Patriots headed to semi-state (03/17/06)

When Craig Teagle and Jack Edison meet at mid-court Saturday, mutual respect will reign supreme.

The coaches of the Jay County Patriots and seventh-ranked Plymouth Pilgrims — opponents in the Class 3A semi-state at Lafayette Jefferson — each spoke glowingly about the other’s team during interviews this week.

Edison’s first response wheh asked about Jay County was a single word: “Wow”.

“Tippecanoe Valley is just so highly regarded here in this area,” said the coach, who has 520 career wins, including a state title in 1982, in 33 seasons. “Our people just feel Jay County beating them and then Wawasee ... in a year would be quite an achievement. To beat them in the same day is incredible. That alone kind of drops our mouth.

“They are probably the most fundamentally sound, most disciplined team we’ve seen — both ends of the floor, defense and offense. Their work ethic is incredible, just non-stop. I’ve never seen a team in all my years coaching that moves so well without the ball.”

Teagle is equally impressed with Plymouth. Despite returning no starters from last year’s state runner-up squad, the Pilgrims are back with a 21-4 record.

“They just play so smart and so well together,” said Teagle. “They remind me a lot of what we try to do and the way we try to play. ...

“As soon as they catch (the ball) they always know where the next person is that’s open on the floor. They move the ball so quickly.

“They’re very skilled. They can all handle it and they can all shoot it. And that’s unsual on a high school team.”

Quite possibly the reason the two coaches like each other’s teams so much is because they’re so similar.

Jay County (19-6) scored an average of 12.8 more points than its opponents this year. For Plymouth, it was 12.2.

Both teams run a motion offense, predicated on tons of screens. Both use man-to-man defense, which resulted in 10.6 steals per game for the Pilgrims and 9.8 for the Patriots.

“They’re a really good team,” said Jay County senior Zac Green. “They’re really team oriented, kind of like us. They’re just going to be a really tough battle for us.”

The biggest difference between the two squads comes in the way their scoring is distributed.

Plymouth counts mainly on two players — sophomore Randy Davis (19.1 points per game) and junior Chad Clinton (11.5) — for the bulk of their scoring.

Both are outside gunners — they’ve hit 43 and 49 3-pointers respectively this season — who also have the ability to get to the basket.

“(Randy Davis) can shoot the three really well,” said Teagle. “He’s just so quick with the basketball. He’s really good at shot faking and driving ... he just finds ways to score.

“We’ve got to try to find a way to slow Davis down.”

The other Pilgrim players, none of whom average more than six points per contest, basically serve as screeners on the opposite end. They get most of their points making cuts to the basket, but will occassionally step out and shoot 3-pointers.

“(We have to) shut down their two main players on offense,” said sophomore Clint Muhlenkamp. “They’re real good shooters and we’re just going to have to lock up.”

For the Patriots, its hard to ever tell where the offense is going to come from.

Senior Tyler Rigby (11.7) is the only player who is averaging more than 10 points. But five others score between 6.6 and 9.2 per contest.

During the pair of regional victories Saturday at Blackford, six different Jay County players scored in double figures in at least one of the two games.

Edison, who said he thinks any number of Patriots could be 20-point scorers, thinks it’s their diversity which makes them so hard to stop.

“They’re so unselfish and patient,” he said. “They’ve got a good head for the game.

“That kind of offense just creates havoc for us. That’s obviosly a big concern.”

If there is an advantage for the Patriots, it may be on the inside. The statistics show them to be a slightly better rebounding team, and have nearly twice as many blocked shots as Plymouth for the season.

Still, their similarities outweigh their differences, and point to a great battle for a trip to the state finals at Conseco Fieldhouse. In addition to playing similar styles and racking up similar stats, their seasons have mirrored each other.

Jay County opened 9-2 before hitting a rough patch of injuries and illnesses. The team has gotten it back together after looking flat in a 50-41 loss to Norwell, having played by far its best basketball in the tournament.

Plymouth lost its opener, but won 10 games in a row to follow. It lost three of four games when four players were suspended for violating team rules before coming back with 11 consectuive wins.

With two teams so completely balanced, the deciding factor in the game could be fairly simple.

“When you get to this level each team is going to know each other really well,” said Teagle. “Both teams are going to be totally prepared. ... But the main thing is you have to hit shots. If you get in these games and the ball doesn’t go in the hole then you can get emabarrased pretty quickly. You’ve got to knock in shots. And then you’ve got to get to the free throw line and hit free throws.”[[In-content Ad]]