Pats win 8th straight (12/13/04)

PORTLAND — When the Anderson Highland Scots stumbled, Jay County pounced.

That’s been the difference this year for the Patriots, who have now won eight straight games as they’ve gotten off to their best start in a decade. The Jay County girls basketball team hasn’t allowed teams to hang around when its had a chance to put them away, and that was the same story Saturday as it downed Highland 61-47.

“We’re experienced,” said sophomore Sara Garringer, who drained seven out of eight free throws in the final three minutes to finish with 13 points and also had team highs of six rebounds and four assists. “We have probably the best five seniors you could find around. We have leadership. We have people who will step up and make big plays.”

The Scots (3-5) managed to stay in the game for a half, scoring 17 points in the second quarter to trail just 32-28 at halftime. They pulled within two at 34-32 two minutes into the second half, but would not get any closer.

Jay County (8-1) locked down on defense and at the same time caught fire from 3-point range. Garringer got it started with a 3-pointer on an assist from Renae Laux, and Markie Runyon followed with a rebound and put-back basket.

Then Garringer hit Jamie Bruggeman with assists on back-to-back 3-pointers from the left baseline. The pair of triples completed an 11-0 run which spanned just three minutes and put the Patriots up 45-32.

“We were playing better as a team (in the second half),” said Bruggeman, who finished with 17 points. “We came out with a lot more intensity. We were ready to put them away.”

Jay County looked poised for a blowout, scoring the first six points of the game as the Scots went 0-for-3 with three turnovers in the first three minutes. It pushed the lead to 21-11 early in the second quarter before Highland closed the gap at halftime.

The Patriots took control for good with the third-quarter run, and Garringer sealed the game with her late free throws.

The foul line was where Jay County took control of the game, hitting 16-of-23 foul shots (70 percent). The Scots were just 2-of-7 (29 percent).

It was also another excellent defensive game for the Patriots, who have still not allowed an opponent to reach 50 points all year.

“I thought our defense again was good,” said Jay County coach Kirk Comer. “When I went and watched them play Monday night they scored 97 points. I thought holding them to 47 points was pretty good.”

Jay County also did a nice job of taking care of the ball, giving up just nine turnovers while Highland committed 22. Comer said limiting the turnovers helped offset his team’s 25-14 rebounding disadvantage in the first half.

Following Bruggeman and Garringer was Runyon with nine points. She equaled Garringer for the team-high of six rebounds.

Renae Laux finished with five rebounds while matching Garringer with four assists.

Highland, which was held to fewer than 50 points for just the second time all year, got team highs of 16 points and 10 rebounds from Erin Looper. Jojo Kelly added 11 points, seven boards and four assists, and Erika Chambers had eight points, eight rebounds and three assists.

Casey Herrington also chipped in seven rebounds.

Jay pulls away in 3rd

Jay County’s junior varsity team led by just five points at halftime, but dominated the third quarter on the way to a 47-19 victory over Anderson Highland.

The Patriots repeatedly got beaten on their full court press in the first period, but they turned up the defense in the third. Time after time they stole the ball before Highland could get across half court, and turned those steals into easy baskets as they outscored the Scots 19-2 in the third quarter.

Whitney Homan racked up 11 points as she was the only Jay County player to reach double digits. Amber Champ and Abby Loy followed with seven points apiece, and Cassandra Huelskamp and Natasha South each added five.

Stormie Holder paced Anderson Highland with five points, and Kierra Alan added four.

Freshmen stay perfect

Jay County’s freshman team kept its undefeated record intact with a 40-21 victory over Anderson Highland.

Dana Horn paced the Patriots (5-0), who outscored Highland 28-10 in the second and third quarters. She scored nine points.

Jay County trailed 5-4 after the first period, but went up 20-11 at the half. It took a 12-4 scoring advantage in the third quarter to push the lead to 17 points as it cruised to the win.

Following Horn were Sharon Dirksen and Amber Edmundson with eight and seven points respectively. Katie Runyon had six points and four steals, and Shelby Rines added four rebounds.[[In-content Ad]]