July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Ready for the rematch (02/07/08)
JCHS girls basketball
By By RAY COONEY-
The Patriots have played a lot of big games this season. But none compares to the challenge standing before them Friday night, even though the opponent is familiar.
Jay County will battle the seventh-ranked Fort Wayne South Side Archers in the semifinal round of the Class 4A's Sectional 6 at Huntington North.
The two teams met in the opening game of the season Nov. 6 with host Patriots leading for most of the first half and South Side in control for most of the seconds. Ahead by three in the closing minutes, the Archers got a key offensive rebound off of a missed free throw and pushed ahead by five. JCHS pulled within three again, but ran out of time in a 62-58 defeat.
South Side, now 18-4, remained the only loss on the Patriots' record until January as they won 13 consecutive games.
"We're looking forward to playing them, to see how much we've improved," said JCHS coach Kirk Comer, whose team is 18-3 after Tuesday's sectional opening 59-27 slaughter of Fort Wayne North Side. "I think we're better than we were when we played them the first time, and they would probably say they're better."
Friday's other sectional semifinal game pits the host Vikings (13-9) against Marion (16-4).
Marion, which defeated Huntington North 66-54 during the regional season, is led by senior Ronikka Drake, who averages 17.2 points and 4.5 assists per game. Katie Hackney, also a senior, is the lone Viking who scores in double figures, averaging team highs of 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest.
The semifinal winners will play for the sectional championship Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
"Both those teams are teams that, if we're fortunate enough to play in the final night, are very good," said Comer, whose squad lost 74-70 to Huntington North on Jan. 8 and did not play Marion this year. "We'd have to play at our highest level."
But first comes South Side, the only ranked team in a sectional in which five of the six squads have winning records, including three with 15-plus wins.
After its opening win over Jay County, the Archers fell by eight to No. 2 South Bend Washington before stringing together 11 consecutive wins. They lost back-to-back games to Fort Wayne foes Concordia (54-51) and Elmhurst (63-54) to close the regular season before handling Homestead 69-55 in Tuesday's opening round of the tournament.
Three South Side players score in double figures, led 6-foot-2-inch post player Sydney Weinert. Leads the team at 13.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
Shavonda Price, who scored 13 of her team-high 18 points against the Patriots in the season opener, averages 12.6 per game, and Brittany Johnson scores 12.5.
Despite that trio offensively, Comer said the biggest key to the game is handling the Archers' full-court press.
"The key is going to be the same as it was before - are we going to be able to handle their pressure," he said. "Their offense is geared off transition. If we can control the basketball and not commit a tremendous amount of turnovers ... then we're going to have a chance in the end."
To accomplish that, he'll put junior guard Kaelee Keller in the middle of the floor. The goal will be to use a pass or two to get Keller the ball, and then let her break down the defense with her quickness.
"I think in any game, the team that is most aggressive has the best opportunity to be successful, and especially against a team like this," said Comer. "A lot of teams are timid and don't attack, and they let them attack. The first time we played them we were aggressive and we've got to be aggressive again on Friday."
Keller, averaging 10.5 points and 2.8 assists per game, is the Patriots' No. 2 scorer behind sophomore forward Lindsey Wellman (12.8 points per game). Three others - seniors Cassandra Huelskamp and Abby Loy and sophomore Pazia Speed - average more than seven points per contest.
Comer said his team, which is two victories away from match the JCHS record for wins in a season, is ready for the rematch.
"Our girls believe that we can beat Fort Wayne South ... They're obviously an outstanding team," he said. "We might not win on Friday, but they'll give it every ounce they have. They're convinced that we're going to play on Saturday."[[In-content Ad]]
Jay County will battle the seventh-ranked Fort Wayne South Side Archers in the semifinal round of the Class 4A's Sectional 6 at Huntington North.
The two teams met in the opening game of the season Nov. 6 with host Patriots leading for most of the first half and South Side in control for most of the seconds. Ahead by three in the closing minutes, the Archers got a key offensive rebound off of a missed free throw and pushed ahead by five. JCHS pulled within three again, but ran out of time in a 62-58 defeat.
South Side, now 18-4, remained the only loss on the Patriots' record until January as they won 13 consecutive games.
"We're looking forward to playing them, to see how much we've improved," said JCHS coach Kirk Comer, whose team is 18-3 after Tuesday's sectional opening 59-27 slaughter of Fort Wayne North Side. "I think we're better than we were when we played them the first time, and they would probably say they're better."
Friday's other sectional semifinal game pits the host Vikings (13-9) against Marion (16-4).
Marion, which defeated Huntington North 66-54 during the regional season, is led by senior Ronikka Drake, who averages 17.2 points and 4.5 assists per game. Katie Hackney, also a senior, is the lone Viking who scores in double figures, averaging team highs of 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest.
The semifinal winners will play for the sectional championship Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
"Both those teams are teams that, if we're fortunate enough to play in the final night, are very good," said Comer, whose squad lost 74-70 to Huntington North on Jan. 8 and did not play Marion this year. "We'd have to play at our highest level."
But first comes South Side, the only ranked team in a sectional in which five of the six squads have winning records, including three with 15-plus wins.
After its opening win over Jay County, the Archers fell by eight to No. 2 South Bend Washington before stringing together 11 consecutive wins. They lost back-to-back games to Fort Wayne foes Concordia (54-51) and Elmhurst (63-54) to close the regular season before handling Homestead 69-55 in Tuesday's opening round of the tournament.
Three South Side players score in double figures, led 6-foot-2-inch post player Sydney Weinert. Leads the team at 13.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
Shavonda Price, who scored 13 of her team-high 18 points against the Patriots in the season opener, averages 12.6 per game, and Brittany Johnson scores 12.5.
Despite that trio offensively, Comer said the biggest key to the game is handling the Archers' full-court press.
"The key is going to be the same as it was before - are we going to be able to handle their pressure," he said. "Their offense is geared off transition. If we can control the basketball and not commit a tremendous amount of turnovers ... then we're going to have a chance in the end."
To accomplish that, he'll put junior guard Kaelee Keller in the middle of the floor. The goal will be to use a pass or two to get Keller the ball, and then let her break down the defense with her quickness.
"I think in any game, the team that is most aggressive has the best opportunity to be successful, and especially against a team like this," said Comer. "A lot of teams are timid and don't attack, and they let them attack. The first time we played them we were aggressive and we've got to be aggressive again on Friday."
Keller, averaging 10.5 points and 2.8 assists per game, is the Patriots' No. 2 scorer behind sophomore forward Lindsey Wellman (12.8 points per game). Three others - seniors Cassandra Huelskamp and Abby Loy and sophomore Pazia Speed - average more than seven points per contest.
Comer said his team, which is two victories away from match the JCHS record for wins in a season, is ready for the rematch.
"Our girls believe that we can beat Fort Wayne South ... They're obviously an outstanding team," he said. "We might not win on Friday, but they'll give it every ounce they have. They're convinced that we're going to play on Saturday."[[In-content Ad]]
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