Deep Patriots are ready (11/05/07)

Kirk Comer hasn't exactly settled on a starting lineup. In this case, that's a sign of strength.

The Jay County High School girls basketball coach is so confident in the depth of his talent he said he's likely to use a variety of lineups based on match-ups. For example, when the Patriots open Tuesday against a quick Fort Wayne South Side squad, he could go to a four-guard look.

"Who we play will dictate how much some of them might play," said Comer, who starts the season planning to go 10 deep. "This is the deepest team that I've had here, maybe the deepest team I've ever had. I really like this team. I like this team a lot."

Comer's confidence comes despite losing four 2007 seniors, including two of his top three scorers. But the coach, who is in his fourth year at JCHS and 16th overall, has reason to believe thanks to five seniors this year and a host of younger players who boast varsity experience.

Comer said in general he plans on starting seniors Dana Horn, Abby Loy, Cassandra Huelskamp and Amber Edmundson along with sophomore Lindsey Wellman. In addition he has junior Kaelee Keller, who played all 22 games last season, sophomore Pazia Speed (16 games), senior Sharon Dirksen and juniors Brittany Mann, Gina Muhlenkamp and Mackenzie Loy coming off the bench.

Wellman is the team's top returning scorer after averaging 9.8 points per game a year ago. Sara Garringer (11.1 ppg) paced the team, but the Patriots also have experience playing without her after she missed a third of her senior season with a knee injury.

As a freshman Wellman did most of her damage in the post, but she also has a shooting touch from the outside. In addition to her scoring, she led the team in rebounds (5.5 per game) and steals (35, tied with Loy) last season.

Edmundson, who played sparingly a year ago before seeing significant minutes in the sectional tournament, will pair with Wellman underneath the basket.

"I think we're going to get more production out of the post and get Lindsey some help ... and we've got to be able to shoot off the dribble," said Comer. "In the sectional last year when Elwood went man-to-man ... it took us out of our game. We've worked on that every day."

Loy (5.2 points per game, 1.6 assists) was perhaps the team's best scorer off the dribble during last year's 13-9 season - it marked the sixth straight winning campaign for the Patriots, but ended with a 20-point sectional championship loss to Elwood - but she was lost for the stretch run because of a knee injury.

As she returns to the court she will team in the backcourt with Horn, the point guard who paced the team with 2.8 assists per game to go along with 30 steals.

Huelskamp, who owns the school's single-game record for 3-pointers, hit 18 a year ago and rounds out the regular starting lineup.

"Dana is just so much stronger this year," said Comer. "Abby ... is getting closer and closer (to 100 percent). ... She's a lot more mobile ..."

Keller, the No. 2 returning scorer at 6.8 points per game, and Speed make the Patriots strong off the bench at the guard slots, and give the ability to wreak havoc with a small, quick lineup.

"I think this is going to be a balanced team," said Comer. "We're going to be a hard team to predict ... a hard team to scout."

And the Patriots will also look to rattle teams with a variety of defensive looks, including Comer's helter-skelter "mystery defense."

"One thing you can count on is we're going to come at you full court," he said. "This summer they did a really good jump at it."

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for the squad this year, will be the new sectional alignment as Jay County moves up to Class 4A and will play in the tournament at Huntington North.

Then again, Comer, whose team plays a tough schedule including Class 4A teams Fort Wayne South Side, Muncie Central, Anderson Highland, New Castle, Huntington North, Connersville and Anderson, said his team doesn't seem fazed by the prospect of making the jump to Indiana's largest class.

"I'm excited about it. We're at the highest level. We're going to be playing top teams, but we've been doing that in the season," he said. "We've had five or six games sprinkled throughout the season that are at that level, and we've competed in most of them. Now it's time we win. We're taking the attitude and the approach ... that every time we go on the court we have the opportunity to win."

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