July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Jay Goetz going (01/05/08)
JCHS boys basketball
Jay Goetz going (01/05/08)
By By RAY COONEY-
GAS CITY - The Patriots needed a spark. Luke Goetz provided an inferno.
Coming off of what was probably the worst half of basketball for a Jay County High School team since it started its current run of six consecutive winning seasons in 2001-02, Goetz made sure there would be no repeat performance of last week's debacle against Elwood. The senior gashed the Mississinewa Indians for a career-high 24 points Friday night, and added game highs in rebounds and assists to lead the Patriots to a 65-47 victory.
Goetz got to the rim almost at will against Mississinewa, repeatedly slicing right through the middle of the defense.
"What I really appreciate about it was when he went to the hole he went under control," said JCHS coach Craig Teagle, whose team managed just 11 points in the second half of a stunning loss Dec. 29 to Elwood. "He was smart enough to finish when the defense didn't get there.
"A lot of (the offensive success) was Luke Goetz's leadership on the floor. Whether or not he got the 24 points, what's more important was that he dictated our offense.
"The key to us defensively was his pressure up front."
Goetz scored five points in the opening quarter, hit a 3-pointer to start the second and then put his stamp on the game just before the intermission. With the Patriots already up by three, the senior hit two free throws with 1:26 on the clock and added a field goal 50 seconds later.
On the next possession he controlled the ball at the top of the key as the Patriots held for the last shot of the half, and then expertly drove the lane for a lay-up with four seconds left. The seeming ease of Goetz's score sent Mississinewa coach Chanse Young walking toward the locker room in disgust, his back turned as his team tried to run down the floor for a final attempt.
"We just couldn't contain him," said Young, whose team trailed 33-24 at the half after Goetz's personal six-point run. "He's a senior who's been around it seems like forever. We just couldn't keep him from getting to the basket.
"I think Jay County just played really well. They shot it well. We couldn't contain the dribble, which lead to easy shots for them."
Goetz also hit the Patriots' second hoop of the second half, then assisted on the second of Billy Wellman's 3-pointers in the contest. JCHS scored 11 of the first 13 points of the second half for a 17-2 run overall. The visitors went up by as many as 23 in the fourth quarter before Mississinewa cut the margin slightly in the closing minutes.
Goetz shot 9-of-14 (64 percent) from the field and buried 5-of-6 free throws for his career-high total. He added another six assists, meaning he contributed to 15 of the Patriots' 18 successful field goals.
The senior also had six rebounds to pace a 26-21 JCHS advantage on the glass, and harassed Mississinewa point guard Chris Birky leading to several steals that resulted in easy hoops for himself and his teammates.
"I told (assistant) coach (Andy) Isch that we wouldn't lose two games in a row," said Goetz. "I just played like I could, had a good game and we won.
"We just came out and played like we're capable of playing. We came out ready to play, not like last week."
Wellman also had an excellent night from the field hitting 7-of-10, including 3-of-5 3-pointers, for 17 points. He also had five rebounds.
Adam Garringer chipped in nine points as the Patriots shot 24-of-43 for 56 percent overall, and Clint Muhlenkamp had five rebounds.
In addition to the offensive proficiency, Goetz led a defensive effort that limited the Indians to just 15-of-45 (33 percent) from the field. After scoring 16 points in the first quarter, Mississinewa shot just 4-of-16 combined in the second and third.
Still the story for Young came back to his team's inability to stop the Patriots.
"We've got to get better defensively," he said. "If we don't get better defensively, it's going to be awful tough to compete with the teams we have on our schedule."
Bryan Babb was the lone Indian in double figures, finishing with 11 points. Shane George had nine points, and Derek Little grabbed five rebounds.
Junior varsity
Jay County closed with a 6-1 run to pull out a 39-35 win over the Indians.
The Patriots trailed 34-33 with less than two minutes to play when Josh Beaty swiped an inbound pass and put it in to push the Patriots ahead with 1:43 on the clock. Fouled on the shot, he added the free throw for a three-point play and JCHS never trailed again.
Ryan Cannon of Mississinewa split a pair of free throws to bring his team back within one point, but Beaty extended the lead back to 37-35 with a split of his own at the 36-second mark. The Indians' Garrett Cunningham had a chance to tie the game, but his shot was off the mark and Jacob Westlake grabbed the rebound and hit a pair of foul shots to ice the victory.
Westlake and Beaty each finished with 10 points, trailing only the 12 scored by teammate Taylor Farmer. Farmer hit a pair of 3-pointers, and Beaty scored all of his points in the second and fourth quarters.
Cunningham paced Mississinewa with nine points, and Cannon added eight.[[In-content Ad]]
Coming off of what was probably the worst half of basketball for a Jay County High School team since it started its current run of six consecutive winning seasons in 2001-02, Goetz made sure there would be no repeat performance of last week's debacle against Elwood. The senior gashed the Mississinewa Indians for a career-high 24 points Friday night, and added game highs in rebounds and assists to lead the Patriots to a 65-47 victory.
Goetz got to the rim almost at will against Mississinewa, repeatedly slicing right through the middle of the defense.
"What I really appreciate about it was when he went to the hole he went under control," said JCHS coach Craig Teagle, whose team managed just 11 points in the second half of a stunning loss Dec. 29 to Elwood. "He was smart enough to finish when the defense didn't get there.
"A lot of (the offensive success) was Luke Goetz's leadership on the floor. Whether or not he got the 24 points, what's more important was that he dictated our offense.
"The key to us defensively was his pressure up front."
Goetz scored five points in the opening quarter, hit a 3-pointer to start the second and then put his stamp on the game just before the intermission. With the Patriots already up by three, the senior hit two free throws with 1:26 on the clock and added a field goal 50 seconds later.
On the next possession he controlled the ball at the top of the key as the Patriots held for the last shot of the half, and then expertly drove the lane for a lay-up with four seconds left. The seeming ease of Goetz's score sent Mississinewa coach Chanse Young walking toward the locker room in disgust, his back turned as his team tried to run down the floor for a final attempt.
"We just couldn't contain him," said Young, whose team trailed 33-24 at the half after Goetz's personal six-point run. "He's a senior who's been around it seems like forever. We just couldn't keep him from getting to the basket.
"I think Jay County just played really well. They shot it well. We couldn't contain the dribble, which lead to easy shots for them."
Goetz also hit the Patriots' second hoop of the second half, then assisted on the second of Billy Wellman's 3-pointers in the contest. JCHS scored 11 of the first 13 points of the second half for a 17-2 run overall. The visitors went up by as many as 23 in the fourth quarter before Mississinewa cut the margin slightly in the closing minutes.
Goetz shot 9-of-14 (64 percent) from the field and buried 5-of-6 free throws for his career-high total. He added another six assists, meaning he contributed to 15 of the Patriots' 18 successful field goals.
The senior also had six rebounds to pace a 26-21 JCHS advantage on the glass, and harassed Mississinewa point guard Chris Birky leading to several steals that resulted in easy hoops for himself and his teammates.
"I told (assistant) coach (Andy) Isch that we wouldn't lose two games in a row," said Goetz. "I just played like I could, had a good game and we won.
"We just came out and played like we're capable of playing. We came out ready to play, not like last week."
Wellman also had an excellent night from the field hitting 7-of-10, including 3-of-5 3-pointers, for 17 points. He also had five rebounds.
Adam Garringer chipped in nine points as the Patriots shot 24-of-43 for 56 percent overall, and Clint Muhlenkamp had five rebounds.
In addition to the offensive proficiency, Goetz led a defensive effort that limited the Indians to just 15-of-45 (33 percent) from the field. After scoring 16 points in the first quarter, Mississinewa shot just 4-of-16 combined in the second and third.
Still the story for Young came back to his team's inability to stop the Patriots.
"We've got to get better defensively," he said. "If we don't get better defensively, it's going to be awful tough to compete with the teams we have on our schedule."
Bryan Babb was the lone Indian in double figures, finishing with 11 points. Shane George had nine points, and Derek Little grabbed five rebounds.
Junior varsity
Jay County closed with a 6-1 run to pull out a 39-35 win over the Indians.
The Patriots trailed 34-33 with less than two minutes to play when Josh Beaty swiped an inbound pass and put it in to push the Patriots ahead with 1:43 on the clock. Fouled on the shot, he added the free throw for a three-point play and JCHS never trailed again.
Ryan Cannon of Mississinewa split a pair of free throws to bring his team back within one point, but Beaty extended the lead back to 37-35 with a split of his own at the 36-second mark. The Indians' Garrett Cunningham had a chance to tie the game, but his shot was off the mark and Jacob Westlake grabbed the rebound and hit a pair of foul shots to ice the victory.
Westlake and Beaty each finished with 10 points, trailing only the 12 scored by teammate Taylor Farmer. Farmer hit a pair of 3-pointers, and Beaty scored all of his points in the second and fourth quarters.
Cunningham paced Mississinewa with nine points, and Cannon added eight.[[In-content Ad]]
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