Jay wins 7th (12/01/07)

UNION CITY - The Patriots came in riding a six-game winning streak. The host Indians were powerless to stop it.

Using pressure defense to harass Union City in the first half, the Jay County High School girls basketball team rolled to its seventh straight victory 62-17 Saturday.

"We came out really strong," said JCHS senior guard Abby Loy, who led the Patriots with 17 points. "We were ready for this game. We came here two years ago and lost ... so we were just coming her focused today."

Jay County (7-1) was heavily favored in 2005 when they visited Union City and suffered a 42-39 upset. This time around, the Indians had no chance at the upset.

The Patriots scored the first eight points of Saturday's game, and then did all the scoring in a 21-0 second quarter. They forced 21 first-half turnovers en route to a 35-4 halftime lead.

"We thought if we played with intensity that it could be that way," said Jay County coach Kirk Comer, whose squad forced 35 turnovers for the game despite dropping back to half-court defense after the intermission. "We want to win every night out. But the main objective now is to get better every night. I think we've been doing that."

The current seven-game winning streak is the longest for the Patriots since a nine-game run during Comer's first season at the helm in 2004-05. That team, like the current squad, lost its opener to Fort Wayne South Side before running off its streak of wins.

Jay County has been an offensive juggernaut this season, scoring at least 55 points in every game and clearing 70 three times for an average of nearly 66 points per game.

"We're playing like a team," said Loy. "The team chemistry is all coming together this year.

"We don't really care who scores, we just all want to play together."

Lindsey Wellman trailed Loy with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting. She also had nine rebounds.

Brittany Mann added eight points, and Kaelee Keller had seven to go along with five assists.

Loy shot 75 percent from the field, going 6-of-8 with a pair of 3-poineters.

"She showed what kind of leader she is," said Comer. "She got some steals and some big baskets. She starting to really shoot the ball well.

"I think she's really coming along well. She's gaining confidence on the offensive end, and she wants to guard the other team's best offensive player every game."

Despite facing the mammoth deficit and enduring the scoreless second quarter, Union City continued to play hard after the break. It managed to outscore the Patriots 12-10 in the third quarter before the Patriots turned in a 17-1 advantage in the fourth.

"That's one thing about this team, they work hard," said Union City coach Keith Fields, whose team is now 2-4. "They don't quit. ... Jay County is a good basketball team. ... They've got everything. They've got a complete package. They've got speed, they've got quickness, they've got size and they've got shooters. ... They're so deep."

Natasha Anguiano led the Indians, who shot just 17 percent, with five points. Lani Allen and Chantle Candy each had three points, and Allen added four rebounds.

Junior varsity

An eight-point lead at halftime ballooned after the break as Jay County defeated the Indians 37-15.

The Patriots were up 17-9 at the half, and then held Union City scoreless in the third period. It added an 11-6 advantage in the fourth quarter for the final margin.

Shelby Gierhart hit all of her four 3-pointers in the second half and led Jay County with 15 points. Erin Hunt scored five points, and Mackenzie Loy and Cara Garringer each added five.

Lindsey Bond was the only Union City player in double figures as she finished with 10 points. Kortney Petry followed with three points.[[In-content Ad]]