Jay comes up short

LEO — The Patriots couldn’t have drawn up the play any better.
The shot just didn’t fall.
Jay Houck’s potential game-tying 3-pointer from the right wing with less than 10 seconds remaining missed the mark, and Adam Dirksen’s attempt at a put-back was also off target.
Leo’s Max Dove grabbed the ensuing rebound — his only board of the game — and made the pair of subsequent free throws after being fouled to put the game out of reach for the Jay County High School boys basketball team in its 44-41 loss to the host Lions.
“I’m proud of the kids, they really executed the play well,” said JCHS coach Craig Teagle, whose team has lost back-to-back games after its 51-45 loss Dec. 13 at Richmond. “That’s the look you want for Jay (Houck). It was in and out. He was shooting well.”
Houck had the hot hand for Jay County (4-2, 1-1 Allen County Athletic Conference) in the fourth quarter. The sophomore scored 10 of his game-high 17 points in the frame, including the Patriots’ only 3-pointers.
“I thought Adam (Dirksen) did a great job on the offensive rebound, he just didn’t knock the put-back in,” said Teagle.
As for Dove’s defensive rebound, Leo coach Cary Cogdell, who had a previous coaching stint at South Adams, said the 6-foot-5-inch junior came up big when his team needed him the most.
“We told him we’re going to need him at some point,” Cogdell said, adding Dove hadn’t got a lot of playing time this season. “He took advantage of that and then he knocked down the free throws at the end.”
While the Patriots weren’t able to convert on their final attempt from long range, it was the Lions (5-0, 2-0 ACAC) who relied heavily on shots from the perimeter.
In fact, just five of their 15 field goals were from inside the arc.
It was something Teagle expected them to do too.
Adam Davison had half of the Lions 10 threes — they finished 10-of-25 for the game — including three in the fourth quarter alone. The senior guard traded 3-pointers with Houck to start the fourth as Leo held a one-point lead, 26-25, after three quarters.
Jay County tied the game at 35 midway through the fourth on a pair of double-bonus free throws by Houck, but David Hardin gave the Lions a lead they would not relinquish with the second of his two 3-pointers.
“When a team shoots like that, if they’re going in they look really good,” said Teagle. “Tonight they looked pretty good.”

The outside shot also helped the Lions get back in the game early, as it took them some time to get their offense going and figure out the methodical Jay County offense.
After Leo scored the first bucket on a game — on a 3-pointer — Jay County went on a 10-0 run thanks to six points by Dirksen. Pryor, who finished with five assists in the game, helped on consecutive buckets by Dirksen around a miss by the Lions.
Dirksen, a junior, joined Houck in double figures with 13 points.
Leo closed the first quarter on an 8-0 run of its own to take a 14-10 lead after eight minutes. Its advantage was aided by four first-quarter Patriot turnovers.
The Lions led by as many as eight points, 19-11, three minutes into the second, but Pryor and Dirksen combined to score six straight points for the visitors as the Patriots cut the deficit to 19-17.
Jay County turned the ball over a total of 11 times in the game compared to just two for Leo. Teagle said those offensive miscues are what hurt the most.
“Good teams make you pay for mistakes and they’re a good basketball team,” he said of Leo. “They made us pay tonight.”

Junior varsity
A big second quarter propelled Leo’s junior varsity team to a 41-34 victory over Jay County.
After scoring just six points in the opening frame, the Lions exploded for 18 points in the second to take a 24-12 lead into intermission.
Jay County (2-4) rallied, though, cutting the deficit to five points heading into the final frame.
Ryan Burkett paced Jay County with 15 points, 12 of which were by way of the 3-pointer.
Justin Crouch totaled six points and Joey Springer tallied four.
Freshman
Jay County’s freshman team dropped its second game in as many days in a 36-24 loss to Leo.
The Patriots trailed 11-10 at halftime, but 25 points in the final 14 minutes put the game away for the host Lions.
Holton Hill was the only player to reach double figures for Jay County (3-2). Connor Davis followed with five points, and Jordan Stultz chipped in with four points. Max Moser and Andrew Fields tallied three and two points respectively.