Patriots open ACAC tourney at home

DECATUR — For the second time in three years, the Patriots will open the conference tournament at home.

The Starfires host their first contest, too.

In the Allen County Athletic Conference boys and girls basketball tournament draw held Monday, Jay County High School received opening-round games at home against Southern Wells.

Adams Central received a bye to the semifinal and will play at the winner of Jay County and Southern Wells.

South Adams hosts Bluffton for its opener in a rematch of the first game of last year’s tournament. The winner hits the road to take on either Woodlan or Heritage in the semifinal.

The quarterfinal round is set for Jan. 9 and the semifinals will be Jan. 12. All girls games will be played at 6 p.m., with the boys contests to follow the same night.

Both championship games will be Jan. 13 at South Adams. The girls tip at 6 p.m., with the boys set to begin at 8 p.m.

Jay County’s girls team is the three-time defending tournament champion, having defeated Woodlan in each of the last two years and Leo in 2015. Entering Monday, the Patriots are 31-1 against ACAC foes since joining in 2014. Their only defeat was a 50-40 loss to South Adams during the 2016-17 regular season, but they avenged the defeat in the tournament semifinal a month later.

Woodlan’s boys are defending conference champs after beating Heritage in the title game a year ago, 35-32. Jay County was the 2015 champion.

Brackets for both tournaments are identical, so the boys and girls games will be played at the same location in the quarterfinal. The host sites for the semifinals will follow that of the boys bracket, therefore the winner between Jay County and Southern Wells will host both boys and girls semifinal regardless of who wins in the girls game.

All teams are guaranteed at least two tournament games. The consolation round — it will include the losers of each opener as well as the first semifinal — will be Jan. 13 at Bluffton. The first will tip at 10 a.m., and each subsequent game will begin approximately 25 minutes after the completion of the previous contest.