Worn down

The Patriots were a step slow.

A step slow with help defense.

A step slow rotating when the help defense did get there.

Jay County coach Kirk Comer pointed to conditioning as the key Thursday as his team’s seven-game winning streak came to an end with a 65-50 loss to the visiting Yorktown Tigers.

“You could tell we took some time off,” said Comer, whose team’s last game was Dec. 21 against South Adams. “It’s my job to get them back ready to go by this game. And I didn’t feel like condition-wise we were. And that’s on me.

“Our help, there in the fourth quarter especially, was nonexistent. Especially when they were going in to (Jaylynn Dunsmore). When they’re throwing over the top of our post and we have no backside help … We were out of position a lot defensively.”

It was in the paint where the Tigers (8-4) put the game away after their lead slipped to eight points early in the fourth quarter. They went repeatedly inside to Dunsmore, getting a combined nine points from she and Tobi Bell in an 11-3 run that put the game away. 

Before that run, Jay County (8-6), which entered the evening undefeated on its home floor, had a chance to close the gap and put pressure on the visitors. But the Patriots failed to convert on some scoring opportunities at the line and in the paint.

Again, Comer indicated that he felt his players missed those chances because they were worn out.

“I’m really frustrated with myself, because I did not have them ready for tonight,” he said.

The Patriots’ only lead of the game came at 6-5 early in the first quarter. It lasted 13 seconds.

Elizabeth Reece quickly put Yorktown (8-4) back in front with a runner along the left baseline — one of the times the help defense was late getting to the ball — to start a 7-0 spurt that led to a JCHS timeout. At that point, the teams were a combined 8-for-8 from the field, and the Tigers stayed hot to extend their advantage to double figures in the second quarter.

Jay County fought back and was within six late in the first half, only to have Reece strike again.

The junior, who is the leading scorer for Yorktown, hit a runner in the lane at the second-quarter buzzer and then buried consecutive 3-pointers to open the second half.

Those hoops were part of a season-high scoring effort from Reece, who finished with 24 points including a 4-of-6 effort from long distance. It was a bounce-back effort after she had shot a combined 3-of-20 for nine points over the course of the previous three games.

“It was nice to see Elizabeth get started,” said coach Leigh Ann Barga of Reece, whose previous high was 22 points Dec. 3 against Lapel. “She was hitting some shots. She’s been struggling.”

Lea Alexander  added 13 points. Bell tallied 12 off the bench.

The Patriots, who got 13 points apiece from Madison Dirksen and Schwieterman and a dozen from Izzy Rodgers, were never able to close to within fewer than eight points in the second half. They suffered their first home loss of the season after wins over Oak Hill, New Castle, Fort Recovery, Muncie Central, Blackford and South Adams.

JCHS had won seven in a row after a 1-5 start, with its last loss coming Dec. 3 at Northeastern.



Junior varsity

Jay County’s defense locked down the second half for a 29-18 comeback victory over the Tigers.

The Patriots (8-5) got doubled up in each of the first two quarters to trail 18-9 at the half. But they shut out Yorktown in the second half, including 14-0 in the fourth quarter.

Gabi Bilbrey scored 11 points to lead JCHS, with six of those coming in the final period. Andrea Jutte added six points.

Camryn Isaacs and Jenna Sylvester had six points apiece for the Tigers.