Spurt enough to spark Jay

There are no style points in basketball.

A dunk counts the same as a layup or a 10-foot jumper. But a well-time slam can serve as a spark.

Jay Houck’s throw down served that purposed Saturday, sitting in the middle of a quick seven-point, second-quarter spurt that put his Patriots in control. Adams Central never closed to within fewer than six points the rest of the way as the Jay County High School boys basketball team earned its fourth straight victory, 46-26.

The dunk and a Houck 3-pointer off an assist from Wyatt Geesaman extended the Patriots’ lead to nine points. It was far from insurmountable with more than 19 minutes still left to play, but the home team relished the opportunity to play with an advantage after needing to rally for back-to-back overtime wins over Fort Recovery and Muncie Central.

“All teams want that. You want to have the lead,” said JCHS coach Chris Krieg, whose team is now 6-4 after dropping three in a row to start the season. “You want to control your destiny.

“The last two games, we’ve had to fire away to get to that point.

“Our team right now, once we get a lead, we’re playing with confidence that we’re not going to give it up. … Once we’ve gotten the lead the last few games, we’ve done a great job of building on it.”

The teams traded shots early and were tied twice in the first quarter, and Jay County (1-1 Allen County Athletic Conference) was up by just two after Adams Central’s Kyle Arnold hit 3-pointer early in the second period.

That’s when the Patriots earned themselves a little breathing room, with Geesaman starting the run with a hoop in the paint. The Flying Jets (1-8, 0-3 ACAC) were patient on their ensuing possession, passing the ball inside and out in search of an open shot. But instead of getting the look they wanted, Houck jumped into a passing lane, knocked the ball away, dribbled the length of the court and slammed the ball through the rim with his right hand.

The 3-pointer came on the next possession for a 20-11 advantage, and JCHS remained up 25-17 at halftime.

The Patriot lead jump to 12 at the end of the third quarter, and the home team scored the first nine points of the fourth to put the game away.

Adams Central managed just three two-point baskets, shooting 3-of-15 from inside the arc.

“They’re going to make you shoot perimeter jump shots,” said Adams Central coach Aaron McClure. “They make it tough for you to get easy baskets inside. They really protect the basket well.”

Houck racked up 14 of his game-high 19 points in the first half while also grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds. He is 51 points away from becoming just the third JCHS player to scored 1,000 points in his career.

Jason Schlosser joined his classmate in double figures with 12 points. He and Cole Stigleman each had five rebounds as the Patriots enjoyed a 30-19 advantage on the glass.

Kevin Brown hit three 3-pointers, all in the first half, and was the long ACHS player in double figures with 10 points. Johnny Carroll had five assists.

Jay County is riding a wave of consecutive wins over Winchester, Fort Recovery, Muncie Central and Adams Central heading into the ACAC tournament, which they will open Tuesday at Heritage (3-5). The winner will advance to play either South Adams or Bluffton in Friday’s semifinal.

“We just have to attack,” said Krieg. “(Heritage is) going to be a lot like this team. They’re going to limit possessions. They’re going to take smart shots. …

“It’s going to be a battle playing there.”

Junior varsity

Jay County took control early and then dominated the second half for a 48-19 victory.

The Patriots had a six-point lead at the end of the first quarter. The advantage slipped to four at the half before JCHS outscored the visitors 33-8 over the final 14 minutes.

Matt Franks racked up 17 points as the Patriots improved to 6-4. Gavin Randall added seven points and Parker Grimes scored six.

Evan Brown finished with 11 points to lead Adams Central.



Freshman

The Patriots got off to a quick start as they topped Adams Central 44-30.

Jay County posted 13 first-quarter points and had a 22-12 lead at the break. They were able to stay in control in the second half to push their record to 3-5.

Brayden Sprunger scored 14 points to lead the Patriots. Brian Williams followed with eight points and Noah Arbuckle had six.

The Flying Jets got 10 points from Nick Dague.