July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Bruins battered
JCHS girls basketball
Bruins battered
The Blackford Bruins were enjoying their best start to a season in ages.
Entering Tuesday night's game against Jay County they were 8-1 and riding a five-game winning streak. By the intermission, the Bruins were black and blue.
The host Patriots battered Blackford, shooting nearly 65 percent and scoring the final 17 points of the first half on the way to a 52-19 victory.
"We clicked pretty well tonight offensively," said JCHS coach Luke Cummings, whose team missed just one field-goal attempt in the second quarter. "Obviously everything we do starts with our defense, and the second quarter was big for us because we were able to take our defense and push some stuff in transition. I thought all along the strength of our team could be our transition offense ..."
The Patriots, who have now won five straight and are 9-2 overall, ran Blackford ragged in the second quarter. They racked up 22 points, including 17 in a row as they held the Bruins scoreless for the last 6:23 of the opening half.
Senior point guard Pazia Speed was key to the up-tempo offense for JCHS as she recorded six second-quarter assists.
Her passes led to four of her team's final five hoops of the first half, including a dish to Erin Hunt for a 3-pointer with just a few seconds remaining.
Jay County shot nearly 70 percent in the first half, including 8-of-9 (88 percent) in the second quarter.
"We've had a lot of (good looks this season)," said Cummings. "We haven't always finished. I think that was a big difference tonight. We concentrated and finished inside.
"Erin (Hunt) hit two big threes for us. Kassi (Hemmelgarn) hit two big ones ... and then Hannah (Ainsworth) comes in and hits one. We haven't shot the three very well, so that was big for us tonight."
Hunt and Hemmelgarn each finished 2-for-2 from long distance to lead the Patriots to a 60-percent mark.
Speed did most of her damage in the first half and finished the game with 14 points, eight assists and six rebounds to lead Jay County. Danielle Link added nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, and also had nine rebounds.
Mariah Hornaday grabbed six boards, and she, Hunt and Hemmelgarn all scored six points.
Despite losing No. 2 returning scorer Cara Garringer to injury in the opening game of the season, the Patriots are already just one victory away from a ninth straight double-digit win season. Their only two losses of the year came to state-ranked teams Winchester and Norwell.
"We had to kind of change the tone of what we were doing," said Cummings of how his team responded to the four-point loss Nov. 27 to Norwell. "We had to get the girls to understand that we're fine. ... We've just got to find a different way to get things done. I think we've been able to build some confidence, especially from our bench, since that point."
The game marked the third time this season that Jay County, which is fourth in the state in defensive average at 30.9 points per game, has held a team to less than 20 points. It was the first time the Bruins have scored less than 30.
Emily Willmann paced Blackford with 10 points. However, the Patriots limited her to just four rebounds - she had been averaging nearly 13 a game - as they grabbed a 24-15 advantage on the glass.
Ali Norton followed with six points for the Bruins, whose eight wins have come against teams with a combined record of 18-53.
Jay County will seek to extend its winning streak Saturday when it hosts the border war with Fort Recovery (3-1).
"It's going to be a completely different game than what tonight was, because they're going to press us ... put pressure on our guards and see if they can make plays," said Cummings. "Obviously we've got a height advantage, but if we can't get it across half court it's not going to matter. We're going to have to take care of the basketball."
Junior varsity
The Patriots pushed their lead to double digits in the third quarter and went on to defeat Blackford 26-18.
Rachelle Jackson and Maria Murphy each scored seven points to lead Jay County. Murphy had all of her points in the first quarter, and Jackson scored all of hers in the second half.
Mollie May and Hannah Ainsworth added three points apiece.
Buffy Ickes and Danielle Bonewit each finished with five points for the Bruins.[[In-content Ad]]
Entering Tuesday night's game against Jay County they were 8-1 and riding a five-game winning streak. By the intermission, the Bruins were black and blue.
The host Patriots battered Blackford, shooting nearly 65 percent and scoring the final 17 points of the first half on the way to a 52-19 victory.
"We clicked pretty well tonight offensively," said JCHS coach Luke Cummings, whose team missed just one field-goal attempt in the second quarter. "Obviously everything we do starts with our defense, and the second quarter was big for us because we were able to take our defense and push some stuff in transition. I thought all along the strength of our team could be our transition offense ..."
The Patriots, who have now won five straight and are 9-2 overall, ran Blackford ragged in the second quarter. They racked up 22 points, including 17 in a row as they held the Bruins scoreless for the last 6:23 of the opening half.
Senior point guard Pazia Speed was key to the up-tempo offense for JCHS as she recorded six second-quarter assists.
Her passes led to four of her team's final five hoops of the first half, including a dish to Erin Hunt for a 3-pointer with just a few seconds remaining.
Jay County shot nearly 70 percent in the first half, including 8-of-9 (88 percent) in the second quarter.
"We've had a lot of (good looks this season)," said Cummings. "We haven't always finished. I think that was a big difference tonight. We concentrated and finished inside.
"Erin (Hunt) hit two big threes for us. Kassi (Hemmelgarn) hit two big ones ... and then Hannah (Ainsworth) comes in and hits one. We haven't shot the three very well, so that was big for us tonight."
Hunt and Hemmelgarn each finished 2-for-2 from long distance to lead the Patriots to a 60-percent mark.
Speed did most of her damage in the first half and finished the game with 14 points, eight assists and six rebounds to lead Jay County. Danielle Link added nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, and also had nine rebounds.
Mariah Hornaday grabbed six boards, and she, Hunt and Hemmelgarn all scored six points.
Despite losing No. 2 returning scorer Cara Garringer to injury in the opening game of the season, the Patriots are already just one victory away from a ninth straight double-digit win season. Their only two losses of the year came to state-ranked teams Winchester and Norwell.
"We had to kind of change the tone of what we were doing," said Cummings of how his team responded to the four-point loss Nov. 27 to Norwell. "We had to get the girls to understand that we're fine. ... We've just got to find a different way to get things done. I think we've been able to build some confidence, especially from our bench, since that point."
The game marked the third time this season that Jay County, which is fourth in the state in defensive average at 30.9 points per game, has held a team to less than 20 points. It was the first time the Bruins have scored less than 30.
Emily Willmann paced Blackford with 10 points. However, the Patriots limited her to just four rebounds - she had been averaging nearly 13 a game - as they grabbed a 24-15 advantage on the glass.
Ali Norton followed with six points for the Bruins, whose eight wins have come against teams with a combined record of 18-53.
Jay County will seek to extend its winning streak Saturday when it hosts the border war with Fort Recovery (3-1).
"It's going to be a completely different game than what tonight was, because they're going to press us ... put pressure on our guards and see if they can make plays," said Cummings. "Obviously we've got a height advantage, but if we can't get it across half court it's not going to matter. We're going to have to take care of the basketball."
Junior varsity
The Patriots pushed their lead to double digits in the third quarter and went on to defeat Blackford 26-18.
Rachelle Jackson and Maria Murphy each scored seven points to lead Jay County. Murphy had all of her points in the first quarter, and Jackson scored all of hers in the second half.
Mollie May and Hannah Ainsworth added three points apiece.
Buffy Ickes and Danielle Bonewit each finished with five points for the Bruins.[[In-content Ad]]
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