July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Pace is key for JC (03/05/2009)
JCHS boys basketball
Pace is key for JC (03/05/2009)
By By RAY COONEY-
The last six seasons have brought great success for the Jay County High School boys basketball team.
In each of those seasons, the Patriots have won at least 15 games. And every time, they played for a sectional championship.
They will need a win Friday night to extend both of those streaks to seven years.
It will be a tall challenge as Jay County (14-6) takes on the Class 4A No. 9 Marion Giants (18-3) in the sectional semifinal round at Huntington North Friday at 7:30 p.m. The host Vikings (7-13) and Homestead (13-8) will play in Friday's first semifinal game at 6 p.m., and the winners will advance to the sectional title game Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Patriot coach Craig Teagle was impressed with Marion after watching it defeat Fort Wayne North Side 94-86 in Tuesday's opening round.
"They're loaded. They're really good," said Teagle before practice Wednesday. "They've got two or three players better than anybody we've seen all year."
The top two among them are Scott Wood and JaRob McCallum.
Wood, a North Carolina State recruit, is one of the best offensive players in the state. He ranks fourth in Indiana in scoring at 26 points per game and third in free-throw percentage at .919. He has also hit 54 3-pointers.
McCallum, who will play college basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, averages 15.5 points and 4.4 assists.
"The Wood kid can shoot from 30 feet, and it looks like anyone else shooting it from 12 or 15," said Teagle. "And the McCallum kid, off the dribble he may be the best shooter I've ever seen. He just doesn't miss, it seems like ...
"McCallum and Wood, they're going to ... get their shots off. What we really have to do is limit everyone else."
One of the challenges to limiting the rest of the team will be the battle of the boards.
Teagle said his team must keep the Giants off of the offensive glass.
That will be especially tough because, as most teams this season, Marion has a height advantage. In addition to the 6-foot-6-inch Wood, all three players on the Giants' front line are 6-foot-4 or taller.
One of those big men is Mikel Brigham, another potential Division I player, who is 13th in the state in both rebounding (11.1 per game) and blocks (2.5) while shooting better than 51 percent from the field.
In contrast, Eric Homan is Jay County's tallest player at 6-foot-1 and best rebounder with 5.9 per game.
"Obviously they have a height advantage," said Teagle. "What we have to do is not be satisfied with having position in front of them. We've got to try to physically get them away from the rim. Because if you don't, they're going to be able to tip it and keep it alive."
The other key to victory is tempo.
The Patriots will seek to slow down the game and force Marion to play a much different style than in its eight-point win Tuesday night. The goal, Teagle said, will be to average eight possessions per quarter and keep the score in the 30s or 40s.
"Our best defense will be our offense," said Teagle. "We have to slow the game down, control possessions.
"I think that's huge, because they have to make an adjustment. ... They have not seen a lot of slow-down basketball."
On the other hand, Teagle said he expects the Giants will try to full-court press and half-court trap his team in an effort to push the tempo.
The teams also contrasted in style last season when they met in the sectional championship game. The Patriots were successful in controlling the tempo most of the way and trailed by just three points with less than six minutes to play before losing 49-39.
Marion went on to finish as the state runners-up.
Heading into that game last season, Jay County was on a roll with 14 straight victories. This time around the Patriots are coming off of an overtime loss to Class A No. 9 Monroe Central after leading by 13 points early in the first quarter.
"I think they were really disappointed with their performance at the end," said Teagle. "But it's all correctable ... The practices have been good. They've come back, and I think down deep they believe if we play the way we're capable of we can knock Marion off."
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In each of those seasons, the Patriots have won at least 15 games. And every time, they played for a sectional championship.
They will need a win Friday night to extend both of those streaks to seven years.
It will be a tall challenge as Jay County (14-6) takes on the Class 4A No. 9 Marion Giants (18-3) in the sectional semifinal round at Huntington North Friday at 7:30 p.m. The host Vikings (7-13) and Homestead (13-8) will play in Friday's first semifinal game at 6 p.m., and the winners will advance to the sectional title game Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Patriot coach Craig Teagle was impressed with Marion after watching it defeat Fort Wayne North Side 94-86 in Tuesday's opening round.
"They're loaded. They're really good," said Teagle before practice Wednesday. "They've got two or three players better than anybody we've seen all year."
The top two among them are Scott Wood and JaRob McCallum.
Wood, a North Carolina State recruit, is one of the best offensive players in the state. He ranks fourth in Indiana in scoring at 26 points per game and third in free-throw percentage at .919. He has also hit 54 3-pointers.
McCallum, who will play college basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, averages 15.5 points and 4.4 assists.
"The Wood kid can shoot from 30 feet, and it looks like anyone else shooting it from 12 or 15," said Teagle. "And the McCallum kid, off the dribble he may be the best shooter I've ever seen. He just doesn't miss, it seems like ...
"McCallum and Wood, they're going to ... get their shots off. What we really have to do is limit everyone else."
One of the challenges to limiting the rest of the team will be the battle of the boards.
Teagle said his team must keep the Giants off of the offensive glass.
That will be especially tough because, as most teams this season, Marion has a height advantage. In addition to the 6-foot-6-inch Wood, all three players on the Giants' front line are 6-foot-4 or taller.
One of those big men is Mikel Brigham, another potential Division I player, who is 13th in the state in both rebounding (11.1 per game) and blocks (2.5) while shooting better than 51 percent from the field.
In contrast, Eric Homan is Jay County's tallest player at 6-foot-1 and best rebounder with 5.9 per game.
"Obviously they have a height advantage," said Teagle. "What we have to do is not be satisfied with having position in front of them. We've got to try to physically get them away from the rim. Because if you don't, they're going to be able to tip it and keep it alive."
The other key to victory is tempo.
The Patriots will seek to slow down the game and force Marion to play a much different style than in its eight-point win Tuesday night. The goal, Teagle said, will be to average eight possessions per quarter and keep the score in the 30s or 40s.
"Our best defense will be our offense," said Teagle. "We have to slow the game down, control possessions.
"I think that's huge, because they have to make an adjustment. ... They have not seen a lot of slow-down basketball."
On the other hand, Teagle said he expects the Giants will try to full-court press and half-court trap his team in an effort to push the tempo.
The teams also contrasted in style last season when they met in the sectional championship game. The Patriots were successful in controlling the tempo most of the way and trailed by just three points with less than six minutes to play before losing 49-39.
Marion went on to finish as the state runners-up.
Heading into that game last season, Jay County was on a roll with 14 straight victories. This time around the Patriots are coming off of an overtime loss to Class A No. 9 Monroe Central after leading by 13 points early in the first quarter.
"I think they were really disappointed with their performance at the end," said Teagle. "But it's all correctable ... The practices have been good. They've come back, and I think down deep they believe if we play the way we're capable of we can knock Marion off."
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