Patriot loss decided by freebies

Turnovers hurt the Patriots late in the first half. And poor shooting hampered Concordia in the fourth quarter.
In the closing seconds though, the game was decided at the free-throw line.
Jay County split a pair of foul shots with a chance to tie the game, and then De’Jour Young hit two with 3.1 seconds left for the Class 3A No. 5 Cadets. The Patriots failed to get a shot off in the closing moments Thursday as they fell to visiting Concordia, 40-37.
Those final foul shots from Young were far from comfortable for the Cadets, who have struggled from the free-throw line all year and were just 6-of-12 in the game to that point.
“It is not pretty,” said Concordia coach Dave Miller, noting that even Young’s two makes didn’t brighten his view of his team’s effort at the line. “I can’t explain it. I think we’re better than that …”
But he saw a lot he liked from the Patriots.
“I’m just very impressed with Jay County,” Miller added. “They are very difficult to play. Every year we come here and it’s like, ‘Boy, what a battle we’re going to have.’
“Jay County’s got a very nice team, very disciplined. I love the post presence that they bring. They do some nice things around the basket, some really nice things. And … you’ve got to worry so much about them sticking a three. … They do a good job.”
Jay County (4-3) rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit behind the play of sophomores Ava Kunkler and Abby Wendel early in the fourth quarter and trailed by two when senior Abbi Dunlavy stepped to the free-throw line with 3.8 seconds remaining. Dunlavy buried the first shot, but missed the second.
Young grabbed the rebound, was fouled by Katie Aker and then converted the two most important foul shots of the game.
The Patriots had one more chance as Catherine Dunn got the ball down the court to Bre McIntire, but she was unable to get a shot off before time expired.
Despite the result, JCHS coach Chris Krieg felt his team showed progress in pushing the Cadets, who won the 2011 Class 3A state title and advanced to the regional finale last season.
“I’m proud of our girls,” said JCHS coach Chris Krieg. “You’re never satisfied with a loss, but right now, I’m very pleased.
“I’m very, very happy with our effort this evening. This might be the best four quarters of basketball we’ve played all year long. … We gave Concordia everything we needed tonight.”
Jay County and the Cadets traded the lead several times in the first half before the visitors took control late in the second quarter. The Patriots turned the ball over on three of their final four possessions before the intermission, allowing Concordia to go on a 6-0 run.
JCHS trailed 37-29 after the Cadets hit the first hoop of the final period, but then Kunkler converted back-to-back baskets and Wendel made her second 3-pointer of the game to close the gap to one. The scoreboard remained unchanged for the next two-and-a-half minutes before Courtney Smith split a pair of free throws to push the lead to 38-36 for Concordia, which shot just 1-of-7 from the field in the fourth quarter.
Two more scoreless minutes passed before Dunlavy and Young went to the line in the final seconds.
Smith hurt the Patriots with her ability to get to the basket, scoring most of her 17 points on lay-ups or trips to the free-throw line. She also had three rebounds and two assists.
“She’s just an athlete. She can do a lot of things,” said Krieg, also complimenting Smith’s defense. “She’s just a phenomenal basketball player.”
Kammeyer hit three 3-pointers for her nine points, and Young added eight points and six rebounds.
Wendel powered Jay County with team highs of nine points, four rebounds and three assists. Aker added eight points, and Kunkler scored seven.
Dunlavy, Aker and McIntire matched Wendel with four rebounds apiece.

Junior varsity
Jay County trailed at the half, but shut out the Cadets in the third quarter on the way to a 25-12 victory.
Britlyn Dues led the comeback as she scored nine of her game-high 11 points in the second half. The Patriots (6-1) outscored Concordia 18-3 after the intermission.
Emily Muhlenkamp followed Dues with four points, and Gabby Hart and Audrey Shreve each added three.
Maddie Chrzan finished with four points to lead the Cadets.[[In-content Ad]]