Patriots focused in win over Fort (02/05/07)

"They basically just put on a clinic in the game of basketball."

That was Fort Recovery coach Brian Patch's summary after Class 3A No. 10 Jay County dominated his Indians in just about every facet for a 57-31 victory Saturday night.

"We kind of stepped back and took it in every aspect of the game," Patch added. "Defensively for them, offensively for them, rebounding for them, execution, they pretty much did everything they wanted to do and did it well and did it right. And we didn't come out and really do anything that we wanted to do very well. And that's why the score looks the way it looks." The shooting numbers especially told the tale.

Jay County (13-3) shot 61 percent for the game while the Indians hit for just 28.

Both teams made three 3-pointers, but the Patriots did it in seven attempts while it took Fort Recovery 16 tries.

When the Indians (9-7) fell behind by 14 early in the second half, they then missed seven consecutive free throws to take away any chance they had at a comeback. They finished the game 6-of-17 (35 percent) from the line, including 2-of-11 (18 percent) in the second half.

And after allowing double digits in each of the first two quarters, Jay County gave up just nine Tribe points in the second half. Fort Recovery went 3-of-18 (17 percent) from the field after the intermission.

"After we talked and kind of refocused at halftime I thought our kids came out and did a great job - nine points in the second half," said JCHS coach Craig Teagle. "I don't care who you play, that's being focused, intense and contesting shots.

"Our kids were really focused, and I think they were disappointed in their effort (Friday) night defensively. It wouldn't have mattered who we were playing tonight, we were going to play awfully well defensively."

The Patriots average just over 14 3-point attempts per game this year, but cut that in half Saturday in favor of attacking the basket.

Scott "Scooter" Bruggeman took advantage of those inside looks to the tune of a 7-for-8 shooting night from the field. He added three free throws for a game-high 17 points, and shared the game-high of eight rebounds.

Fellow senior Corey Comer joined him in double figures with 13 points, and was the other player who grabbed eight boards.

"Scott and Corey met with the kids this morning," said Teagle. "They wanted to have a little team meeting and they wanted to get them refocused and understand that we can't have games like (Friday) night here toward the end of the year. We have to be ready to go from the start, and every game has got to be the biggest game on your schedule. I appreciate their leadership."

Spencer Hummer added to the outstanding shooting as he hit all three of his three field-goal tries for six points. Teagle said his team's success in the paint came when it was able to avoid turnovers against Fort Recovery's trapping style of defense.

"If you take care of the basketball, you're always going to get a shot around the basket," Teagle said. "We told our kids, 'Attack the basket and you'll get good looks.' That's what we did. When we took care of it, we got great looks at the basket." The Indians entered the game with six players averaging seven points or more, but had just one score that many against Jay County and none in double figures. Bobby Rammel hit three 3-pointers, including a bomb at the third-quarter buzzer, to lead the Tribe with nine points. Aaron Kahlig and Greg Kahlig each added six.

"Offensively we're not very efficient," said Patch, whose team managed just three assists. "We're not moving the ball, we're not moving ourselves. The shots aren't coming exactly where we want them in the flow of the offense at the right times.

"We shot 17 percent in the second half. Obviously you have to give Jay County credit for that, but a lot of it's on us. I don't care who you're playing, you should be able to shoot better than 17 percent. A lot of that is our shot selection. ... We've got to do a better job of moving and playing well as a team."

While the Patriots have never won at the Fort Site Fieldhouse in the now 11-year-old series, they have now turned their own home court into an advantage. They have won the last three meetings in Indiana by an average of 17 points, and have not allowed Fort Recovery to reach 40 points in any of those games.

Junior varsity

Jay County grabbed a first-quarter lead and stayed in control all the way to a 31-23 victory over the Indians. The Patriots went up 9-3 after the opening period and had a seven-point advantage at halftime. They kept at least a four-point advantage over Fort Recovery in the second half on the way to the win.

Aaron Daniels powered Jay County (13-3), scoring twice as many points as any other player on the floor as he finished with 15. He also had five steals and four rebounds.

Kyle Simmons added six points, and Derek Bartlett had six rebounds and three assists.

Brent Faller's seven points and six rebounds were both team highs for the Indians. Wes Kahlig followed with six points, Eric Lamm grabbed six boards and Curt Heitkamp finished with five rebounds and four assists.[[In-content Ad]]