Jay starts strong in rout

HAGERSTOWN — The Tigers shoot a ton. They just don’t make many.

Hagerstown missed the first eight shots it took and finished the game poorly and the Jay County High School boys basketball team scored the first 11 points Tuesday in a 59-26 clubbing of the host Tigers in the season opener for both teams.

“We knew they were going to shoot more threes than twos,” said JCHS coach Chris Krieg, whose team travels to Richmond for the Red Devils’ season opener on Saturday. “If you go back to the stats from last year they didn’t shoot the three well, either.

“We let them shoot the threes.”

Hagerstown (0-1) had its first two 3-pointers and six other field goals carom off every part of the rim. Despite giving up three offensive rebounds in the first quarter, Jay County (1-0) was able to still get points at the other end while Tiger possessions came up empty. 

Ryan Schlechty had a 3-pointer and split a pair of free throws, Wyatt Geesaman had a fast-break dunk — it bounced around the rim before going in — while Michael Schlechty and Parker Grimes each scored to give the Patriots a commanding 11-0 advantage.

Cody Swimm hit Hagerstown’s only 3-pointer — it was 1-of-19 from long range for the game — with 3:50 remaining in the opening period for the Tigers’ first of a handful of field goals.

Grimes, who led all players with a career-high 14 points, ripped five straight to start a 9-0 Patriot run as they broke the game open, 20-3.

“It was a good start,” said Grimes, a senior. “I had 14 but I felt like I had shots that I missed around the basket and I had a couple air balls from 3-pointers.

“I just didn’t get my rhythm from outside, which that’s what I want to do this year is shoot from outside.”

After leading 22-6 heading to the second quarter, Jay County’s margin reached 30 points as the Tigers continued to shoot poorly from the field. They went into intermission trailing 37-10 and shooting just 12 percent (3-of-25).

“I felt like in the first half we did an excellent job offensively and a great job defensively,” Krieg said, noting his displeasure with getting beat on five offensive rebounds.

The Patriots finished the game 22-for-39 (56.4 percent) from the field while the Tigers shot 14.6 percent (7-of-48).

Hagerstown trimmed the deficit to 24 points, 44-20, late in the third quarter before a Geesaman basket pushed it back above 30 early in the fourth.

Jay County got a little lackadaisical with its passing, leading by so many in the second half which led to seven turnovers, a factor Krieg said the Patriots will have to clean up to have a chance Saturday against Richmond.

“We relaxed,” he said. “No doubt about it and we can’t do that.”

In just his sixth varsity game, Arbuckle scored 11 points, a new career high, to join Grimes in double figures. He also had five rebounds, second only to Geesaman’s 10. Ryan Schlechty chipped in seven points and six assists as all 10 Patriots who touched the floor scored at least one point.



Junior varsity

A solid third quarter broke open a close game as Jay County defeated Hagerstown, 47-33.

The Patriots (1-0) led by two after each of the first two quarters, but used a 20-9 advantage in the third to take a 13-point lead into the final seven minutes.

Brinnin Wasson paced the Patriots with 11 points, and Landon Grimes added 10. Ethan Dirksen and Gavin Lambert both chipped in seven points.

Kadence Roman of Hagerstown had a game-high 18 points on six 3-pointers.