Jay holds off Warriors

WOODBURN — The Patriots didn't shoot particularly well from close range in the first half, so they had to play from behind.

Free throws down the stretch nearly cost them the game.

The Warriors didn't shoot incredibly well from anywhere.

It did cost them the game.

Jay County High School's boys basketball team overcame poor shooting from the paint in the first 16 minutes and a lackluster performance from the charity stripe during the fourth quarter as it hung on to beat the host Woodlan Warriors 49-42 on Friday in the Allen County Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

“Conference game on the road you have to come ready to play,” said JCHS coach Chris Krieg, whose team hosts sectional rival South Side tonight in its first home game of the season. “We came ready to play.”

But it didn't quite work out so well in the early going for the Patriots (2-1, 1-0 ACAC). They went nearly three minutes without a point and almost four without a field goal. Jay County was 3-of-9 from the field in the first quarter — it trailed 10-9 — and was 9-of-26 overall at halftime after only attempting four 3-pointers.

It was the 9-for-21 effort from close to the hoop that upset Krieg the most, given that his post players were 3 to 4 inches taller than the defenders.

“We have to have those,” he said.

Jay County led Woodlan (1-3, 0-1 ACAC) by as many as 13 in the third quarter but saw the Warriors trim the margin to just two on the strength of their perimeter shooting. A Ben Reidy triple cut the deficit to 33-25 with 3:42 before half. After a Wyatt Geesaman free throw, Aiden Bayman and Reidy made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to make it 34-31. Bayman then split a pair of freebies to get Woodlan as close as it got the rest of the way.

“It's easier to make threes when you're behind than when you're ahead,” Krieg said.

More than half of Woodlan's 52 shots were from beyond the arc. Problem is, they only made six of their 27 attempts.

Despite Jay County going 9-of-22 from the free-throw line in the second half, including a 5-of-12 effort in the fourth quarter, they were able to go ahead by 11, 45-34, in the final minute.

“A lot of it was fatigue,” Krieg said. “We were tired. We were beat up.”

While Michael Schlechty (14 points), Parker Grimes (seven) and Geesaman (six) banged bodies in the paint all night, Ryan Schlechty was able to slice and dice the Woodlan defense en route to a career-high 20 points.

“Ryan pretty much has the green light because he is skilled, and he is an excellent passer,” Krieg said.

Along with Grimes and Geesaman, Schlechty hauled in nine rebounds. He also added four assists, including on two of Michael's baskets in the fourth quarter.

“I'm proud of Ryan,” Krieg added. “He needed that offense for him because Ryan has never been a really big scorer for us. Tonight, he took it upon himself.”

Woodlan freshman Joe Reidy had 14 of his game-high 21 points in the second half.



Junior varsity

Jay County didn't score in the third quarter, but it didn't matter much as its first-half advantage was enough in a 45-23 victory.

The Patriots (2-1, 1-0 ACAC) took control with a 19-point second quarter for a 26-9 halftime lead. The Warriors trimmed the deficit to 10 with one quarter to play, but another 19-point outburst put the game away for Jay County.

Landon Grimes led a balanced scoring effort with nine points. Brinnin Wasson and Brayden Mock had eight points apiece.



Freshman

Woodlan couldn't stop Quinn Faulkner as he led Jay County to a 32-12 win.

The Patriots (2-1) led by eight at halftime, and a 10-2 advantage in the third quarter put them in control. The Warriors never got close down the stretch.

Faulkner finished with 20 points, 13 of which came in the second half. Adrek Pogue was second on the team with four points.