Schauss stops JC

CENTERVILLE — In the second half Saturday, the Patriots played with ultimatate effort.
Defensively, they were swarming and stifling. On offense, they played with a controlled aggression.
It was not enough for Jay County to overcome a 17-point halftime deficit and 29 points from Matt Schauss as it fell 47-41 to the Centerville Bulldogs.
But it could be a springboard for the rest of the season.
“I’m proud of the last 16 minutes, the kid’s effort,” said Teagle. “You’ve just got to play hard, give a great effort and see what happens.
“If we can learn something from this game and determine that for 32 minutes, whether we win or lose, we give that type of effort, that type of intensity, we could be really satisfied with this season when it’s over.”
After a dismal first half that saw Jay County fall behind by 10 early in the second quarter and then give a 9-0 run leading into the intermission, the Patriots (7-5) returned to the court and played with a purpose.
They locked down Centerville (10-2) defensively, opening the half on an 8-0 run and holding the Bulldogs scoreless for the first seven minutes of the third quarter. They forced nine second half turnovers, many coming as they turned up the half- and full-court pressure in the fourth quarter.
And after shooting 4-of-15 with 10 turnovers in the first half, they attacked the basket with a purpose on the offensive end. Brock McFarland led the effort, repeatedly getting into the paint and either scoring or drawing fouls.
McFarland’s steal led to a Drew Houck free throw with 1:39 left that cut the deficit to five points.
“The last 16 minutes, we played with a lot of aim and a lot of purpose and a lot of effort,” said Teagle. “If you put those three words together I think that is what intensity is defined as. I thought we finally played with intensity.
“In the first 16 minutes, we just went through the motions … In the second half, we didn’t see that. …”
Despite the strong second half, the Patriots’ comeback effort was turned away because of Schauss.
The senior and four-year letter winner hit 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute and scored 13 of hits team’s 15 fourth-quarter points. He had also tallied 11 in a row during the second quarter, and finished 9-of-15 (60 percent) from the field and 10-of-12 from the line for his game-high scoring total.
“To have a leader like that and somebody that has been through the battles for four years … is invaluable,” said Centerville coach Ryan Chiddister, whose team has won six straight.
“He settles us down … and gets us where we need to be. He’s like a coach on the floor. He knows our system as well as I do. … To have that is something that can make a team special.
“Matt did not leave anything on the floor tonight. He could hardly walk into the locker room, but he was able to handle the basketball in the crucial situations and knock down free throws. … That’s what we ask of him, play as hard as you possibly can, play so hard that it hurts …”
Deondre Hudson added 10 points and five rebounds for Centerville.
McFarland and Scott Schwieterman shared the team-high of 12 points for the Patriots. Schwieterman grabbed eight rebounds and blocked four shots, and McFarland also had five rebounds.

Junior varsity
Jay County allowed just two points in each of the final three quarters as it rallied for a 23-21 victory over the Bulldogs.
The Patriots, who trailed by seven after the opening period, got their only points of the fourth on a free throw from Darren Bogenshutz with 24.6 seconds left. Aaron Lewis rebounded a miss by Centerville teammate Braden King and flipped it over his head and in, but the shot came after the buzzer and was waived off.
Jacob Schlosser paced the Patriots with 10 points. Austin Cowan and Trey Teagle each added four.
Cody Weiss finished with seven points to lead Centerville. Chad Phenis and King each chipped in six.[[In-content Ad]]