JC tops Delta

The Patriots went from their hottest-shooting half of the year to the worst.
They still managed to come away with an eighth straight victory.
After shooting just 24 percent in the first half Thursday, the Jay County High School boys basketball team bounced back for a 39-27 victory over the visiting Delta Eagles.
The Patriots (14-2) outscored Delta 15-3 in the final period, including a 9-0 run to end the game.
“We weren’t very sharp,” said JCHS coach Craig Teagle. “But it’s nice to find a way to win when you don’t play as sharp as you think you are capable of. … Typically in January  we always have a couple of games where we just look out of it … We did not have that this year. I’m hoping that it’s a one-game thing.”
The game was tied at 24 after the third quarter before Kegan Comer and Brock McFarland hit back-to-back 3-pointers to open the final period. Ozzie Mann responded with a 3-pointer for the Eagles, but they went scoreless for nearly six minutes to close out the game.
“We were pretty pleased defensively,” said Delta coach Stan Daugherty. “We had a certain scheme we were going to play defensively until they stepped up and made some threes. I think Comer hitting his and then McFarland hitting his set a different tone.”
Both teams struggled from the field early as they combined to miss their first eight shots before Delta’s Corbin Gregory scored more than three minutes into the game.
Jay County, which shot 73 percent in the second half Saturday at Yorktown, was able to turn its numbers around after the break while the Eagles continued to struggle.
Delta hit for just 29 percent in the second half, including 1-of-8 with the game on the line in the fourth quarter. It became the eighth straight team JCHS has held to fewer than 40 points, and the sixth this season to score fewer than 30.
The Patriots’ inside defense was key as they finished with eight blocks, including three from junior Tyler Back.
“We were trying to get the ball inside,” said Daugherty. “They blocked a ton of blocks. If that’s the way it’s going to be then you’ve still got to probe inside, but you’ve got to get a wide open shot and knock them down too.”
Brock McFarland’s shooting typified the night for Jay County.
He missed his first five field-goal attempts before finally converting a 3-pointer at the 6:08 mark of the third quarter. He hit four of his final six shots and added four free throws to finish with a game-high 14 points.
Kegan Comer followed with nine points, and Scott Schwieterman scored six. Stephen Scott, the Patriots’ lone senior, finished Senior Night with five points, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Teagle credited Delta for limiting his team, which is shooting 55 percent for the season.
“I want to congratulate Delta on playing a really good game,” he said. “They had good game plans — played sagging man-to-man, dared us to hit the three, kept us from penetrating, swarmed around our post players.”
Corbin Gregory and Ozzie Mann each scored 10 points to pace Delta.

Junior varsity
The Patriots rallied in the fourth quarter, but fell a point short in a 44-43 loss to Delta.
Jay County trailed by 15 after three quarters and was still down by six with two minutes to play, but got to within two in the closing seconds. Jacob Schlosser was at the line with a chance to tie the game, but missed his second foul shot after making the first and the Eagles grabbed the rebound to run out the clock.
Schlosser did his best to carry JCHS, racking up a season-high 20 points. Justin Dirksen and Zane Shreve each added six.
Jalen Robinson and Kameron Slaven each scored 15 points for Delta.[[In-content Ad]]