January 14, 2018 at 6:43 a.m.
JC boys drop ACAC final to Heritage
Second tournament title eludes Jay County in 45-36 loss
JC boys drop ACAC final to Heritage
Copyright 2018, The Commercial Review
All Rights Reserved
BERNE — Jay County was nearly perfect in the third quarter.
It made eight of its 10 field goals and both free throws. The effort helped overcome a deficit and get a three-point lead heading into the final eight minutes.
But JCHS missed its first attempt of the fourth quarter.
And the second.
At that moment momentum swung in favor of Heritage, which was then solid from the free-throw line to hand the Jay County High School boys basketball team a 45-36 defeat Saturday in the Allen County Athletic Conference tournament championship at South Adams’ Stardome.
“We missed two wide-open bunnies,” said JCHS coach Chris Krieg, whose team reached the final by defeating Southern Wells and Adams Central. “They were great post moves, just rolled in and rolled out.
“They came down and hit a three. Those are big plays.”
Jared Kiess made the third of his four 3-pointers just 46 seconds into the fourth quarter to tie the score at 29 before Wyatt Geesaman put Jay County (7-6) on top 31-29 as he was fouled on a layup. He had a chance to give the Patriots a lead but his charity toss missed.
Abram Beard split free throws as Heritage (10-1) got to within one, 31-30, with 5:04 to play, and a minute later Beard assisted on a Cameron Mitchell basket to put the Patriots from Monroeville out front 32-31.
Heritage never trailed the rest of the way, making 12 of its final 14 free-throw attempts.
“We know that if we’re ahead late in the game you have to take care of the ball, get to the free-throw line and then the last step is knocking them down,” said Heritage coach Barry Singray, whose team won its first ACAC tournament title since 2007. “They did a great job.”
Kiess, a junior, made all eight of his free throws in the fourth quarter on his way to a game-high 20 points. Beard, the tournament MVP, chipped in seven points. He was 3-of-4 from the foul line.
“This is a team … if they got the lead with three minutes to go in the game you can’t win,” Krieg said of the other ACAC Patriots. “They have skilled players that aren’t going to turn the ball over. They’re not going to force shots.”
Speaking of turnovers, it was those giveaways that helped Heritage build its lead in the fourth quarter.
Mitchell’s go-ahead bucket came off a JCHS turnover. Jay County traveled on its next possession, and, after Geesaman whiffed on a pair of free throws, Jay County had two more turnovers before committing fouls that put Heritage in the bonus.
The second half was much different than the first in terms of pace. The teams combined to score just 14 points in the first quarter and 13 in the second.
The Heritage offense worked methodically to find an open man and kept possessions to a minimum. It led 8-6 after eight minutes, and wasted nearly 1:20 off the clock to start the second before attempting its first field goal.
Jay County senior Cole Stigleman had five consecutive points for Jay County as it was able to tie the score at 11, but Heritage took a 14-13 advantage into intermission.
Stigleman scored all nine of his points in the first half.
Michael Schlechty, a Jay County junior, owned the third quarter during which he scored 10 of his team-high 12 points. He converted a pair of three-point plays as he powered his way to the basket for a bucket and a foul.
“He came to practice today with a 103-degree temperature,” Krieg said. “He is sick as a dog. To lead us in scoring and play like he did, the kid is mentally tough. I am proud of Michael.”
But Jay County wasn’t able to get him the ball too often in the fourth quarter — his only shot attempt in the final period was a 3-pointer with time winding down.
It was the third time in the last four years Jay County got to play for an ACAC tournament championship, having lost to Leo in 2015 before claiming the 2016 title. A year ago it got bounced in the quarterfinal by Heritage.
Although disappointed by the outcome, Krieg was still positive following the defeat.
“I’m proud of our kids,” he said. “We played three games, won two of three games and practiced one day.
“What we work on is preparation. It would be nice to have an extra day to prepare for them.”
All Rights Reserved
BERNE — Jay County was nearly perfect in the third quarter.
It made eight of its 10 field goals and both free throws. The effort helped overcome a deficit and get a three-point lead heading into the final eight minutes.
But JCHS missed its first attempt of the fourth quarter.
And the second.
At that moment momentum swung in favor of Heritage, which was then solid from the free-throw line to hand the Jay County High School boys basketball team a 45-36 defeat Saturday in the Allen County Athletic Conference tournament championship at South Adams’ Stardome.
“We missed two wide-open bunnies,” said JCHS coach Chris Krieg, whose team reached the final by defeating Southern Wells and Adams Central. “They were great post moves, just rolled in and rolled out.
“They came down and hit a three. Those are big plays.”
Jared Kiess made the third of his four 3-pointers just 46 seconds into the fourth quarter to tie the score at 29 before Wyatt Geesaman put Jay County (7-6) on top 31-29 as he was fouled on a layup. He had a chance to give the Patriots a lead but his charity toss missed.
Abram Beard split free throws as Heritage (10-1) got to within one, 31-30, with 5:04 to play, and a minute later Beard assisted on a Cameron Mitchell basket to put the Patriots from Monroeville out front 32-31.
Heritage never trailed the rest of the way, making 12 of its final 14 free-throw attempts.
“We know that if we’re ahead late in the game you have to take care of the ball, get to the free-throw line and then the last step is knocking them down,” said Heritage coach Barry Singray, whose team won its first ACAC tournament title since 2007. “They did a great job.”
Kiess, a junior, made all eight of his free throws in the fourth quarter on his way to a game-high 20 points. Beard, the tournament MVP, chipped in seven points. He was 3-of-4 from the foul line.
“This is a team … if they got the lead with three minutes to go in the game you can’t win,” Krieg said of the other ACAC Patriots. “They have skilled players that aren’t going to turn the ball over. They’re not going to force shots.”
Speaking of turnovers, it was those giveaways that helped Heritage build its lead in the fourth quarter.
Mitchell’s go-ahead bucket came off a JCHS turnover. Jay County traveled on its next possession, and, after Geesaman whiffed on a pair of free throws, Jay County had two more turnovers before committing fouls that put Heritage in the bonus.
The second half was much different than the first in terms of pace. The teams combined to score just 14 points in the first quarter and 13 in the second.
The Heritage offense worked methodically to find an open man and kept possessions to a minimum. It led 8-6 after eight minutes, and wasted nearly 1:20 off the clock to start the second before attempting its first field goal.
Jay County senior Cole Stigleman had five consecutive points for Jay County as it was able to tie the score at 11, but Heritage took a 14-13 advantage into intermission.
Stigleman scored all nine of his points in the first half.
Michael Schlechty, a Jay County junior, owned the third quarter during which he scored 10 of his team-high 12 points. He converted a pair of three-point plays as he powered his way to the basket for a bucket and a foul.
“He came to practice today with a 103-degree temperature,” Krieg said. “He is sick as a dog. To lead us in scoring and play like he did, the kid is mentally tough. I am proud of Michael.”
But Jay County wasn’t able to get him the ball too often in the fourth quarter — his only shot attempt in the final period was a 3-pointer with time winding down.
It was the third time in the last four years Jay County got to play for an ACAC tournament championship, having lost to Leo in 2015 before claiming the 2016 title. A year ago it got bounced in the quarterfinal by Heritage.
Although disappointed by the outcome, Krieg was still positive following the defeat.
“I’m proud of our kids,” he said. “We played three games, won two of three games and practiced one day.
“What we work on is preparation. It would be nice to have an extra day to prepare for them.”
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