Giants fight off JC (03/03/08)

MARION - Luke Goetz took a shot to the face, was dazed and had a bloody, bandaged lip. Yet he kept playing.

Clint Muhlenkamp took a shot to the face, and chipped a tooth. But he was still on the court.

The Patriots took on the one of the best teams in the state Saturday night, scored just three points in the first quarter and trailed by 11 early in the third. And still there they stood, with less than six minutes left, trailing by a mere basket.

The host Marion Giants managed to close out Jay County, pushing their lead back to eight and hitting 7-of-8 free throws in the final minutes. But their 49-39 sectional championship win was far from easy, thanks to the outstanding effort from the Patriots.

"It was effort. We didn't play that well. We weren't clicking offensively nearly as well as we have. But man our effort was phenomenal," said JCHS coach Craig Teagle. "A lot of times we were battling for the ball and just got out-strengthed or out-jumped. I'm as proud of this group as I've ever been. They're great kids. After we got through that first six- or seven-game stretch and everyone jumped in the boat and started rowing the same way we became awfully good."

Jay County (17-5) proved that point Saturday night, going toe-to-toe with a Marion team that clobbered Fort Wayne North Side just a night earlier.

After falling behind 8-3 at the close of the first quarter, the Patriots pulled back to within 15-11 on Billy Wellman's 3-pointer with 1:31 left in the opening half. They got the ball back, still trailing by four, and held for the final shot, but turned the ball over late leading to a transition hoop for the Giants.

"In that game, every possession is unbelievably important, because there are so few," said MHS coach Joe Luce, whose team was held to its second-lowest point total of the season. "We don't play that way very often ... You've got to have plays like that to win big."

Marion pushed ahead 24-13 three minutes into the second half, but JCHS would not go away. An Adam Garringer three-point play got them back within six, and then Aaron Daniels and Luke Goetz combined for a 7-2 run spanning the quarter break.

Daniels turned in a three-point play in the final minute of the third quarter, and Goetz scored the opening hoop of the fourth. The senior point guard then drew Jovon Freshwater's fourth personal foul, went to the line and buried both free throws to make it 33-29.

Again Jay County got the ball with the deficit still at just four, only to have a turnover end up in two points on the other end. Heath Rigby responded with his second 3-pointer of the game for a 35-32 margin with just 5:57 to play, but the Giants scored the next five points in a row and the Patriots never got within a single possession again.

"They're an unbleiveable program," said Luce, whose team will take on Fort Wayne Snider at home in regional action Saturday. "(Teagle) does an incredible job. Those kids have so much to be proud of. It was a great season. We really feel good about the championship beating a team of that quality."

Julius Mays was the biggest key to the Marion victory as he repeatedly scored over the top of the smaller Patriot defense. He added a 9-of-10 effort from the foul line to his seven field goals to finish with a game-high 24 points.

Jay Edwards added 14 points, and Lamar Jackson grabbed 10 rebounds.

"The Mays kid just made some really good individual plays," said Teagle. "He was able to shoot over us."

Despite missing several minutes because of the bloodied lip, Goetz scored a team-high 10 points for Jay County in his career finale. Wellman added nine points, and Rigby had seven.

Muhlenkamp grabbed six rebounds, and Wellman and Aaron Daniels each added four. Kyle Simmons had a pair of assists.

The loss was the first of 2008 for the Patriots, who won a school record 14 straight after letting a double-digit lead slip away Dec. 29 against Elwood. It was their sixth straight appearance in a sectional championship game, and Friday's 60-38 triumph over Huntington North was the school's first touranment win in Class 4A.

"All the credit goes right to the kids," said Teagle, whose team turned in a seventh straight winning season and sixth in a row with 15 wins or more. "They did a great job for 14 games just playing extremely well. I thought for 14 games they were by far the hardest-working team on the floor, and that's how we won most of them. It wasn't always pretty, but we did a great job playing together both offensively and defensively. That's what a team has to do."

And as for those bloody lips and chipped teeth, those efforts came as no surprise to the coach.

"That's typical of my seniors," Teagle said. "Luke Goetz, Clint Muhlenkamp, Heath Rigby and Aaron Daniels have the biggest hearts of any kids I've ever coached."[[In-content Ad]]