Patriots top Yorktown

Rebounding is one of the tenets of the Jay County boys basketball program.
The Patriots’ focus on that aspect has more than paid off in its last two games.
After giving up just six rebounds in Friday’s victory over Union City, JCHS limited Yorktown to only seven boards Wednesday. The domination on the glass helped lift the Patriots to their 12th win of the year, 44-29 over the visiting Tigers.
“We knew we had a lot more size than they did, and we were hoping  that we would be (able to control the glass),” said JCHS coach Craig Teagle. “What I liked was Brock (McFarland) had several of those rebounds coming from the guard spot. … That’s going to be important. We’ve got to continue to dominate on the glass.
“(Scott Schwieterman) did a really nice job cleaning up the boards. … We need him. He can always be a factor around the rim.”
Schwieterman, a sophomore got the Patriots’ control of the boards going as he grabbed six rebounds in the opening period. He finished with nine, out-rebounding the Tigers singled-handedly as JCHS held a 23-7 advantage overall.
He also out-boarded Union City by himself Friday, 8-6.
McFarland added five boards to go with his game-high 14 points, and Kegan Comer had four.
“We’ve not been a very good rebounding team all year,” said Yorktown coach Blake Everhart, a former assistant on Teagle’s staff at JCHS. “We really try to focus in it.
“That’s been a huge emphasis. …
“At this point we’ve just got to find a way to box out and not give up 15 offensive rebounds. We’ve just got to suck it up and go get the job done.”
The rebounds helped give the Patriots eight extra field-goal attempts, which were crucial in a game in which both teams shot around 50 percent. The home team also took advantage of its few opportunities at the foul line, finishing 8-of-9 compared to just 1-of-7 for Yorktown.
One of the missed opportunities at the line was especially big for the Tigers, who trailed 9-3 early and were down by 13 early in the second quarter before closing to within six points on a Seth Cook lay-up late in the first half. Cook was fouled on the shot, but missed his chance to convert the three-point play and pull his team within five with just 5.9 seconds on the clock.
And then Comer (12 points) got the ball on the ensuing possession and sliced through the Yorktown defense, dropping in a left-handed lay-up as time expired to extend the JCHS lead back to eight.
“We have not finished the second quarter or started the third quarter well all year long,” said Everhart, whose team suffered its third straight loss to slip to 6-13. “We had a sub, and we had a miscommunication on what we were doing defensively … and they go the length of the floor.
“It’s just the mental things that when you’re playing a good team like Jay County you can’t afford to have breakdowns.”
The Patriots (12-6) never showed any signs of giving up control in the second half, and put the game away with a 9-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarters.
Jay County turned in yet another dominant defensive performance, making the Tigers the fifth team this season it has  held to fewer than 30 points in regulation. The effort dropped the Patriots’ defensive average back below 40 points per game — 39.7 — which is the third best in the state and No. 1 in Class 4A.
Only three other teams in the state’s big-school division give up fewer than 45 points per contest.
Teagle said other than giving up 10 points to Cook in the first half, he was happy with his team’s defense.
“He’s somebody we knew coming in we had to stop,” said Teagle of the Yorktown junior, who led the Tigers but went scoreless after the intermission. “And then we did a much better job on him in the second half.
“Offensively, really, because they mixed so many defense (zone, man, triangle and 2, half-court trap) I thought our kids adjusted well and ran offense.
“I really liked how we played with the lead late. I thought we did a really good job.”

Junior varsity
Jay County dominated the first half Thursday and held off the Tigers for a 33-32 victory.
Austin Cowan racked up 16 points to lead the Patriots, who improved to 12-6 on the season. Trey Teagle added six points, and Darren Bogenshutz chipped in five.
Ryan Cates, Kameron Kennedy and Jordan Bibbs all scored six points for Yorktown.[[In-content Ad]]