July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Big third lifts Jay Co. to 9-1 (12/15/04)
JCHS girls basketball
Big third lifts Jay Co. to 9-1 (12/15/04)
HARTFORD CITY — The Patriots finished off a great first half of the season. In the next four games they will get to find out just how far they have come.
Jay County struggled in the first half, but swarmed the Blackford Bruins in the third quarter on the way to a 57-35 victory Tuesday.
The win was its ninth straight after losing the season opener at Fort Wayne South Side, and marked the best start for the team in at least a decade.
But, the next four opponents may be the best on the schedule, beginning at New Castle Wednesday, Dec. 22. The Trojans opened with four straight wins and were ranked in the top 10 in 3A, but have lost four straight games since.
The Patriots will travel to Fort Recovery (4-2) three days after Christmas and to undefeated Elwood (8-0) Dec. 30. Then they host Huntington North (7-1), which was 11th in this week’s Class 4A voting and has been just outside the top 10 all year, in a game which will likely decide the Olympic Athletic Conference title.
Those four teams combine for a .767 winning percentage this year. Only three of the first 10 teams Jay County played have a winning record, and they combine for just a .395 mark.
“We have to stay mentally tough,” said Leah Gasparovic, noting that the team can not afford to take a break while the school is on vacation for the holidays. “I think that’s going to be our biggest thing.”
It was during this stretch last season that Jay County slumped as it took a difficult loss to Blackford and didn’t win a game for almost a month. This year they hope to have a much more merry Christmas season and parlay some wins into a state ranking.
For now, the 9-1 start has them flying high.
“It feels good,” said junior Markie Runyon, who scored six straight points during the Patriots’ key stretch Tuesday. “The confidence level is up. We just can’t get big-headed.
“We just have to play like we can from now on — no more lapses. If we do that against some of the better teams we won’t come out on top.”
Those lapses had Jay County coach Kirk Comer fuming at halftime as his team trailed for a good portion of the first half and led just 23-20 at the break. There must have been a spark somewhere, because those fumes exploded and the Patriots came out of the locker room on fire.
They scored the first 10 points of the second half, sparked by Renae Laux and Runyon.
Laux got the first hoop and then assisted on a pair of buckets to Runyon. Blackford tried to douse the flames with a timeout, but Runyon came right back with a put-back hoop and Jamie Bruggeman scored on an assist from Theresa Reinhart to complete a 10-0 Jay County run.
Blackford (3-6) scored its only point of the quarter on a free throw by Lyndsey Osborn midway through the period as it was out-pointed 14-1. With a 17-point lead, the Patriots were never challenged in the fourth quarter.
“We went in the locker room and got together and regrouped,” said Gasparovic, who came off the bench to score 11 points and grab a team-high six rebounds. “We gave ourselves a pep talk to get us back in the game. We just wanted to win.”
She said coach Kirk Comer told the team it needed to execute better, play solid defense and get turnovers. So, they notched assists on three of their first five second-half baskets and forced Blackford into turnovers on five of its first six possessions.
“At halftime we talked about not being ready to play,” said Comer. “I was disappointed in that. ...
“Our intensity was a lot better (in the second half). It all starts with us on the defensive end.”
Bruggeman led Jay County in scoring with 17 points, 12 of which came as she carried the team in the first half. Runyon had eight points, and Laux scored seven.
The Bruins, who led by as many as five points in the first half before getting trounced in the second, got most of their offense from Courtney Dickey and Shanda Godfrey.
Dickey made her first six free throws and finished 8-of-9 from the foul line as she scored 14 points. Godfrey went 6-of-12 from the field and 2-of-2 from the line for 14 points and led Blackford to a 34-23 rebounding advantage as she grabbed nine boards.
“They just came out and got a couple of quick buckets on us (to start the second half),” said Bruin coach Bruce Ruble. “Then we had some turnovers and just kind of went flat.”
Blackford turned the ball over 21 times in the contest, compared to just 12 for Jay County.
Jay JV crushes Bruins
The Jay County junior varsity team stayed perfect on the year Tuesday with a 51-16 throttling of Blackford.
The Patriots (10-0) roared to a tremendous start, holding the Bruins scoreless for the first 4:30 of the contest. They grabbed an 18-4 lead after one quarter and allowed Blackford just four points in each period.
Whitney Homan led the Jay County assault with 12 points, and Cassandra Huelskamp and Nicole Pfeifer each added six. Miranda Betz, Amber Champ, Abby Loy and Katie Runyon scored four points apiece.
Ashley Collis and Victoria Lee shared the Bruin team high with four points each.[[In-content Ad]]
Jay County struggled in the first half, but swarmed the Blackford Bruins in the third quarter on the way to a 57-35 victory Tuesday.
The win was its ninth straight after losing the season opener at Fort Wayne South Side, and marked the best start for the team in at least a decade.
But, the next four opponents may be the best on the schedule, beginning at New Castle Wednesday, Dec. 22. The Trojans opened with four straight wins and were ranked in the top 10 in 3A, but have lost four straight games since.
The Patriots will travel to Fort Recovery (4-2) three days after Christmas and to undefeated Elwood (8-0) Dec. 30. Then they host Huntington North (7-1), which was 11th in this week’s Class 4A voting and has been just outside the top 10 all year, in a game which will likely decide the Olympic Athletic Conference title.
Those four teams combine for a .767 winning percentage this year. Only three of the first 10 teams Jay County played have a winning record, and they combine for just a .395 mark.
“We have to stay mentally tough,” said Leah Gasparovic, noting that the team can not afford to take a break while the school is on vacation for the holidays. “I think that’s going to be our biggest thing.”
It was during this stretch last season that Jay County slumped as it took a difficult loss to Blackford and didn’t win a game for almost a month. This year they hope to have a much more merry Christmas season and parlay some wins into a state ranking.
For now, the 9-1 start has them flying high.
“It feels good,” said junior Markie Runyon, who scored six straight points during the Patriots’ key stretch Tuesday. “The confidence level is up. We just can’t get big-headed.
“We just have to play like we can from now on — no more lapses. If we do that against some of the better teams we won’t come out on top.”
Those lapses had Jay County coach Kirk Comer fuming at halftime as his team trailed for a good portion of the first half and led just 23-20 at the break. There must have been a spark somewhere, because those fumes exploded and the Patriots came out of the locker room on fire.
They scored the first 10 points of the second half, sparked by Renae Laux and Runyon.
Laux got the first hoop and then assisted on a pair of buckets to Runyon. Blackford tried to douse the flames with a timeout, but Runyon came right back with a put-back hoop and Jamie Bruggeman scored on an assist from Theresa Reinhart to complete a 10-0 Jay County run.
Blackford (3-6) scored its only point of the quarter on a free throw by Lyndsey Osborn midway through the period as it was out-pointed 14-1. With a 17-point lead, the Patriots were never challenged in the fourth quarter.
“We went in the locker room and got together and regrouped,” said Gasparovic, who came off the bench to score 11 points and grab a team-high six rebounds. “We gave ourselves a pep talk to get us back in the game. We just wanted to win.”
She said coach Kirk Comer told the team it needed to execute better, play solid defense and get turnovers. So, they notched assists on three of their first five second-half baskets and forced Blackford into turnovers on five of its first six possessions.
“At halftime we talked about not being ready to play,” said Comer. “I was disappointed in that. ...
“Our intensity was a lot better (in the second half). It all starts with us on the defensive end.”
Bruggeman led Jay County in scoring with 17 points, 12 of which came as she carried the team in the first half. Runyon had eight points, and Laux scored seven.
The Bruins, who led by as many as five points in the first half before getting trounced in the second, got most of their offense from Courtney Dickey and Shanda Godfrey.
Dickey made her first six free throws and finished 8-of-9 from the foul line as she scored 14 points. Godfrey went 6-of-12 from the field and 2-of-2 from the line for 14 points and led Blackford to a 34-23 rebounding advantage as she grabbed nine boards.
“They just came out and got a couple of quick buckets on us (to start the second half),” said Bruin coach Bruce Ruble. “Then we had some turnovers and just kind of went flat.”
Blackford turned the ball over 21 times in the contest, compared to just 12 for Jay County.
Jay JV crushes Bruins
The Jay County junior varsity team stayed perfect on the year Tuesday with a 51-16 throttling of Blackford.
The Patriots (10-0) roared to a tremendous start, holding the Bruins scoreless for the first 4:30 of the contest. They grabbed an 18-4 lead after one quarter and allowed Blackford just four points in each period.
Whitney Homan led the Jay County assault with 12 points, and Cassandra Huelskamp and Nicole Pfeifer each added six. Miranda Betz, Amber Champ, Abby Loy and Katie Runyon scored four points apiece.
Ashley Collis and Victoria Lee shared the Bruin team high with four points each.[[In-content Ad]]
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