Domination at the Dome (01/16/08)

BERNE - The Patriots halted the closest thing they've had to a losing streak this year. There was little South Adams High School's girls basketball team could do as it lost its eighth straight.

The host Starfires played a solid first half against the best team on its schedule, but still trailed by 21 at the intermission as Jay County rolled to an 83-34 victory.

"We needed to play well tonight," said JCHS coach Kirk Comer, whose team lost its last two games at Huntington North and Connersville by four points each. "We're 12 points away from being undefeated, and our goals haven't changed. We just had some lulls in the last two games. We got done tonight what we needed to get done."

South Adams (3-11) had a stated goal of scoring 20 points against the Patriots, who had held four other teams below that number this year. The Starfires had 21 by halftime, but gave up a 15-0 run to start the third quarter and scored just two points in the fourth.

"I think we praised them a little too much (at halftime)," said SAHS coach Doug Beall. "We talked about a few things we weren't doing well, but they didn't press us very much, which we appreciate, but when they did it didn't hurt us. We got a lay-up or we got a good look. ... During the third quarter I think we were just satisfied that it was not as bad as we thought it could be. And it ended up being that way anyway."

Already comfortably ahead, Jay County (14-3) - it lost the season opener by four to Class 4A No. 4 Fort Wayne South Side and then won 13 straight before the recent two-game skid - pushed to a 57-21 advantage with its run to open the second half. It scored the final nine points of the game and won by 40 or more for the sixth time this year.

Amber Edmundson turned in a mammoth effort for the Patriots off the bench, so much so that when she came off the floor midway through the fourth quarter she drew a standing ovation from a group of fans. She shot 9-of-11 from the field for a game-high 19 points, and led JCHS to a 34-23 advantage on the glass with seven rebounds.

"She's coming off three good games in a row, and you can add another one," said Comer. "Her confidence is soaring at a time when we need it. She's just continuing to get better and better. ... She's always had the ability, and she now, I think, believes that she can do it."

Jay County seemed to lack a bit of focus early, allowing the Starfires to score the first hoop of the game easily on an out-of-bounds play. It also turned the ball over several times in the opening minutes, but bounced back with a 13-0 run to claim the lead for good.

Kaelee Keller, who scored half of the Patriots' first 16 points, followed Edmundson with 18 for the game. She hit 3-of-4 3-pointers, and also had three assists.

"I thought when the second group went in, the focus with the first group reappeared," said Comer. "The second group came in and gave us the lift that we needed. We needed some intensity, and that's one of those things that's really good about this team. On any given night, anyone can help."

In addition to Edmundson's game highs in points and boards off the bench, Brittany Mann had a team-best four assists. Lindsey Wellman reached double figures with 13 points, and Abby Loy and Sharon Dirksen each scored eight.

South Adams scored in double figures in each of the first two quarters, but still struggled to hold on to the ball. It turned the ball over 10 times in the first quarter and 29 for the game.

Anne Lehman was the lone Starfire in double figures with 12 points. Jodie Muhlenkamp added seven points, Ashton Morgan had five assists and Andrea Moser grabbed five rebounds.

Beall, whose team has not won since topping Muncie Burris 42-36 on Nov. 29, said he was happy with the effort, especially in the first half.

"I keep telling them, if you keep playing like this, sooner or later we're going to get to teams that we can compete with," he said. The Starfires' next four games are against teams with records below .500.

Junior varsity

Jay County scored more points in the opening quarter than the Starfires managed in the entire game on the way to a 56-17 victory.

The Patriots led 25-2 after the first quarter, then limited South Adams to just one-second quarter point. They were up by 31 points at halftime.

Gina Muhlenkamp led a balanced JCHS effort with nine points. Makenzie Loy and Danielle Link each added eight points, and Erica Butcher scored seven.

Karen Bollenbacher paced South Adams with six points, and Jaci Liechty added three.[[In-content Ad]]