Patriots hold off ’Ole Miss (03/06/06)

HARTFORD CITY — Each night brought a different hero.

Tuesday it was Tyler Rigby, crushing Elwood as has become his habit. Friday it was Scott Bruggeman, redeeming missed chances in regulation to finish Tipton in overtime.

And with the sectional championship on the line Saturday, it was Corey Comer.

With his team’s lead dwindled to just three points midway through the fourth quarter, Comer scored five in a row. Mississinewa never threatened again as Comer hit for 13 of his game-high 15 points in the second half in leading the Patriots to a 54-49 victory over the Indians in the final game of the Blackford sectional.

“I feel really good,” said Comer. “Us underclassmen just want to come out and play as hard as we can for the seniors because it’s their last year and, well, we got them another week. Let’s hope we can get them another one.”

Tyler Rigby, for one, expressed his delight at finally getting to lift the sectional trophy. He was injured and did not play when the Patriots last won in 2004.

“I’ve been waiting four years,” said the senior, who scored all of his 11 points in the opening half. “I had a chance a couple years ago, but I got hurt. It’s a great win. Everybody wanted it real bad. It was a lot of fun.”

Comer and Bruggeman, both juniors, carried the load for Jay County in the final two sectional games. After Rigby went cold in the second half Saturday, Comer and Bruggeman (nine points, four assists) scored 19 of the Patriots’ 28 second-half points in the win.

They combined for half of the Patriots’ 106 points in the sectional semifinal and final games.

“I think Corey and Scott think they’re seniors,” said coach Craig Teagle, who earned his 100th win with at Jay County a night earlier. “Corey has played varsity since he was a freshman. Scott Bruggeman started all last year and this year. They play like seniors.”

The Patriots (17-6) never trailed in the game, finishing the first quarter on a 9-2 run for and eight-point lead. Mississinewa repeatedly pulled to within three or four points, but was unable to get closer.

When they closed to 20-16 in the first half, Jay County responded with a 5-0 run.

After Ryan Shell’s 3-pointer cut the deficit to 31-28 late in the third quarter, Bruggeman and Comer scored the final four points of the period.

Jordan Masters opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer for Mississinewa, only to have Randy Evans answer with a triple.

And when another Masters bomb pulled the Indians to within 40-37 with 4:28 to go, Comer had had enough.

Jay County turned the ball over on its next possession, but got a big defensive stop and Comer scored on the other end. Bruggeman came up with a steal on Mississinewa’s next possession and tossed ahead to Comer, who hit a tough lay-up and added a free-throw for a three-point play.

“Not once did they look worried or bothered,” said Teagle of his players. “They’ve been in tight games. They have lots of experience. They know that there’s an ebb and flow in the game. There’s going to be a bad game here and a good play there. And you just can’t ever put your head down. You’ve got to just continue to fight and play, and that’s what they did. They kept their heads up the whole game. They were confident they were going to find a way to win.”

With the victory, the Patriots head to the regional tournament for the third time in four seasons. They will play Tippecanoe Valley (19-4) Saturday at 10 a.m.

The loss sent Chanse Young’s Mississinewa team home with a 14-8 finish.

“They’re a tough team to play from behind against,” said Young, whose squad never made it a single-possession game again after Comer’s quick five-point run. “Every time they needed a big play, they made a big play.”

The teams shot identical 13-of-37 marks from the field, with Mississinewa hitting eight 3-pointers to the Patriots’ four. But Jay County won the game at the foul line, where they shot 29 times compared to just eight for the Indians.

Bruggeman hit all six of his free throws in the victory.

Mississinewa couldn’t get to the line because they never established an inside game. The Indians worked from the outside early, and then lost 6-foot-5-inch center Matt McCullar to foul trouble. He never got going once he returned to the court, finishing 0-for-4 from the field for two points.

They depended heavily on 3-pointers, with Masters scoring all of his team-high 12 points from beyond the arc. Cory Powell hit two 3-pointers as he scored all of his 10 points in the first half.

“We couldn’t establish our post players,” said Young. “A lot of that has to do with their defense and the way they collapsed down on us. That’s the tough part. We would have liked to establish the post and then work it to the outside ...

“I think the credit goes to Jay County and the fact that they’re just a very good ball team.”

Comer led the Patriots to a 24-16 advantage on the glass with seven rebounds, and John Retter and Clint Muhlenkamp (eight points) each added seven. McCullar was the only Indian with more than two rebounds, finishing with six.[[In-content Ad]]