Ring it up (12/02/06)

The Bellmont Braves knew they were going to be in attendance for Jay County's ring ceremony. Maybe someone should have warned them they were going to get their bells rung as well.

The Patriots, ranked ninth in Class 3A, played every bit like a state contender, exploding out to a 9-0 lead in the opening two minutes and throttling Bellmont 65-46.

"I could tell in the locker room everybody was ready to play before and after the ring ceremony," said JCHS senior Corey Comer. "It was just an exciting night.

"We just worked hard. We came out ready to play."

And before Bellmont (1-1) knew what was happening, they were staring at a nine-point deficit.

Comer, who recorded his second straight double-double to start the season, opened the scoring with a 3-pointer off a Rhett Retter assist. Scott "Scooter" Bruggeman picked Ryan Lehrman's pocket on the next possession and converted an easy two off the steal.

Bruggeman dished to Comer for the next two points, then scored two more of his own off another steal causing Braves' coach Flava Sirg to take a time-out just 1:43 into the contest.

"We knew with all the festivities and the things that they were planning (it would be tough)," said Sirg, "but I was really disappointed because we missed a couple shots and then our intensity went down and then it just snowballed. Finally when we kind of got it together it was too big of a hill to climb.

"You've got to give them credit. They played really well tonight."

Bellmont had three turnovers and missed its only field-goal attempt in its first four possessions while the Patriots opened 4-for-4 from the field. Bruggeman added two more quick hoops and had eight of his 10 points by the 4:30 mark.

The Braves didn't score consecutive field goals until the final two minutes of the third quarter - the only time they did so in the entire game.

"I have to admit I wondered a little bit how we would start the game," said Teagle. "You always wonder if the ring ceremony would take some emotion away and you wouldn't come out and play like you thought you were capable of. But our kids kind of used that, I think, and played with a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of spirit. ... I'm pretty proud of them."

The lead for Jay County (2-0) was out to 16 points at halftime, and was as large as 22 points in the second half. And when the Bellmont made its only mini-run early in the fourth quarter, Comer put the visiting team away.

After a Bellmont time-out, Comer proceeded to score the next nine Patriot points. His outburst, which included a 3-point play from a Bruggeman assist on a fast break, led a 13-3 Jay County run to finish off the Braves for good.

Comer went 7-of-11 from the field and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the foul line for his game-best 22 points.

"He really showed a lot of poise when I thought we lost our heads a couple of times," said Teagle of Comer, who also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. "He did a great job of doing the smart thing and taking it hard to the hole. ... He went to the free-throw line and knocked in free throws. If we can get Corey to shoot 75-80 percent from the line, he'll be close to a double-double every night because they're going to have to foul him to stop him."

Comer's rebounding led another dominant effort on the glass for the Patriots, who grabbed 14 more rebounds than Elwood in their season opener. Jay County more than doubled the Braves - 43-19 - and four Patriots had more rebounds than the top glass worker for the visiting squad.

Following Comer were Clint Muhlenkamp with nine boards, Bruggeman with eight and Luke Goetz with seven. Billy Wellman joined Comer and Bruggeman in double figures with 13 points, including three 3-points, and Goetz added nine. Bruggeman had five assists.

"I feel good. I think if we keep on playing hard we'll have another great year.

"I just want to thank all the fans who came out tonight. The whole team hopes they keep on coming and supporting us."

Ryan Lehrman led Bellmont with 10 points and six rebounds. No other Brave had more than three boards.

Drew Konkle added 10 points, and Zach Colclasure dished out three assists.

Junior varsity

Jay County busted open a halftime tie with a dominant third quarter and cruised to a 56-42 victory over the Braves.

The Patriots trailed 14-5 after the opening quarter, but pulled even by halftime and used a 17-7 third-quarter advantage to take the lead for good. They outscored Bellmont 33-14 in the second and third quarters combined.

Kyle Simmons powered the Jay County effort with 18 points, and Dexter Sheve was just one point behind him. Aaron Daniels added nine points.

Nick Hall led the Braves with 13 points, and Michael Stidam added 12.[[In-content Ad]]