Patriots halt SA’s winning streak

The Starfires came in 12-0 this season after fighting off Delta for a three-point win Thursday.
The Patriots entered 13-0 in their brief history in the Allen County Athletic Conference.
One team’s perfect record was going to become blemished.
It was a 7-0 run in the opening four minutes that set the tone. A strong effort on the glass kept the momentum going. And stifling zone defense sewed up the victory.
Jay County had all of those things, along with balanced scoring led by a freshman forward and a junior guard returning from injury, as it nearly doubled up on South Adams in a 47-24 victory Saturday.
“I thought our kids showed a lot of maturity,” said JCHS coach Kirk Comer, whose team improved to 11-2 overall and 4-0 in the ACAC. “We came into a situation where we’ve had two girls out with Taylor (Homan) and Abby (Wendel), and now they’re both back.
“And we’ve had girls that have stepped up and played well. … I thought that the girls accepted their roles today. … They did what we asked them to do.”
While the game marked a return to the regular roster for the Patriots, it was anything but normal for the visiting Starfires (12-1, 3-1 ACAC) this year. They had won seven games by double figures this season and were focused on the opportunity for a conference title.
“We’ll see. I don’t know. It’s right afterwards,” said South Adams coach Brett Freeman of his team’s reaction to the first setback of the season. “They’re disappointed, because this was probably for the conference championship. We knew we were going to have to play awfully well. I think we’ll be fine.”
Jay County, which swept through its first year in the ACAC in 2014-15 to win the regular-season and tournament championships, went up 5-0 with a Lyla Muhlenkamp 3-pointer — she hit a pair, pulling herself within two of Sara Garringer’s single-season record of 39 — sandwiched between two of Ava Kunkler free throws. Wendel, back in the lineup after missing three games with an ankle sprain, added a bucket to complete the opening run.
Meanwhile, South Adams had three turnovers and missed its only field goal attempt before Lexi Dellinger connected with a couple of free throws at the 3:46 mark of the first quarter.
JCHS never trailed, taking a 12-point lead at halftime. And when the Starfires scored back-to-back hoops in the third quarter, Comer took a timeout in an effort to halt any attempt at a rally.
“This is a big part of the game right here; could be the turning point of the game,” he recalled telling his team. “What happens in the next two or three minutes could decide whether they’re going to be in it at the end or whether we’re going to end the game right here.”
The Patriots responded with a nine-point run during which Wendel went 4-for-4 from the foul line, Homan hit a triple from the left corner and Emily Muhlenkamp scored a on a drive to the basket.
Shelby Caldwell paced the balanced Patriots with 11 points, and Homan shot 4-of-5 from the field to join the freshman in double figures with 10.
“It’s so good to be back,” said Homan, who had missed the same three games as Wendel (eight points, four assists, four rebounds) because of shin splints. “It’s nice going out there and not having to worry about how my legs feel. They feel really good.
“I was just trying to get back into the groove.”
Caldwell and Kunkler grabbed seven and six rebounds respectively to lead Jay County to a 29-13 rebounding advantage. The Patriots had 11 offensive boards.
The JCHS defensive focus — packing in the zone to keep the ball away from Starfire post players Cindy In’t Groen and Madi Wurster — was clear from the start and led to the visitors shooting just 25 percent (8-of-32) from the field.
Dellinger’s eight points were a team high, and Sydney Pierce and In’t Groen each added six.
Freeman noted that the Starfires hope to make some adjustments and challenge JCHS when the teams meet again Jan. 12 in the opening round of the conference tournament.
“I thought we had some mental mistakes, especially on the defensive end, just not communicating, and knowing our rotation and where we needed to get to,” he said.
“I’m proud of the fact that they’re 12-1 with four sophomores and three seniors … To be 12-1 at this break, I feel good about where we’re at. We can take a lot of things from this game, learn and hopefully when we see them again have a little bit of a different outcome.”

Junior varsity
Jay County’s junior varsity team cruised past the Starfires as it kept its undefeated record intact.
Audrey Shreve was the lone Patriot to score in double figures as she posted 14 points. Sam Twigg followed with eight points as JCHS improved to 13-0.
Shaelynn Bowman’s five points were the team high for South Adams. Emilee Myers followed with three.