JC improves to 6-0

For the first time all season, offense didn’t come easily.
The Patriots could barely hold on to the ball in the first quarter, let alone put it in the basket.
They shot less than 50 percent from the field for the first time this year.
But they still came away with a double-digit win.
Jay County took a nine-point advantage at halftime and never trailed in the final 27 minutes as it scored just its fifth win in school history over the visiting Muncie Central Bearcats, 49-34.
“Anybody could tell we just weren’t very sharp offensively early,” said JCHS coach Craig Teagle, whose team turned the ball over on five of its first six possessions, went nearly five minutes before scoring its first points and shot 2-of-6 in the opening quarter. “We miss-handled a lot of balls. … We just struggled for about the first nine minutes. …
“We had not had to grind through a game. When you play 22 games in the regular season, there’s going to be four or five where you’re not at the top of your game … Everybody goes through that.
“That’s what I was most proud of. We weren’t at the top of our game, but we found a way to continue, to not get down, and just to fight through that.”
The Patriots (6-0), who finished 11th this week in the Class 4A poll voting by The Associated Press, led 5-4 at the close of the opening period despite the  struggles on offense, and then took control in the second.
Kegan Comer buried a 3-pointer off of an assist from Trey Teagle, and Brock McFarland hit a pair of free throws to extend the lead to six points. Teagle later passed to Comer for another 3-pointer, which kicked off a 9-3 Jay County run to close the half.
Scott Schwieterman fought for a pair of offensive rebounds on the opening possession of the third quarter, scored after the second and then hit a free throw for a three-point play that pushed the Patriot advantage to double figures.
JCHS never let its lead slip to fewer than six points the rest of the way, and closed on an 8-2 run for the 15-point victory.
Schwieterman led three Patriots in double figures with 15 points, and also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
“That’s the thing that makes them a little different this year is that they’re able to go in to (Schwieterman),” said Central coach Matt Fine, whose team was missing center Jay’lin Barnes (7.8 rebounds per game) because of a knee injury. “He has the confidence and the ability to score it this year … That’s I think helped them turn the corner into being a really elite club.
“It’s a great ball club. It’s a very veteran club … probably the best club that we’ve played against all year.”
Brock McFarland and Kegan Comer followed Schwieterman with 12 points apiece. And Jake Schlosser came up with some key plays on defense as he drew a pair of charging calls.
“They’re athletic. They’re driving to the hole every time. I know I have to step over,” said Schlosser, noting that he had success drawing charges this summer and has made that a personal goal.
Jay County is now 5-32 all-time against Central, with three of those wins coming in the last six seasons. It was the most lop-sided loss of the year for the Bearcats (2-5), who dropped four of their first five with senior Travis Woods suspended.
“It’s huge. We haven’t beat them since we’ve been here,” said Schwieterman of his senior class. “Last year we were up with them through the third quarter and then in the fourth quarter they blew it open.
“It was a huge crowd (tonight). It was a super intense game. We had to get the win.”
The game marked the first time this season that the Patriots have been held to fewer than 50 points. They shot just 46 percent from the field after averaging 66 percent over the first five games.
But when the offense struggled, Jay County’s staple defense was typically strong.
The Patriots, who lead Class 4A in defensive average at 35.2 points per game, limited Muncie Central to four first-quarter points. The Bearcats shot 27 percent (12-of-44) for the game, including 3-of-18 from long distance.
And while Woods paced Central with a game-high 20 points, JCHS held leading scorer Jabriel Allen to just five. Allen had scored 36 and 33 points in the Bearcats’ previous two games.

Junior varsity
Jay County fought off a comeback try by the Bearcats and pulled away late for a 38-30 victory.
The Patriots had a six-point lead in the fourth quarter before Central came charging back to tie the game. But Zane Shreve hit a hoop to reclaim the lead for JCHS, which finished the game on a 10-2 run.
Kyle Selvey and Nick Clemens each hit a pair of 3-pointers as they led Jay County with 12 and 10 points respectively. Shreve followed with six points.
Michael Jackson finished with eight points to lead the Bearcats. Casey Hammond scored six points.[[In-content Ad]]