December 3, 2017 at 5:34 a.m.
Patriots overmatched
South Side's size inside and perimeter shooting too much for Jay County
Patriots overmatched
Copyright 2017, The Commercial Review
All Rights Reserved
FORT WAYNE — First they were pushed around on the inside.
Then they had trouble stopping the long ball.
And as the game wore on, the Archers’ speed was just too much.
The Jay County High School boys basketball team had difficulty stopping Asher Blum near the basket and Tre’Jean Didier on the perimeter as the duo accounted for more than 30 points Saturday as the Patriots lost to the host South Side Archers, 55-38.
“Tonight we got beat by a team that is better than us,” said JCHS coach Chris Krieg, whose team falls to 1-2 on the year after its first road game of the season. “They are more skilled than us. They are more physical than us.
“In (Class) 4A basketball it is all about how strong and how physical you are. It’s not so much skill. They had both on us tonight. They had the strength and the skill.”
After stepping outside to swish a 3-pointer from the top of the key to open the scoring, Blum then went to the basket for the rest of his damage early. The 6-foot, 8-inch, transfer from Warsaw powered his way to the basket late in the first quarter, scoring seven straight points as the Archers (2-0) closed the first eight minutes with a 17-6 advantage.
With South Side already ahead 10-6, Blum drove the left baseline for two points, then scored two more on a post move in the paint. In the final minute the big man scored on an assist from Didier and took contact, making the subsequent free throw to finish the period with 10 points.
“He is very skilled around the basket,” Krieg said. Blum had 16 points, one shy of the game high by Didier, who did most of his damage in the second quarter.
Didier, a 6-foot, 3-inch, guard, was lethal from long range. He finished 4-of-9 from behind the 3-point line, including a pair in the second period. His first came from the right wing and put South Side out front 22-9, and a few minutes later he hit again from the top of the arc to make it 29-14.
“We knew they were a good shooting basketball team,” Krieg said. The Archers finished 20-of-43 (46.5 percent) from the field, including seven triples. “Didier is their leading scorer. He is their best outside shooter.
“They are just a great shooting team, plus they have size and skill around the basket which makes it very hard to defend.”
And just as physical as it was for Jay County defensively, it was much of the same at the other end of the court as well. The Patriots had to fight to get free from the Archers’ man defense, and their passes were often a second too late.
Wyatt Geesaman, who shared the game-high of eight rebounds with Blum, could have had plenty more if he were not pushed and shoved almost every time he left his feet.
“That is all mental toughness,” Krieg said of fighting through physical games when what seem like fouls aren’t granted. “That is within. Wyatt battled his tail off this evening. He was just a machine (around the hoop). That is what Wyatt has got to do for us for four quarters, not just three.”
Geesaman scored four if his six points in the second half.
Cole Stigleman, a senior, was the team’s leading scorer with 11 points, all but four of which were in the first half. He had a put-back basket, a layup and a 3-pointer in the second quarter.
“What I am proud of our kids is in the second half we battled,” said Krieg. “The first half we were very timid, we were very scared. We just didn’t attack things.
“I felt like the second half we played extremely hard.”
Michael Schlechty was second for the Patriots with 10 points.
Junior varsity
Matt Franks scored more than half of his points after the third quarter as Jay County outlasted the Archers 63-61 in double overtime.
The Patriots (2-1) had a 34-23 lead at halftime, but allowed the Archers to score 19 points in the third quarter to tie the game at 42 heading to the fourth. The game was knotted at 53 at the end of regulation and 58 after the first overtime period. The Patriots kept the Archers to just three points in the second overtime to get the win.
Franks, a junior, had a team-high 23 points, a dozen of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime. Gabe Link was second on the team with 11 points, and Brayden Mock contributed eight points. Noah Arbuckle chipped in four points.
C team
A 12-point third quarter propelled Jay County to its first win of the season, 36-30.
The Patriots (1-2) were out front 13-9 after one quarter and took a 22-18 lead at intermission. They held a 12-3 edge in scoring during the third quarter, which created enough separation the Archers weren’t able to overcome.
Gavin Lambert led Jay County with nine points, and Brian Williams was second with six points. Conner Tout and Sheldon Upp both totaled five points, and Brinnon Wasson added four points.
All Rights Reserved
FORT WAYNE — First they were pushed around on the inside.
Then they had trouble stopping the long ball.
And as the game wore on, the Archers’ speed was just too much.
The Jay County High School boys basketball team had difficulty stopping Asher Blum near the basket and Tre’Jean Didier on the perimeter as the duo accounted for more than 30 points Saturday as the Patriots lost to the host South Side Archers, 55-38.
“Tonight we got beat by a team that is better than us,” said JCHS coach Chris Krieg, whose team falls to 1-2 on the year after its first road game of the season. “They are more skilled than us. They are more physical than us.
“In (Class) 4A basketball it is all about how strong and how physical you are. It’s not so much skill. They had both on us tonight. They had the strength and the skill.”
After stepping outside to swish a 3-pointer from the top of the key to open the scoring, Blum then went to the basket for the rest of his damage early. The 6-foot, 8-inch, transfer from Warsaw powered his way to the basket late in the first quarter, scoring seven straight points as the Archers (2-0) closed the first eight minutes with a 17-6 advantage.
With South Side already ahead 10-6, Blum drove the left baseline for two points, then scored two more on a post move in the paint. In the final minute the big man scored on an assist from Didier and took contact, making the subsequent free throw to finish the period with 10 points.
“He is very skilled around the basket,” Krieg said. Blum had 16 points, one shy of the game high by Didier, who did most of his damage in the second quarter.
Didier, a 6-foot, 3-inch, guard, was lethal from long range. He finished 4-of-9 from behind the 3-point line, including a pair in the second period. His first came from the right wing and put South Side out front 22-9, and a few minutes later he hit again from the top of the arc to make it 29-14.
“We knew they were a good shooting basketball team,” Krieg said. The Archers finished 20-of-43 (46.5 percent) from the field, including seven triples. “Didier is their leading scorer. He is their best outside shooter.
“They are just a great shooting team, plus they have size and skill around the basket which makes it very hard to defend.”
And just as physical as it was for Jay County defensively, it was much of the same at the other end of the court as well. The Patriots had to fight to get free from the Archers’ man defense, and their passes were often a second too late.
Wyatt Geesaman, who shared the game-high of eight rebounds with Blum, could have had plenty more if he were not pushed and shoved almost every time he left his feet.
“That is all mental toughness,” Krieg said of fighting through physical games when what seem like fouls aren’t granted. “That is within. Wyatt battled his tail off this evening. He was just a machine (around the hoop). That is what Wyatt has got to do for us for four quarters, not just three.”
Geesaman scored four if his six points in the second half.
Cole Stigleman, a senior, was the team’s leading scorer with 11 points, all but four of which were in the first half. He had a put-back basket, a layup and a 3-pointer in the second quarter.
“What I am proud of our kids is in the second half we battled,” said Krieg. “The first half we were very timid, we were very scared. We just didn’t attack things.
“I felt like the second half we played extremely hard.”
Michael Schlechty was second for the Patriots with 10 points.
Junior varsity
Matt Franks scored more than half of his points after the third quarter as Jay County outlasted the Archers 63-61 in double overtime.
The Patriots (2-1) had a 34-23 lead at halftime, but allowed the Archers to score 19 points in the third quarter to tie the game at 42 heading to the fourth. The game was knotted at 53 at the end of regulation and 58 after the first overtime period. The Patriots kept the Archers to just three points in the second overtime to get the win.
Franks, a junior, had a team-high 23 points, a dozen of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime. Gabe Link was second on the team with 11 points, and Brayden Mock contributed eight points. Noah Arbuckle chipped in four points.
C team
A 12-point third quarter propelled Jay County to its first win of the season, 36-30.
The Patriots (1-2) were out front 13-9 after one quarter and took a 22-18 lead at intermission. They held a 12-3 edge in scoring during the third quarter, which created enough separation the Archers weren’t able to overcome.
Gavin Lambert led Jay County with nine points, and Brian Williams was second with six points. Conner Tout and Sheldon Upp both totaled five points, and Brinnon Wasson added four points.
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