February 2, 2018 at 4:58 a.m.
Jay slides into first place
Jay County beats Southern Wells 46-37 to remain undefeated in ACAC play
Jay slides into first place
Copyright 2018, The Commercial Review
All Rights Reserved
The Patriots’ run for a conference title was on the ropes.
No matter how hard they tried, for three quarters they couldn’t shake the Raiders.
Wyatt Geesaman gave the Patriots the spark they needed.
Geesaman grabbed an offensive rebound on a missed free throw, got fouled as he put it back for a bucket and swished the free throw in the early going of the fourth quarter to give the Jay County High School boys basketball team a lead it didn’t give up in a 46-37 senior night victory over the Southern Wells Raiders.
“That was a huge play,” said JCHS coach Chris Kreig, whose team moves to 11-6 on the season and slides into a tie for first place in the Allen County Athletic Conference standings at 4-0 with the Heritage Patriots. “Wyatt was rolling.”
Southern Wells coach Ben Burman was disappointed in Geesaman overpowering two of his players to for the rebound.
“That’s off a free throw … that should just never happen,” he said. “It’s four on two. You’re already in position. It just shouldn’t happen.
“I don’t think our kids intentionally didn’t box out. It’s just a mental mistake that leads to a huge bucket.”
Geesaman’s three-point play came with 5:17 left in the contest.
The Raiders (4-12, 1-4 ACAC) still had plenty of opportunities down the stretch but weren’t able to convert.
After Cole Stigleman scored on one of Ryan Schlechty’s career-high eight assists to make it 35-33, Thomas Biddle trimmed the deficit to 35-33.
Schlechty and the Patriots started to gain steam in the final four minutes, as Schlechty and company grabbed an eight-point lead. Schlechty made two free throws following a hard foul from Jordan Bower, and then with less than two minutes to play he had an over-the-top dime to Max Moser in the paint for a basket and a 39-33 JCHS lead.
Southern Wells turned the ball over on its next possession despite getting an offensive rebound, and Schlechty fed twin brother Michael in the post for an easy lay-in and a 41-33 advantage, the biggest of the night for either team.
“Here is a kid that … he’s a 2-to-1 ratio with turnovers to assists and that’s what you love as a coach,” Krieg said of Ryan Schlechty. “All the years I’ve been coaching that doesn’t happen very often.
“He makes a lot of good passes and he is an assist machine. It is one of those stats that no one really sees or pays attention to.”
Michael Schlechty scored 12 points to lead the Patriots. Ryan Schlechty and Stigleman finished with eight apiece and Moser contributed six points.
The Raiders cut the margin to 41-37 in the final minute before the Patriots made five of six free throws to seal their fourth win in a row, the longest winning streak of the season.
“We needed a couple plays here and there,” Burman said. “I thought our kids played really hard. I’m proud of the way our kids played. (We) definitely had a shot. Credit to Jay County for capitalizing on our mistakes but they were definitely our mistakes that led to their success.
“It’s frustrating. Couple plays here and there and it’s a different ball game.”
Jay County led 8-5 after the first quarter and was out front 10-5 early in the second, but Southern Wells wouldn’t go away.
Bower, who had a game-high 13 points, made two free throws and one of his three 3-pointers as the Raiders tied the score at 10 to force Krieg into taking a timeout just 1:33 into the second quarter.
The Raiders later took a lead on two separate occasions — 15-14 in the second quarter and 30-29 early in the fourth — before Geesaman’s offensive grab and subsequent three-point play.
“I’m getting sick and tired of moral victories against Jay County,” Burman said. “We’ve played them four times in the last two years (all losses) and every single game has followed that exact pattern; back-and-forth in the fourth quarter.
“They made some plays but they were plays off of our mistakes which is just so frustrating.”
Junior varsity
A flurry of points in the third quarter helped Jay County overcome an eight-point deficit in a 48-43 victory over Southern Wells.
The Patriots (10-4) were behind 13-8 after the first quarter and trailed 20-12 at halftime. But the they found their groove in the third, outscoring the Raiders 21-11 to take a 33-31 lead and stayed out front the remainder of the game.
Korbin Auker scored all of his 13 points in the second half as the Patriots’ leading scorer. He had nine in the fourth quarter alone. Gabe Link (12 points) and Gavin Randall (10) joined him in double figures.
All Rights Reserved
The Patriots’ run for a conference title was on the ropes.
No matter how hard they tried, for three quarters they couldn’t shake the Raiders.
Wyatt Geesaman gave the Patriots the spark they needed.
Geesaman grabbed an offensive rebound on a missed free throw, got fouled as he put it back for a bucket and swished the free throw in the early going of the fourth quarter to give the Jay County High School boys basketball team a lead it didn’t give up in a 46-37 senior night victory over the Southern Wells Raiders.
“That was a huge play,” said JCHS coach Chris Kreig, whose team moves to 11-6 on the season and slides into a tie for first place in the Allen County Athletic Conference standings at 4-0 with the Heritage Patriots. “Wyatt was rolling.”
Southern Wells coach Ben Burman was disappointed in Geesaman overpowering two of his players to for the rebound.
“That’s off a free throw … that should just never happen,” he said. “It’s four on two. You’re already in position. It just shouldn’t happen.
“I don’t think our kids intentionally didn’t box out. It’s just a mental mistake that leads to a huge bucket.”
Geesaman’s three-point play came with 5:17 left in the contest.
The Raiders (4-12, 1-4 ACAC) still had plenty of opportunities down the stretch but weren’t able to convert.
After Cole Stigleman scored on one of Ryan Schlechty’s career-high eight assists to make it 35-33, Thomas Biddle trimmed the deficit to 35-33.
Schlechty and the Patriots started to gain steam in the final four minutes, as Schlechty and company grabbed an eight-point lead. Schlechty made two free throws following a hard foul from Jordan Bower, and then with less than two minutes to play he had an over-the-top dime to Max Moser in the paint for a basket and a 39-33 JCHS lead.
Southern Wells turned the ball over on its next possession despite getting an offensive rebound, and Schlechty fed twin brother Michael in the post for an easy lay-in and a 41-33 advantage, the biggest of the night for either team.
“Here is a kid that … he’s a 2-to-1 ratio with turnovers to assists and that’s what you love as a coach,” Krieg said of Ryan Schlechty. “All the years I’ve been coaching that doesn’t happen very often.
“He makes a lot of good passes and he is an assist machine. It is one of those stats that no one really sees or pays attention to.”
Michael Schlechty scored 12 points to lead the Patriots. Ryan Schlechty and Stigleman finished with eight apiece and Moser contributed six points.
The Raiders cut the margin to 41-37 in the final minute before the Patriots made five of six free throws to seal their fourth win in a row, the longest winning streak of the season.
“We needed a couple plays here and there,” Burman said. “I thought our kids played really hard. I’m proud of the way our kids played. (We) definitely had a shot. Credit to Jay County for capitalizing on our mistakes but they were definitely our mistakes that led to their success.
“It’s frustrating. Couple plays here and there and it’s a different ball game.”
Jay County led 8-5 after the first quarter and was out front 10-5 early in the second, but Southern Wells wouldn’t go away.
Bower, who had a game-high 13 points, made two free throws and one of his three 3-pointers as the Raiders tied the score at 10 to force Krieg into taking a timeout just 1:33 into the second quarter.
The Raiders later took a lead on two separate occasions — 15-14 in the second quarter and 30-29 early in the fourth — before Geesaman’s offensive grab and subsequent three-point play.
“I’m getting sick and tired of moral victories against Jay County,” Burman said. “We’ve played them four times in the last two years (all losses) and every single game has followed that exact pattern; back-and-forth in the fourth quarter.
“They made some plays but they were plays off of our mistakes which is just so frustrating.”
Junior varsity
A flurry of points in the third quarter helped Jay County overcome an eight-point deficit in a 48-43 victory over Southern Wells.
The Patriots (10-4) were behind 13-8 after the first quarter and trailed 20-12 at halftime. But the they found their groove in the third, outscoring the Raiders 21-11 to take a 33-31 lead and stayed out front the remainder of the game.
Korbin Auker scored all of his 13 points in the second half as the Patriots’ leading scorer. He had nine in the fourth quarter alone. Gabe Link (12 points) and Gavin Randall (10) joined him in double figures.
Top Stories
9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit
Chartwells marketing
September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.
Events
August
To Submit an Event Sign in first
Today's Events
No calendar events have been scheduled for today.
250 X 250 AD