July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
JC wins No. 14 (02/25/2009)
JCHS boys basketball
JC wins No. 14 (02/25/2009)
By By RAY COONEY-
Billy Wellman made his final game at Jay County High School a memorable one.
Wellman, one of six Patriot seniors playing at home for the final time Tuesday, had the touch from long range as he hit five 3-pointers. His season-high 23 points led JCHS to a 64-49 victory over the Norwell Knights for the team's 14th win of the season.
"He really got in a good rhythm," said Patriot coach Craig Teagle of Wellman. "He's shooting the ball right now at the peak of his jump instead of on his way down. When he shoots it that way, he's very good. When those shoulders get square, he's probably as good a shooter as I've coached."
JCHS, which won its third straight after a stretch in which in lost 5-of-8, needs one more victory to achieve its seventh straight 15-win season. It will close the regular season Friday at Monroe Central (14-6). In the sectional tournament, the Patriots will meet the winner of an opening-round game between Class 4A No. 7 Marion (17-2) or Fort Wayne North Side (13-6).
Wellman had it going from long distance from the start Tuesday, burying his first long distance attempt to tie the game at three. Jay County never trailed again.
With the game tied at 12, Norwell (9-10) had a chance to take the lead when Jake Shapley stepped to the free-throw line with 19 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. But he missed both attempts, and Wellman made him pay.
The senior took a pass from classmate Kyle Simmons and hit his second 3-pointer with four seconds remaining in the period for a 15-12 lead. He added another 3-pointer to open the second quarter, and Simmons' steal and lay-up pushed the advantage to 20-12.
"I thought a key moment was when we didn't take the lead at the end of the first and they hit a three at the buzzer," said Knights coach Doug Hicks, whose team had won four straight. "And then they got the ball and then they scored again."
Norwell never got closer than five points the rest of the way, and the Patriots led by as many as 19 in the second half.
Wellman also scored the final bucket of the first half off of a Simmons assist, and he nailed a 3-pointer to open the second. Simmons had the other five points during a 10-0 JCHS run bridging the halftime break.
The hot shooting from Wellman led a big night overall for the Patriots, who hit 58 percent from the field. Simmons scored 13 points, and senior Jake Westlake joined them in double figures with 10.
Garringer, a senior, added a pair of 3-pointers as JCHS shot 7-of-16 (47 percent) from beyond the arc.
"We're thankful (the shots) fell, because defensively we weren't very good tonight," said Teagle. "We got split way too often, gave up too many offensive rebounds. ...
"We shot the ball well. When you shoot the ball well, it covers up some of your other flaws."
Jay County had assists on 17 of its 22 made field goals, including eight from Simmons. Garringer had eight points and three assists, and Eric Homan grabbed five rebounds.
Other seniors in their final home games Tuesday were Trey Dunn (two points, two assists) and Lance Franklin (one point, two rebounds, one block).
Hicks said his team has been successful this year when it has been able to rattle its opponents, but that didn't happen against the experienced Patriots.
"We've relied a little bit on our 1-3-1 to get some turnovers for points," said Hicks. "I knew that this team was going to be hard to do that too. ... They're not real big, but they all handle it well. ... They all play their roles well."
Brandon Gerber paced Norwell with 11 points, and Jordan Shady also reached double figures with 10. Jeff Shatto grabbed five rebounds.
Junior varsity
Jay County ran its record to 18-1 with a 34-25 victory over the Knights.
The Patriots trailed 11-4 after the opening period, but pulled to within three points at halftime. They allowed just two points in the third quarter and outscored Norwell 19-7 in the second half.
Josh Beaty led JCHS with 15 points.
Garrett Krieg added eight, and Ben Walter scored six.
Bryce Biberstein and Ross Mathews each scored six points for the Knights. Noah Patten added five.
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Wellman, one of six Patriot seniors playing at home for the final time Tuesday, had the touch from long range as he hit five 3-pointers. His season-high 23 points led JCHS to a 64-49 victory over the Norwell Knights for the team's 14th win of the season.
"He really got in a good rhythm," said Patriot coach Craig Teagle of Wellman. "He's shooting the ball right now at the peak of his jump instead of on his way down. When he shoots it that way, he's very good. When those shoulders get square, he's probably as good a shooter as I've coached."
JCHS, which won its third straight after a stretch in which in lost 5-of-8, needs one more victory to achieve its seventh straight 15-win season. It will close the regular season Friday at Monroe Central (14-6). In the sectional tournament, the Patriots will meet the winner of an opening-round game between Class 4A No. 7 Marion (17-2) or Fort Wayne North Side (13-6).
Wellman had it going from long distance from the start Tuesday, burying his first long distance attempt to tie the game at three. Jay County never trailed again.
With the game tied at 12, Norwell (9-10) had a chance to take the lead when Jake Shapley stepped to the free-throw line with 19 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. But he missed both attempts, and Wellman made him pay.
The senior took a pass from classmate Kyle Simmons and hit his second 3-pointer with four seconds remaining in the period for a 15-12 lead. He added another 3-pointer to open the second quarter, and Simmons' steal and lay-up pushed the advantage to 20-12.
"I thought a key moment was when we didn't take the lead at the end of the first and they hit a three at the buzzer," said Knights coach Doug Hicks, whose team had won four straight. "And then they got the ball and then they scored again."
Norwell never got closer than five points the rest of the way, and the Patriots led by as many as 19 in the second half.
Wellman also scored the final bucket of the first half off of a Simmons assist, and he nailed a 3-pointer to open the second. Simmons had the other five points during a 10-0 JCHS run bridging the halftime break.
The hot shooting from Wellman led a big night overall for the Patriots, who hit 58 percent from the field. Simmons scored 13 points, and senior Jake Westlake joined them in double figures with 10.
Garringer, a senior, added a pair of 3-pointers as JCHS shot 7-of-16 (47 percent) from beyond the arc.
"We're thankful (the shots) fell, because defensively we weren't very good tonight," said Teagle. "We got split way too often, gave up too many offensive rebounds. ...
"We shot the ball well. When you shoot the ball well, it covers up some of your other flaws."
Jay County had assists on 17 of its 22 made field goals, including eight from Simmons. Garringer had eight points and three assists, and Eric Homan grabbed five rebounds.
Other seniors in their final home games Tuesday were Trey Dunn (two points, two assists) and Lance Franklin (one point, two rebounds, one block).
Hicks said his team has been successful this year when it has been able to rattle its opponents, but that didn't happen against the experienced Patriots.
"We've relied a little bit on our 1-3-1 to get some turnovers for points," said Hicks. "I knew that this team was going to be hard to do that too. ... They're not real big, but they all handle it well. ... They all play their roles well."
Brandon Gerber paced Norwell with 11 points, and Jordan Shady also reached double figures with 10. Jeff Shatto grabbed five rebounds.
Junior varsity
Jay County ran its record to 18-1 with a 34-25 victory over the Knights.
The Patriots trailed 11-4 after the opening period, but pulled to within three points at halftime. They allowed just two points in the third quarter and outscored Norwell 19-7 in the second half.
Josh Beaty led JCHS with 15 points.
Garrett Krieg added eight, and Ben Walter scored six.
Bryce Biberstein and Ross Mathews each scored six points for the Knights. Noah Patten added five.
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