Turnovers fatal in tourney

Copyright 2018, The Commercial Review

All Rights Reserved

HUNTINGTON — How many turnovers?

It was the one question everyone was asking after the game.

Because it was the only one that really mattered.

The Jay County High School boys basketball team’s 21 turnovers proved fatal as the Patriots fell 54-38 Tuesday to the Wayne Generals in the opening round of the Class 4A Sectional 6 tournament at Huntington North.

“That was our biggest fear this evening because of their quickness, their athleticism,” said JCHS coach Chris Krieg. “I don’t know how many turnovers we had where we’d break their pressure and they’d come from behind us and knock it away. They’re just explosively quick. And that hurt us.”

It was a turnover while the Patriots (14-10) were trying to hold for the last shot of the first half that led to a pair of Anthony Phillips free throws to give Wayne a two-point halftime lead.

It was eight turnovers in the third quarter that limited Jay County to just six field-goal attempts.

And it was six turnovers in the fourth quarter that helped allow the Generals (16-6) to pull away for a double-digit win.

Wayne had started the game in a zone defense, the result of which was a slow-paced first quarter and a 7-6 lead for the Patriots. It was after the sluggish start that Wayne’s players told coach Aaron Rehrer they wanted to go man-to-man.

“Which was a good idea,” he said. “It made me look a little bit better.”

Despite the turnover issues, the Patriots were still within four points with less than six minutes to go. But after a Ryan Schlechty layup rolled around the rim and off on a fast break, Wayne took control.

A three-point play from Kylon Jarreau on the other end led to a Jay County timeout, and after the breather Dillon Redding drove the lane and dished to Andrew Rhodes on a back-door cut from the left side for an easy lay-in.

A Michael Schlechty hoop got the Patriots back within seven, but the home team on the scoreboard at North Arena went almost the next three minutes without putting the ball through the basket.

“We were tired,” said Krieg. “Because Wyatt (Geesaman is) banging with Craig Young all night long. Cole (Stigleman) and Holton (Hill) and Ryan (Schlechty) are just getting pressured so much … I feel like we did a really good job for a while and then we just ran out of gas.”

A two-handed dunk by Young off a drive and dish from Redding kicked off a 10-0 run that put the game away. Most of the remainder of the scoring came from the free-throw line as the Patriots fouled to try to give themselves a chance to get back in it.

But in addition to the 14 turnovers in the second half, Jay County also shot just 3-of-9 in the final period. Meanwhile, the Generals hit for 52 percent from the field after the intermission.

“I don’t think it’s anything magical,” said Rehrer. “Offensively we were a little stagnant in the first half, and we didn’t make shots. … We did a good job being patient and let the game come to us and it paid off for us.”

Young, who scored the game’s opening basket but then was quiet for most of the rest of the first half, came alive to score eight of his game-high 12 points in the second half. He shot 6-of-9 from the field while recording two of Wayne’s five blocks.

“The Young kid is just, he’s a man inside,” said Krieg. “He’s explosive off the ground. He’s strong.”

Redding hit a pair of 3-pointers as he totaled 10 points, and Jarreau followed with nine. Andrew Rhodes added seven points and a team-high six rebounds.

Wayne advances to Friday’s sectional semifinal against a Huntington North squad led by former Patriot coach Craig Teagle.

Jay County, which recorded its 17th consecutive winning season, got 10 and seven points respectively from seniors Stigleman and Hill. Michael Schlecthy had five points.

Wyatt Geesaman grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, and Ryan Schlechty followed with six boards.