Delta downer (02/02/07)

For many, Delta probably seemed like an easy mark for Jay County's girls basketball team to pick up a win in its home finale. That group, however, did not include the Eagles.

Despite their 6-12 record and a 21-point loss last week to Class 3A No. 3 New Castle - a team the Patriots lost to by just four - Delta played with an air of confidence. It racked up 38 first-half points and made 5-of-6 free throws in the final 1:02 to top Jay County 61-52 in the final regular-season game for both teams.

Junior Sarah Miller ruined the final home appearance for the four JCHS seniors, racking up 12 points in the first quarter and leading three Eagles in double figures with 27 for the game. She also had team highs of seven rebounds and three assists.

"The team that showed up tonight is the team we probably knew has been capable all year," said Delta coach Glen Stewart, whose squad is now 7-12. "Unfortunately this is only our third game with everyone healthy. We've been struggling with getting more than one or two players to show up a night, and our record obviously shows that. But tonight I felt like every that came in did their roll really well and everything balanced out a lot better."

The Eagles, who have been without four players because of injuries at different times this year, seemed able to get to the basket at will in the first half. And when they weren't dropping in easy lay-ups, they were bombing away from the outside.

Delta shot 14-of-25 (56 percent), including 4-of-6 (67 percent) from 3-point range as it racked up 38 first-half points. The visiting team was so on fire from the field that Alissa Calhoun dropped one of her two first-half 3-pointers from NBA range on the left wing.

"Last year I used to yell at her for that shot," said Stewart, who got 14 points from Calhoun and 12 points and seven rebounds from Demi Selvey. "When (Calhoun) is feeling her shot she can shoot it from about anywhere on her side of the court. We let her take it if she's in rhythm."

The pace slowed a bit in the second half, but Delta still went 7-of-12 after the break to stay at 56 percent from the field for the game. It finished 21-of-37 overall and 7-of-11 (64 percent) from long distance, with Calhoun and Sarah Miller each hitting 3-of-5 3-pointers.

"I have no idea mentally where we were tonight. Obviously it wasn't here most of the time," said JCHS coach Kirk Comer, whose team dropped to 11-8. "We just mentally weren't in it. I don't understand why.

"We didn't defend," he added, noting that the team had given up an average of just over 40 points per game for the year. "We didn't move our feet on defense. We didn't know who we were guarding a lot of the time."

Despite the defensive woes, Jay County was still within two at the half thanks to a 3-pointer from senior Whitney Homan and a pair of Lindsey Wellman free throws to close out the second quarter. But the Patriots shot just 2-of-10 from the field as they managed only four third-quarter points.

Delta pushed its lead all the way to 11 when Calhoun hit two foul shots to open the fourth.

The home team went heavily to freshman post player Lindsey Wellman, who scored nine straight Patriot points to start the fourth quarter, and pulled back to within two points as the Eagles missed some free throws. But that was as close as the game got.

Miller bounced back to hit four straight foul shots - a Jay County turnover came in between - and Morgan Whitehair scored the game's final three points for the Eagles for the nine-point margin.

"I told the girls afterwards, 'The only thing we can do is go on.' We've got to let this go," said Comer, whose team will play Blackford in the first round of the sectional tournament Tuesday at Mississinewa. "Delta played a really good game. They shot the ball really well. And we've just got to let it go and start getting ready for Tuesday night."

Jay County could face the Eagles again as a potential rematch looms in Friday's sectional semifinal round. Delta opens sectional play Tuesday against Tipton (9-11).

Wellman finished 5-of-9 from the field and was a perfect 9-of-9 from the field for her 19 points. She scored 11 of her team's 16 in the second half.

Seniors Whitney Homan and Sara Garringer finished with 13 and nine points respectively, but in both cases all of those came in the opening half. Kaelee Keller dished out five assists.

Garringer, who missed seven games this year with a knee injury, hurt her knee again in the third quarter and was out for the rest of the game. The Patriots were also without junior guard Abby Loy (5.2 points per game, 1.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists), who is out of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament tear at Anderson last week.

Junior varsity

Jay County used a 28-point second half to cap their season with A 40-16 victory over the Eagles.

The Patriots led just 12-8 at the half, but pushed their lead to 12 points after three quarters. They scored as many points in the fourth (16) as Delta had in the entire game as they finished the season at 15-4.

Amber Edmundson led all scorers with 12 points for Jay County. Sarah Westgerdes added six points, and Mackenzie Loy scored five.

Delta got six points from Kara Tobias and four apiece from Hannah Evans and Kendi Zvokel.[[In-content Ad]]