efficient offensively, Southside (5-7) struggled to get anything going. It missed 10 of its 12 field-goal tries in the first quarter and committed six turnovers.
“That’s been an Achilles’ Heel of ours over the last few weeks. We had a very slow start,” said Southside coach Ryan New. “Some shots didn’t fall. It kind of seemed like we got discouraged offensively and stopped attacking the basket.
“You can’t win a race at the very beginning, but you can lose it then, and that’s kind of what happened to us.
“Credit Jay County’s defense. I think they played a pretty big role in limiting opportunities for us.”
The Patriots extended their lead to as many as 26 points in the second half.
Katie Aker and Bre McIntire joined Dunn in double figures with 11 and 10 points respectively. Aker led JCHS with seven rebounds, and freshman Ava Kunkler grabbed five. Huelskamp dished out four assists.
Kunkler and fellow freshman Abby Wendel got extended minutes as Krieg worked on extending his bench. The Patriots have worn down in the second half several times this year, letting leads slip away against Marion and Muncie Central.
“We’re going to have some depth the second half of the season,” said Krieg. “We’re just going to make it happen. …
“We’re going to go eight or nine deep from this point on. That’s what we’ve got to do to be competitive.”
Krieg said he also expects junior Katlin Petro, who underwent surgery Dec. 6, to return to the team in January.
Kaitlyn White was the only player in double figures for Southside on Monday as she hit three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points. Whitney Vance added eight points, and Shelby Cumings grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
“I don’t care what Jay County’s record says right now, they’re still a pretty good team and pretty disciplined,” said New, whose team committed 21 turnovers and shot just 30 percent. “And when you’re undisciplined and play a team like that it’s going to bite you.”

Junior varsity
Jay County dominated the first half on the way to a 40-24 victory over the Rebels.
Gabby Hart scored 10 of her team-high 12 points in the first half for the Patriots (9-2), who were up 26-8 at halftime. Cheyenne Loy added nine points, and Lyla Muhlenkamp finished with seven.
Jaylen Montgomery tallied a game-high 15 points for Southside. Sharra Elliot scored five points.[[In-content Ad]]