July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Elwood uses long-range attack (03/04/04)
JCHS boys basketball
Elwood uses long-range attack (03/04/04)
PORTLAND — The Elwood Panthers didn’t show much Tuesday. They barely held off a Blackford team which was missing three starters to win their sectional-opening game 62-60.
Jay County coach Craig Teagle warns not to let that lone performance fool you.
“Elwood didn’t play near as well (Tuesday night) as they played in their previous few games at the end of the season,” he said. “They didn’t shoot the ball as well as they’ve been shooting it. I expect them to shoot the ball much better. We’ll have to do a really good job of getting out on the perimeter and contesting shots.”
That’s the story of this year’s Elwood boys basketball team. The Panthers (10-11) are not afraid to shoot the ball from anywhere, including well beyond the 3-point arc.
The results has been an up-and-down year in which they alternated wins and losses in their first eight games, and have not had a winning or losing streak of longer than four games. They have won four out of their last five, the only loss coming by a 74-72 score to Class 2A Westfield.
Elwood coach Dave Henson agreed his team played much better in its final four regular-season games than it did in the sectional-opening win against Blackford. He hopes the long ball returns for his squad against the Patriots.
“We have to rely a lot on the outside shot,” said Henson, whose team is made up of one senior, two juniors and a host of sophomores. “We will have to do a much better job of rebounding than what we did the other night. The bottom line for us is if we hit the basket we can play with them. If we don’t, we won’t.”
The Panthers are led by Henson’s son Eli, the lone senior on the team. He is among the state leaders in scoring at 21.5 points per game and scored 16 points in the win over Blackford.
Sophomore Ryan Landrum is a 16.8 ppg scorer, and went wild for 29 against the Bruins.
Teagle said Elwood presents a challenge because the Jay County defense is designed to protect the area around the basket and force long shots. Other teams — such as Norwell in a 59-37 blowout in January — have had success against the Patriots by firing away from long range.
“It’ll be tough on us because it goes against what we do defensively,” Teagle said. “Our defense is to pack the paint and make you shoot the shot over us. On a team like Elwood you have to extend. And when you extend what you give up is a lot more dribble penetration.”
He said the key to stopping that penetration will be to get defensive help from his post players. Then the rest of the team will have to rotate.
It will be a good test, but one Teagle said he thinks his squad can handle because team defense is always the main focus.
Offensively the Patriots will try to counter Elwood’s high-octane attack — it averaged 66 points per game — with what is becoming an ever more varied group of scorers.
Trent Bailey leads the squad at 17 points per game, but when he went out with foul trouble in Tuesday night’s 66-60 win over the Tipton Blue Devils others stepped up as has been the pattern during the final six games of the regular season.
Dustin Overton, the No. 2 scorer on the team, hit for nine straight Jay County points to end the first quarter. The rally put the Patriots ahead for good, and he finished the half with 16 points on the way to a 23-point overall effort.
Andy Pinkerton emerged to score seven points in a row for Jay County in the second period. He finished with a career-high 14.
Teagle praised Overton’s effort after the opening-round victory, and had more of the same for Pinkerton Wednesday.
“It’s great,” said Teagle, noting the junior’s passion for basketball and total commitment to the program. “He’s really a good offensive player. He’s a good shooter and he’s got a good pull-up shot.”
Heath Williams, Mark Kelly and Corey Comer are all also capable of chipping in double figures on a given night. The rest of the squad has come up with big buckets as well.
Jay County has been hot, having won eight of its last 11 games. The three losses — to Huntington North, Delta and Eastbrook — came by a combined total of five points.
It was a balanced scoring attack which allowed the Patriots to put together a similar streak last year on the way to their first sectional title since 1996. The 2002-03 Patriots won their final three regular-season games and strung together seven straight victories before falling to state runner-up Fort Wayne Elmhurst in the NorthWood regional championship game.
And, as Pinkerton noted after Tuesday’s win over Tipton, this year’s version definitely wants to go back to Nappanee.
“I’ve heard several of them mention it was so fun going to regional and experience that — getting that first win and just being together as a team,” Teagle said. “Working together toward a common goal and then sharing in that success was a lot of fun.
“I think it was a great experience for those guys. Success breeds success, no matter what you do.”[[In-content Ad]]If the Jay County boys basketball team defeats Elwood Friday night, it will head to Saturday night’s championship game.
If the Jay County boys basketball team defeats Elwood Friday night, it will head to Saturday night’s championship game.
The Patriots could earn a rematch with the Delta Eagles, a team responsible for one of their three one-point defeats this season. Delta (13-7) plays the Mississinewa Indians (15-5) in Friday’s second semifinal game at Blackford.
The Eagles rely on hard-nosed defense, much like the Patriots.
They have allowed just 45.4 points per game this year, and defeated Jay County 41-40 in their regular-season meeting. They are led by post player Jeff Adams, who averages 11.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Mississinewa entered the postseason with the best record in the Blackford sectional, but has been tough to figure out this year. It opened with eight straight wins followed by five straight losses and then seven more wins.
The Indians, who focus heavily on the inside game, have play just one Class 4A opponent and three Class 3A opponents this year. They are 1-3 in those games with losses to Blackford (5-16), Marion (8-12) and Maconaquah (13-8), and a victory over Elwood (10-11).
Forward Adam Skeens leads the team at 15.7 points per game, and 6-foot-7 center Adam Mughmaw scores 9.1 points per game. Skeens also leads the team with 9.4 rebounds per contest, and Mughmaw follows with 7.6.
Jay County coach Craig Teagle warns not to let that lone performance fool you.
“Elwood didn’t play near as well (Tuesday night) as they played in their previous few games at the end of the season,” he said. “They didn’t shoot the ball as well as they’ve been shooting it. I expect them to shoot the ball much better. We’ll have to do a really good job of getting out on the perimeter and contesting shots.”
That’s the story of this year’s Elwood boys basketball team. The Panthers (10-11) are not afraid to shoot the ball from anywhere, including well beyond the 3-point arc.
The results has been an up-and-down year in which they alternated wins and losses in their first eight games, and have not had a winning or losing streak of longer than four games. They have won four out of their last five, the only loss coming by a 74-72 score to Class 2A Westfield.
Elwood coach Dave Henson agreed his team played much better in its final four regular-season games than it did in the sectional-opening win against Blackford. He hopes the long ball returns for his squad against the Patriots.
“We have to rely a lot on the outside shot,” said Henson, whose team is made up of one senior, two juniors and a host of sophomores. “We will have to do a much better job of rebounding than what we did the other night. The bottom line for us is if we hit the basket we can play with them. If we don’t, we won’t.”
The Panthers are led by Henson’s son Eli, the lone senior on the team. He is among the state leaders in scoring at 21.5 points per game and scored 16 points in the win over Blackford.
Sophomore Ryan Landrum is a 16.8 ppg scorer, and went wild for 29 against the Bruins.
Teagle said Elwood presents a challenge because the Jay County defense is designed to protect the area around the basket and force long shots. Other teams — such as Norwell in a 59-37 blowout in January — have had success against the Patriots by firing away from long range.
“It’ll be tough on us because it goes against what we do defensively,” Teagle said. “Our defense is to pack the paint and make you shoot the shot over us. On a team like Elwood you have to extend. And when you extend what you give up is a lot more dribble penetration.”
He said the key to stopping that penetration will be to get defensive help from his post players. Then the rest of the team will have to rotate.
It will be a good test, but one Teagle said he thinks his squad can handle because team defense is always the main focus.
Offensively the Patriots will try to counter Elwood’s high-octane attack — it averaged 66 points per game — with what is becoming an ever more varied group of scorers.
Trent Bailey leads the squad at 17 points per game, but when he went out with foul trouble in Tuesday night’s 66-60 win over the Tipton Blue Devils others stepped up as has been the pattern during the final six games of the regular season.
Dustin Overton, the No. 2 scorer on the team, hit for nine straight Jay County points to end the first quarter. The rally put the Patriots ahead for good, and he finished the half with 16 points on the way to a 23-point overall effort.
Andy Pinkerton emerged to score seven points in a row for Jay County in the second period. He finished with a career-high 14.
Teagle praised Overton’s effort after the opening-round victory, and had more of the same for Pinkerton Wednesday.
“It’s great,” said Teagle, noting the junior’s passion for basketball and total commitment to the program. “He’s really a good offensive player. He’s a good shooter and he’s got a good pull-up shot.”
Heath Williams, Mark Kelly and Corey Comer are all also capable of chipping in double figures on a given night. The rest of the squad has come up with big buckets as well.
Jay County has been hot, having won eight of its last 11 games. The three losses — to Huntington North, Delta and Eastbrook — came by a combined total of five points.
It was a balanced scoring attack which allowed the Patriots to put together a similar streak last year on the way to their first sectional title since 1996. The 2002-03 Patriots won their final three regular-season games and strung together seven straight victories before falling to state runner-up Fort Wayne Elmhurst in the NorthWood regional championship game.
And, as Pinkerton noted after Tuesday’s win over Tipton, this year’s version definitely wants to go back to Nappanee.
“I’ve heard several of them mention it was so fun going to regional and experience that — getting that first win and just being together as a team,” Teagle said. “Working together toward a common goal and then sharing in that success was a lot of fun.
“I think it was a great experience for those guys. Success breeds success, no matter what you do.”[[In-content Ad]]If the Jay County boys basketball team defeats Elwood Friday night, it will head to Saturday night’s championship game.
If the Jay County boys basketball team defeats Elwood Friday night, it will head to Saturday night’s championship game.
The Patriots could earn a rematch with the Delta Eagles, a team responsible for one of their three one-point defeats this season. Delta (13-7) plays the Mississinewa Indians (15-5) in Friday’s second semifinal game at Blackford.
The Eagles rely on hard-nosed defense, much like the Patriots.
They have allowed just 45.4 points per game this year, and defeated Jay County 41-40 in their regular-season meeting. They are led by post player Jeff Adams, who averages 11.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Mississinewa entered the postseason with the best record in the Blackford sectional, but has been tough to figure out this year. It opened with eight straight wins followed by five straight losses and then seven more wins.
The Indians, who focus heavily on the inside game, have play just one Class 4A opponent and three Class 3A opponents this year. They are 1-3 in those games with losses to Blackford (5-16), Marion (8-12) and Maconaquah (13-8), and a victory over Elwood (10-11).
Forward Adam Skeens leads the team at 15.7 points per game, and 6-foot-7 center Adam Mughmaw scores 9.1 points per game. Skeens also leads the team with 9.4 rebounds per contest, and Mughmaw follows with 7.6.
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