January 12, 2018 at 3:05 a.m.
Fast and furious
Jay girls run to fourth straight ACAC final
Fast and furious
Copyright 2018, The Commercial Review
All Rights Reserved
Relentless is one word that would work.
Ferocious is another.
Adams Central coach Cheri Jesionowski went with a couple to describe the Patriots’ defense led by Kendra Muhlenkamp and Hanna Ault.
“Fast and furious.”
Despite eschewing their full-court pressure Thursday, Jay County High School’s defense wreaked havoc as it forced 12 first-half turnovers in a 63-29 victory over the Adams Central Flying Jets in the semifinal round of the Allen County Athletic Conference Tournament.
“I thought we did a better job coming out,” said JCHS coach Kirk Comer. “We didn’t press as much. … We went more back into the half-court defenses and mostly just played Zorro most of the night and tried to keep them in front of us.
“I thought it was more steady tonight. Our effort was better.”
Hanna Dillon hit a 3-pointer to open the game as the Patriots (12-6) never trailed, scoring the final 10 points of the opening quarter for a 19-6 lead.
It was then that the defense took over.
Muhlenkamp came up with a steal on the first possession of the second quarter, and Hannah Phillips followed it with a hoop to extend the run to 14-0. Ault hit a 3-pointer 50 seconds later and then notched a steal of her own that she converted into a hoop for a 30-10 JCHS advantage.
The in-your-face, half-court defense led to eight Adams Central turnovers in the second quarter, the result of which was Ault and Muhlenkamp repeatedly streaking down the court for fast-break opportunities. They finished the first half with 11 and 10 points, respectively, on the way to sharing the game-high of 14.
“She’s really fast,” Jesionwoski said of Muhlenkamp, who also dished out four assists. “And they have a couple. Ault and her. Fast and furious is what I would call them.”
Jay County added an 8-0 run in the third quarter and was up by 36 when Comer cleared his bench with 7:08 to play. The Flying Jets responded with a quick six-point run — it marked the first time in the game that they strung together consecutive field goals — but the game was already well in hand.
Shelby Caldwell joined Ault and Muhlenkamp in double figures with 12 points, and Dillon chipped in eight points including a 5-of-6 effort at the free-throw line. (The Patriots made all of their nine first-half free-throw attempts.)
Kendall Garringer and Ault led the Patriots to a 35-22 advantage on the glass with seven rebounds apiece, and Dillon added four.
“We threw her in there at the last second to start,” said Comer. “I thought this was her best game, if not all year, at least the last half of the season here.”
Lexi Smith reached double figures with 11 points for Adams Central, but she needed 14 shots to get there.
The victory sends Jay County to the ACAC Tournament title game Saturday against host South Adams. Since joining the group in the 2014-15 season, the Patriots are 33-1 against conference opponents with the lone loss coming to the Starfires last season.
JCHS avenged that loss in the tournament semifinal last season and went on to top Woodlan 59-37 for its third consecutive title. Now it hopes to complete the quest for No. 4.
“They’re a really good team. We had a battle here,” said Comer, whose team beat South Adams 49-40 on Dec. 16. “Now we’re going to have to go play them on their floor. … It’s going to be tough to beat them on their floor.”
All Rights Reserved
Relentless is one word that would work.
Ferocious is another.
Adams Central coach Cheri Jesionowski went with a couple to describe the Patriots’ defense led by Kendra Muhlenkamp and Hanna Ault.
“Fast and furious.”
Despite eschewing their full-court pressure Thursday, Jay County High School’s defense wreaked havoc as it forced 12 first-half turnovers in a 63-29 victory over the Adams Central Flying Jets in the semifinal round of the Allen County Athletic Conference Tournament.
“I thought we did a better job coming out,” said JCHS coach Kirk Comer. “We didn’t press as much. … We went more back into the half-court defenses and mostly just played Zorro most of the night and tried to keep them in front of us.
“I thought it was more steady tonight. Our effort was better.”
Hanna Dillon hit a 3-pointer to open the game as the Patriots (12-6) never trailed, scoring the final 10 points of the opening quarter for a 19-6 lead.
It was then that the defense took over.
Muhlenkamp came up with a steal on the first possession of the second quarter, and Hannah Phillips followed it with a hoop to extend the run to 14-0. Ault hit a 3-pointer 50 seconds later and then notched a steal of her own that she converted into a hoop for a 30-10 JCHS advantage.
The in-your-face, half-court defense led to eight Adams Central turnovers in the second quarter, the result of which was Ault and Muhlenkamp repeatedly streaking down the court for fast-break opportunities. They finished the first half with 11 and 10 points, respectively, on the way to sharing the game-high of 14.
“She’s really fast,” Jesionwoski said of Muhlenkamp, who also dished out four assists. “And they have a couple. Ault and her. Fast and furious is what I would call them.”
Jay County added an 8-0 run in the third quarter and was up by 36 when Comer cleared his bench with 7:08 to play. The Flying Jets responded with a quick six-point run — it marked the first time in the game that they strung together consecutive field goals — but the game was already well in hand.
Shelby Caldwell joined Ault and Muhlenkamp in double figures with 12 points, and Dillon chipped in eight points including a 5-of-6 effort at the free-throw line. (The Patriots made all of their nine first-half free-throw attempts.)
Kendall Garringer and Ault led the Patriots to a 35-22 advantage on the glass with seven rebounds apiece, and Dillon added four.
“We threw her in there at the last second to start,” said Comer. “I thought this was her best game, if not all year, at least the last half of the season here.”
Lexi Smith reached double figures with 11 points for Adams Central, but she needed 14 shots to get there.
The victory sends Jay County to the ACAC Tournament title game Saturday against host South Adams. Since joining the group in the 2014-15 season, the Patriots are 33-1 against conference opponents with the lone loss coming to the Starfires last season.
JCHS avenged that loss in the tournament semifinal last season and went on to top Woodlan 59-37 for its third consecutive title. Now it hopes to complete the quest for No. 4.
“They’re a really good team. We had a battle here,” said Comer, whose team beat South Adams 49-40 on Dec. 16. “Now we’re going to have to go play them on their floor. … It’s going to be tough to beat them on their floor.”
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