Tenth at sectional

BLUFFTON — The 10th and 11th holes snagged the Patriots again. And the 12th didn’t help either.
For the second straight season a rough start hurt the Jay County High School girls golf team at the sectional tournament.
The Patriots were 29-over-par through their first three holes Saturday on the way to a 10th-place finish out of 12 teams with a score of 456 at Timber Ridge Golf Course.
“I hate to see the season end,” said JCHS coach Butch Gray, who said he was happy with the way his team was improving down the stretch. “I thought after we got over the nerves on the (back) side, I think a lot of them came back and played better.
“They just kept plugging and trying to do what they needed to do and went from there.”
Homestead cruised to the tournament title with a 346. Bellmont was the runner-up at 383, and the host Norwell Knights finished third at 387. South Adams was sixth with a 413.
The top three teams and top three individuals not on advancing teams move on to regional play. Individuals who picked up regional berths were Blackhawk Christian’s Jaycee Bunner, who earned medalist honors by six strokes with a 4-over-par 76, Kori Thompson (82) of New Haven and Zoe Brehm (90) of Fort Wayne South Side.
Seniors Alysia Fennig and Whitney Gray shot very different rounds to lead Jay County, which was 27-over-par on the 10th and 11th holes at last season’s sectional. Fennig was steady throughout the day for a team-best 111 while Gray rallied after a bad start to shoot 49 on the front nine for a 113.
Fennig was the only Patriot to come away fairly unscathed on the first two holes of the day as she bogeyed both the 440-yard, par-5 10th and the 115-yard, par-3 11th. She added her lone par of the day on the 121-yard, par-3 13th.
She closed out her career strong, chipping to within three feet on the 222-yard, par-4 18th hole and then hitting her bogey putt.
Gray struggled to a 64 on the back nine, but then played the first four holes of the front nine at 2-over-par. She recorded pars on the 323-yard, par-4 second hole and the 289-yard, par-4 fourth, and added three bogeys on the front nine for her 49.
“I think it was tempo,” said Gray of his daughter’s front nine, noting that he talked to her at the turn about slowing down her play. “I did talk to her (because) I thought she was getting a little far away from the ball. She moved up a little closer. … She started controlling things a little bit better.
“We’re losing two seniors that have been with me for four years, my four years of coaching …
“They’ve been two pretty steady girls. They come out and they do the work and take care of things. And since we have a big group of freshmen, they’ve tried to lead (them) in the right direction.”
Alissa Culy, playing just her fourth varsity round, turned in the No. 3 score for the Patriots. She hit a 7-foot putt on the 112-yard, par-3 sixth hole as she recorded three consecutive bogeys on holes five through seven and finished with a 115.
Culy stepped into the starting lineup in place of junior Katlin Petro, who missed the last week of the season because of an illness.
“She can (do that),” said Gray of Culy. “She’s kind of hot and cold, up and down … When she gets up over the ball and does what she’s supposed to do, she hits it pretty well. She’s got a great temperament.”
Maddison Baughn closed her round with a par of the 338-yard, par-4 ninth hole, and freshman Abby Saxman played even on the 368-yard, par-5 fifth. They finished with matching scores of 117.
Alaina Johnston shot 42 on the back nine and led South Adams with a 92. Samantha Schwartz shot 105 followed by Abbie Fisher (106) and Kelli Lehman (110).


[[In-content Ad]]