Jay rolls after layoff (02/13/08)

MARION - Remember when the Patriots struggled to score?

Remember when they seemed to lack an offensive identity?

There was a time this season when putting the ball in the basket was a problem. Over a five-game span the Jay County High School boys basketball team failed to clear 40 points twice, and averaged just 44 per game.

Tuesday night's 65-46 victory over the host Eastbrook Panthers provided more evidence that those days are long gone.

"Really, other than missing some shots early, we were pretty good offensively," said JCHS coach Craig Teagle, whose team shot better than 50 percent for the seventh straight game. "We moved and shared the ball pretty well. We had balanced scoring ..."

It was the ninth straight victory for the Patriots, who had three players in double figures and have averaged more than 62 points per game during the streak. The last time they shot under 50 percent was Jan. 11 in a 75-66 double overtime win at Connersville.

Teagle said he wasn't very happy with the defensive effort against Eastbrook, except for in the second quarter.

Trailing 10-9 after the opening period, Jay County (12-4) locked down. It held the Panthers without a second-quarter field goal, giving up just four points at the free throw line.

"When you don't make 'em, things sometimes get ugly or at least look ugly," said Eastbrook coach Joel Roush, whose team missed all of its eight field-goal attempts in the period. "I wasn't disappointed with how we were playing necessarily, I thought we were OK defensively. Twenty-four points in a half isn't anything to sneeze at, but you've just got to get the ball to go in the basket a little bit."

The Patriots were sitting at 24 first-half points before Kyle Simmons turned in a big play to push the visitors to an 8-0 run to close the half.

Jay County's end-of-quarter play sent the ball to Simmons in the left corner. He launched a 3-pointer, which missed, but was fouled on the floor after the shot.

The foul gave the Patriots the ball back with just a few ticks remaining, and the inbound pass again went to Simmons, this time in the right corner. He put up another 3-pointer and was slammed into again by Eastbrook's Nathan Felver, who was called for the foul as the shot fell through the net with one second left. Simmons, an 89-percent free-throw shooter, buried his foul shot for a four-point play and a 28-14 halftime lead.

The Panthers (6-10) got back to within single digits with three 3-pointers in the first three minutes of the second half, but Jay County refocused. Following a timeout at the 5:08 mark of the third quarter, the Patriots reeled off a 10-0 run to push their lead back to 19 points.

Eastbrook never got back within single digits again.

"We were just re-emphasizing some things we talked about defensively that we needed to do that we were not doing at that point," said Teagle. "We were running into each other and we were a little sloppy. We just reminded them of the things we need to do. They came out and they responded real well from that point."

Adam Garringer had four of his game-high 16 points during the run. Simmons followed with 13 points, and Billy Wellman also reached double figures with 12.

Wellman grabbed a game-best five rebounds, Luke Goetz had a game-high five assists and Simmons added four assists.

The Panther defeat came despite hitting 9-of-17 (53 percent) from 3-point range. Eastbrook managed just seven two-point field goals, most of which were pull-up jumpers, as Jay County locked down the inside for the second straight game.

"We've done a pretty good job of protecting the paint," said Teagle, whose squad also forced Yorktown to fire away from the outside. "We want shots from the three or pull-up shots from the two contested."

Eastbrook, which was led by 16 points from Jordan Hatfield and 14 by Marc Miller, also turned the ball over 18 times. The Patriots had just six turnovers.

"That's something that we've struggled with all year," said Roush. "It's something that we're just going to have to continue to work to improve."

At 12-4, Jay County has already secured its seventh straight winning season. With wins in three of its final four regular season games it can secure a sixth consecutive 15-win campaign.

Junior varsity

Jay County played a strong final five minutes to put the Panthers away, 39-28.

The Patriots (10-6) led for much of the game, but saw their advantage slip to just two points as Eastbrook hit the first two hoops of the fourth quarter. JCHS bounced back, finishing on a 14-5 run for the double-digit win.

Dexter Shreve was the only player in double figures for either team, leading Jay County with 10 points. Garrett Krieg tripled JV scoring total for the season with nine points, and Brad Horn added five.

Boone Searles and Micah Brooks finished with seven points apiece for the Panthers.[[In-content Ad]]