No. 10 Tigers defeat JC (02/19/08)

If the Patriots make it where they're hoping to go, they will see the kind of competition they battled Monday night.

Jay County High School's gymnastics team put up its second-best score of the season Monday, but fell 106.075-99.175 to the No. 10 Hagerstown Tigers.

"That's what we're going to see at regionals if we make it that far," said senior Erika Hunt of the regional meet, which would likely include No. 2 Bishop Dwenger and two other Fort Wayne area teams that have scored 105 or higher this season.

Hunt, who has helped the team qualify for the regional meet in each of her previous three seasons, and freshman Kristen Ainsworth both scored on every event Monday for the Patriots.

Ainsworth was the only JCHS gymnast to crack the top three at the meet, which also included Lacy Raef of Wapahani. She finished third on the balance beam with a no-fall routine for an 8.2.

Hagerstown's Caitlyn Catania dominated the meet with an all-around 37.375, winning every event. Her 9.6 on the beam was the highest score of the night, and she added a 9.55 on the vault, 9.35 on the floor exercise and 8.875 on the uneven bars.

Raef scored in the top three on three of the four events, and the remaining top scores came from Hagerstown's Chelsea Scott, Melissa Tinkle and Amanda Lakes.

Both Hunt and assistant coach Lacey Grider, filling in as coach Kristin Millspaugh missed the meet because of illness, said the Patriots' goal for next week's regular-season finale against Bluffton should be to break the 100-point barrier. Their high score this year is 99.525.

"I think we could have gotten it tonight," said Grider, noting that bars and beam scores will make the difference. "Bars I think we're at the point where we're probably all doing as much as we can, we just need a little more clean up. It's just the little stuff on bars.

"And beam, it's just staying on. The scores are there if we just stay on.

"It's been our focus a lot in practice and it probably still will be."

Hunt joined Ainsworth in turning in a no-fall routine on the beam against Hagerstown, finishing with an 8.1. Jennifer Buckland added a 7.35 with a couple of falls.

Each fall results in an automatic half-point deduction.

"It's definitely getting better," said Hunt of her routine. "We changed ... a lot. We're doing things that I'm more comfortable with. I know I can do the skills, I just have to be confident when I do them. ... The new routine helps a lot."

Hunt had the top score on an event for the Patriots with an 8.95 on the floor, and led them with a 33.375 all-around total. She added an 8.875 on the vault and an 8.0 on bars.

Ainsworth had a team-best 8.1 on the bars along with an 8.75 on the floor and 8.7 on the vault. She posted a 33.75 all-around score.

Kendra Homan showed big potential on the vault, scoring an 8.8 despite stumbling on her landing. Buckland added an 8.5 on the floor and a 6.85 on the bars.

"Overall I think it went well," said Grider, noting the team scores of 26.375 on vault and 26.2 on the floor. "Kendra's (vault) score kind of surprised me. She would have had a real good score (without the fall)."

Junior varsity

A different Jay County gymnast finished first on every event, led by Kyli Kelso with an 8.25 on the floor.

Lexie Rowles posted a 7.35 on the floor, Melynda Brackman took the beam with a 6.85 and Homan won the bars with a 6.35. Brackman posted career-best scores on every event.

"I think she's getting more comfortable and she's just getting back in the flow of things," said Grider of Brackman, who posted an 8.15 on vault and 8.05 on floor. "She took a couple years off from gymnastics, and you could see the potential. She's getting more confident."

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