Over all too soon

HUNTINGTON — Kegan Comer threw the long pass to Brock McFarland, triggering the “home run” play the Patriots practice every Thursday.
McFarland caught the ball at mid court, turned, dribbled and launched the shot, the fate of the best season in school history hanging in the balance.
The ball hit the backboard, ricocheted off the rim and then fell to the floor.
McFarland crumbled to the floor as well, his hands over his head, face buried in his knees. His classmates Kegan Comer and Scott Schwieterman wiped away tears.
Their careers, which included 55 victories over the last three seasons, came to an end much earlier than they had hoped.
Jay County rallied from a nine-point, fourth-quarter deficit, but Nick Gamble’s 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1.8 seconds left sent the Patriots home with a 48-45 loss to the Homestead Spartans in the semifinal round of the Class 4A Sectional 6 tournament at Huntington North.
It was a tough loss, JCHS coach Craig Teagle said, “but they were the better team tonight. They out-played us. We had a slow start.
“I’m proud of the kids that they came back. That’s the team that we’ve coached. They got themselves back into position to win.
“(Gamble) just made a big-time play.”
The Patriots (20-3) had come storming back, thanks in large part to a trio of 3-pointers from Comer in the final 3:02. The last of those pulled Jay County to within 45-43 with 28 seconds left, and after a timeout Seth Coats tossed the inbound pass out of bounds.
JCHS took advantage of the turnover by getting the ball inside to Scott Schwieterman, who was fouled and barely had his shot rim out. He made his pair of free throws with 11.6 seconds left to tie the game.
Homestead (18-6) put the ball in the hands of Gamble, their senior point guard, who calmly dribbled the ball across the timeline with six seconds left. He kept going straight ahead before pulling up from just beyond the 3-point line and launching a shot with Comer’s hand in his face.
Gamble’s triple fell through with 1.8 seconds left.
“Nick Gamble has made me into a pretty good coach over the last three years,” said Homestead coach Chris Johnson, who served as an assistant when Teagle led the Indiana All-Stars in June. “We’re very fortunate that we have a kid like Nick.
“I thought for sure he would go to the basket. But there’s something about him and those heroic threes that he likes to do. I can’t complain.”
Gamble hit a similar 3-pointer to beat Columbia City earlier this season, and had another such game-winner against Carroll as a sophomore. He was 0-for-3 from long distance before hitting the winning shot.
He finished with 16 points to lead all scorers and shot 7-of-8 from the foul line for Homestead, which outscored the Patriots 16-4 from the line while shooting 89 percent. He also dished out four assists.
Trevor Osborn hit two 3-pointers and followed with 11 points, and Caleb Swanigan and Coats each added eight. Swanigan, who stands 6-feet-7-inches added nine rebounds.
Jay County got off to a slow start as it trailed 8-2 after the first period, but went on a 9-0 to start the second on the way to a 21-17 halftime lead. The Spartans responded by scoring the first nine points of the second half and never trailed again.
The Patriots got a timeout called after Gamble’s 3-pointer, but McFarland’s desperation shot didn’t fall.
JCHS especially struggled when Scott Schwieterman was forced to the bench after picking up his second and third fouls in the first three minutes of the second half. He sat for more nearly seven minutes before returning to the game, and then picked up his fourth personal less than a minute later.
Scwieterman still led the Patriots with 14 points, scoring eight of those in the fourth quarter and he teamed with Comer to lead the Jay County comeback. He also grabbed five rebounds.
“Especially against zone you’ve got to go inside-out, ball reversal,” said Teagle. “And when he was not in there we weren’t getting a lot of inside-out.
“We were getting some dribble penetration, and then when we did get a good pass in the zone we couldn’t get a shot off because of (Swanigan).”
McFarland followed Schwieterman with 12 points, leaving his career scoring record at 1,177. He broke the previous mark of 1,155 held by 1993 graduate Dan Ferrell in the regular-season finale against Bellmont.
He also had five assists, and Comer finished with nine points and six assists.
The Patriots’ 20 wins this season tied the school record set by the 2005-06 team that finished as the Class 3A state runner-up. Their only losses prior to Friday night came against Northrop and No. 7 Cathedral at the Dec. 28 Hall of Fame Classic.
They entered tournament play with 14 consecutive victories, which tied the school record for the longest winning streak in JCHS history set by the 2007-08 team.
“In the 15 years that I’ve coached at Jay County, this is the best basketball team I’ve coached,” said Teagle. “They had athleticism. They had some length. We just had all the positions filled. …
“I’ve never had a group pass the ball as well as  this group. … They’re an unbelievable defensive team. It’s been a great group.”[[In-content Ad]]