July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Ready for fun hoops season
Rays of Insight
It’s hard to be anything but impressed.
Great basketball is being played on both sides of the state line.
As of this moment, the Jay County and Fort Recovery high school boys and girls basketball teams boast a combined 20-2 record. Three of those teams are undefeated.
All of them are focused on end-of-season goals, but it’s definitely worth taking some time to review their accomplishments thus far.
Jay County’s girls …
… are deeper into their season than any of the other teams as they already sit at the midway point.
The first half of the Patriots’ campaign has been loaded with success, including a five-game winning streak. Their only two losses came to Fort Wayne South Side (6-1) in the season opener and to Class 3A No. 4 Concordia (6-1), and they are well on their way to an 11th straight winning season.
Senior Maria Murphy is leading the way for Jay County (8-2), having scored in double figures in seven consecutive games.
The team’s defense has been even more impressive as its is allowing just 32.6 points per game. Only one team (Southside) has scored more than 50 points against the Patriots, who have held opponents to fewer than 30 points four times.
Defense will continue to be key for JCHS as it tries to end a five-year sectional drought.
On Saturday …
… the Fort Recovery girls will visit Jay County on Saturday for the toughest test of its young season.
Having graduated five seniors, including the top three scorers, from last season’s state final four team, it would have been hard to expect the Indians to be playing at the same level this season. But I saw them for the first time Dec. 8 against New Bremen and found out the Tribe is proving that theory wrong.
Fort Recovery’s signature full-court pressure defense is as harassing as ever, forcing turnovers left and right. And the team can score in a hurry with senior Kylie Kahlig more than doubling her average from a year ago at 17.2 points per game.
The Indians (4-0) have hopes of bringing home their first Midwest Athletic Conference title since 1991 and should be in a tight race with New Knoxville and Marion Local throughout the season. They will be heavily favored for tonight’s league game against Parkway, and should head into the border battle with Jay County undefeated.
Tribe boys …
… coach Brian Patch had no qualms about saying his team’s goals this year not only included a MAC title but also a Division IV state championship.
Through the first four games, the Indians’ have shown why that is a real possibility.
In victories over St. Marys Memorial, Wapakoneta, Jefferson and Ansonia, Fort Recovery has gotten 14 individual double-digit scoring efforts. Junior three-year starter Wade Gelhaus, the team’s leader at 18.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, and senior Jared Kahlig have both reached double figures in all four games, and Jason Pottkotter and Elijah Kahlig have each done so three times.
Last season’s Indians opened with eight straight victories and were ranked as high as seventh in the Division IV poll, but then struggled in MAC play. The same pattern is unlikely to play out this time around.
With another season of experience under it’s belt, this Fort Recovery squad will have every opportunity to be playing for a regional title for the second time in three seasons.
The JCHS boys …
… are no strangers to setting big goals either.
Following Saturday evening’s dominating win over the South Adams Starfires, junior guard Brock McFarland said his team’s target is to go undefeated. That’s an especially lofty goal.
Taking a look back, the team with the best single-season win percentage in Jay County history suffered six losses. And even the 2006 state finals team dropped six regular-season games before going on its tournament run.
But this is as talented a group as Jay County has had in my tenure, with juniors McFarland (18.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game) and Kegan Comer (14 ppg) leading the way. Both have already shown the ability to take over games, and as always the Patriots are one of the best defensive teams in the state allowing just 34.3 points per game.
With the combination of talent, coaching and the experience of winning a Class 4A sectional title last year, the Patriots are poised to do big things.
It’s going to be a fun season.[[In-content Ad]]
Great basketball is being played on both sides of the state line.
As of this moment, the Jay County and Fort Recovery high school boys and girls basketball teams boast a combined 20-2 record. Three of those teams are undefeated.
All of them are focused on end-of-season goals, but it’s definitely worth taking some time to review their accomplishments thus far.
Jay County’s girls …
… are deeper into their season than any of the other teams as they already sit at the midway point.
The first half of the Patriots’ campaign has been loaded with success, including a five-game winning streak. Their only two losses came to Fort Wayne South Side (6-1) in the season opener and to Class 3A No. 4 Concordia (6-1), and they are well on their way to an 11th straight winning season.
Senior Maria Murphy is leading the way for Jay County (8-2), having scored in double figures in seven consecutive games.
The team’s defense has been even more impressive as its is allowing just 32.6 points per game. Only one team (Southside) has scored more than 50 points against the Patriots, who have held opponents to fewer than 30 points four times.
Defense will continue to be key for JCHS as it tries to end a five-year sectional drought.
On Saturday …
… the Fort Recovery girls will visit Jay County on Saturday for the toughest test of its young season.
Having graduated five seniors, including the top three scorers, from last season’s state final four team, it would have been hard to expect the Indians to be playing at the same level this season. But I saw them for the first time Dec. 8 against New Bremen and found out the Tribe is proving that theory wrong.
Fort Recovery’s signature full-court pressure defense is as harassing as ever, forcing turnovers left and right. And the team can score in a hurry with senior Kylie Kahlig more than doubling her average from a year ago at 17.2 points per game.
The Indians (4-0) have hopes of bringing home their first Midwest Athletic Conference title since 1991 and should be in a tight race with New Knoxville and Marion Local throughout the season. They will be heavily favored for tonight’s league game against Parkway, and should head into the border battle with Jay County undefeated.
Tribe boys …
… coach Brian Patch had no qualms about saying his team’s goals this year not only included a MAC title but also a Division IV state championship.
Through the first four games, the Indians’ have shown why that is a real possibility.
In victories over St. Marys Memorial, Wapakoneta, Jefferson and Ansonia, Fort Recovery has gotten 14 individual double-digit scoring efforts. Junior three-year starter Wade Gelhaus, the team’s leader at 18.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, and senior Jared Kahlig have both reached double figures in all four games, and Jason Pottkotter and Elijah Kahlig have each done so three times.
Last season’s Indians opened with eight straight victories and were ranked as high as seventh in the Division IV poll, but then struggled in MAC play. The same pattern is unlikely to play out this time around.
With another season of experience under it’s belt, this Fort Recovery squad will have every opportunity to be playing for a regional title for the second time in three seasons.
The JCHS boys …
… are no strangers to setting big goals either.
Following Saturday evening’s dominating win over the South Adams Starfires, junior guard Brock McFarland said his team’s target is to go undefeated. That’s an especially lofty goal.
Taking a look back, the team with the best single-season win percentage in Jay County history suffered six losses. And even the 2006 state finals team dropped six regular-season games before going on its tournament run.
But this is as talented a group as Jay County has had in my tenure, with juniors McFarland (18.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game) and Kegan Comer (14 ppg) leading the way. Both have already shown the ability to take over games, and as always the Patriots are one of the best defensive teams in the state allowing just 34.3 points per game.
With the combination of talent, coaching and the experience of winning a Class 4A sectional title last year, the Patriots are poised to do big things.
It’s going to be a fun season.[[In-content Ad]]
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