July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
JCHS tops Stars by 30 (01/17/07)
JCHS girls basketball
JCHS tops Stars by 30 (01/17/07)
By By RAY COONEY-
Every now and again Kirk Comer latches onto a buzz word for his team. Tuesday night, it was "confidence".
He used that word over and over again after his Jay County girls basketball team broke a three-game losing streak with a 67-37 victory over the South Adams Starfires.
"I think the difference was confidence," the JCHS coach said. "We came in and we were confident and we took care of the basketball and we hit shots. Confidence is a huge thing. It seems like those passes that haven't been getting there were getting there (tonight). They were a little bit sharper. The shots that haven't been falling started falling. I think it was a huge shot in the arm for us tonight."
After shooting less than 25 percent from the field in their previous two games - losses to Huntington North in overtime and Connersville - the Patriots hit for 42 percent through the first three quarters Tuesday. They accomplished that mark with 10 players getting in the score book, six scoring eight points or more - Lindsey Wellman had a game-high 12 points - and nine recording at least one assist.
The crisp passing by Jay County (10-5) led to assists on 17 out of 24 made field goals, including an outstanding 10 out of 12 in the first half. Dana Horn had four of her game-high five assists in that opening half, and six other players added one apiece.
"We need to come out the same way against Norwell (10-5) Thursday night. They're a good team," said Comer, whose team also had just 11 turnovers and hit 14-of-18 free throws.
"I told the girls after the game, 'A lot of girls stepped up tonight.' The reason was confidence.
"The girls that play with the most confidence are going to have the best chance to be the most successful, and they're going to get the most minutes. We've got a lot of girls who can play, it's just who can relax and who can play with confidence in the big games."
South Adams (2-12) got off to one of its better starts against the Patriots, eschewing the 3-pointer and working the ball inside in an attempt to get easy looks. It worked for a while as the Starfires were tied with Jay County at nine and trailed just 19-15 after the opening quarter.
SAHS made five of its eight field-goal tries (63 percent) in the opening period, getting six points from senior point guard Kayla Coblentz.
"We just relaxed and played," said Starfire coach Doug Beall. "We weren't turning the ball over. The few times we did we were hustling back ... That's all heart on the part of the girls. When the season is going record-wise as poorly as ours is, it's a lot easier to just pack it in and get ready for softball or track or whatever, but they're going to play it out."
But the Patriot defense picked up over the final three quarters and the Starfires lost their touch from the field. They hit just 7-of-32 (22 percent) and turned the ball over 23 times.
Jay County used an 18-6 second quarter to extend their lead to double digits at halftime.
It added an 11-0 run bridging the final two quarters on the way to the 30-point win.
"Our half-court defense is actually pretty good," said Beall. "But when you're turning the ball over 30 times, you don't get a chance to set that defense up."
Following Wellman, who hit all of her six free throws and also had a game-high eight rebounds, for the Patriots were Abby Loy, Pazia Speed and Nicole Pfeifer with nine points apiece. Pfeifer and Speed each finished 4-of-5 (80 percent) from the field.
Whitney Homan and Cassandra Huelskamp each hit a pair of 3-pointers as they both finished with eight points.
"Games like this give you confidence - Cassandra Huelskamp coming in and hitting those shots. We all knew she could do it, and that just had to be huge for her," Comer said. "Shelby Rines I thought played really well inside. We had her for five defections at halftime. ...
"The more girls we have contributing, the better, and tonight we had a lot of girls contribute."
Junior varsity
Jay County dominated the opening quarter and rolled to a 42-10 victory over the Starfires.
The Patriots, who improved to 12-3, jumped out to a 19-4 lead after the opening six minutes. South Adams managed no more than four points in any quarter in the defeat.
Gina Muhlenkamp led Jay County as she outscored the Starfires all by herself, finishing with 11 points. Brittany Mann added nine points, and Sharon Dirksen scored six.
Tara Beitler and Karen Bollenbacher each scored four points for South Adams.[[In-content Ad]]
He used that word over and over again after his Jay County girls basketball team broke a three-game losing streak with a 67-37 victory over the South Adams Starfires.
"I think the difference was confidence," the JCHS coach said. "We came in and we were confident and we took care of the basketball and we hit shots. Confidence is a huge thing. It seems like those passes that haven't been getting there were getting there (tonight). They were a little bit sharper. The shots that haven't been falling started falling. I think it was a huge shot in the arm for us tonight."
After shooting less than 25 percent from the field in their previous two games - losses to Huntington North in overtime and Connersville - the Patriots hit for 42 percent through the first three quarters Tuesday. They accomplished that mark with 10 players getting in the score book, six scoring eight points or more - Lindsey Wellman had a game-high 12 points - and nine recording at least one assist.
The crisp passing by Jay County (10-5) led to assists on 17 out of 24 made field goals, including an outstanding 10 out of 12 in the first half. Dana Horn had four of her game-high five assists in that opening half, and six other players added one apiece.
"We need to come out the same way against Norwell (10-5) Thursday night. They're a good team," said Comer, whose team also had just 11 turnovers and hit 14-of-18 free throws.
"I told the girls after the game, 'A lot of girls stepped up tonight.' The reason was confidence.
"The girls that play with the most confidence are going to have the best chance to be the most successful, and they're going to get the most minutes. We've got a lot of girls who can play, it's just who can relax and who can play with confidence in the big games."
South Adams (2-12) got off to one of its better starts against the Patriots, eschewing the 3-pointer and working the ball inside in an attempt to get easy looks. It worked for a while as the Starfires were tied with Jay County at nine and trailed just 19-15 after the opening quarter.
SAHS made five of its eight field-goal tries (63 percent) in the opening period, getting six points from senior point guard Kayla Coblentz.
"We just relaxed and played," said Starfire coach Doug Beall. "We weren't turning the ball over. The few times we did we were hustling back ... That's all heart on the part of the girls. When the season is going record-wise as poorly as ours is, it's a lot easier to just pack it in and get ready for softball or track or whatever, but they're going to play it out."
But the Patriot defense picked up over the final three quarters and the Starfires lost their touch from the field. They hit just 7-of-32 (22 percent) and turned the ball over 23 times.
Jay County used an 18-6 second quarter to extend their lead to double digits at halftime.
It added an 11-0 run bridging the final two quarters on the way to the 30-point win.
"Our half-court defense is actually pretty good," said Beall. "But when you're turning the ball over 30 times, you don't get a chance to set that defense up."
Following Wellman, who hit all of her six free throws and also had a game-high eight rebounds, for the Patriots were Abby Loy, Pazia Speed and Nicole Pfeifer with nine points apiece. Pfeifer and Speed each finished 4-of-5 (80 percent) from the field.
Whitney Homan and Cassandra Huelskamp each hit a pair of 3-pointers as they both finished with eight points.
"Games like this give you confidence - Cassandra Huelskamp coming in and hitting those shots. We all knew she could do it, and that just had to be huge for her," Comer said. "Shelby Rines I thought played really well inside. We had her for five defections at halftime. ...
"The more girls we have contributing, the better, and tonight we had a lot of girls contribute."
Junior varsity
Jay County dominated the opening quarter and rolled to a 42-10 victory over the Starfires.
The Patriots, who improved to 12-3, jumped out to a 19-4 lead after the opening six minutes. South Adams managed no more than four points in any quarter in the defeat.
Gina Muhlenkamp led Jay County as she outscored the Starfires all by herself, finishing with 11 points. Brittany Mann added nine points, and Sharon Dirksen scored six.
Tara Beitler and Karen Bollenbacher each scored four points for South Adams.[[In-content Ad]]
Top Stories
9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit
Chartwells marketing
September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.
Events
250 X 250 AD