July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Robles' free throw finishes the Patriots (12/3/03)
JCHS girls basketball
Robles' free throw finishes the Patriots (12/3/03)
PORTLAND — The Patriots knocked Leah Robles down, but they couldn’t stop her when it counted most.
Tuesday’s girls basketball contest had to be stopped twice for trainers and coaches to help Robles off the floor after she crashed to the ground in collisions with other players.
Still, the 5-foot-2 Bluffton Tiger’s senior point guard returned to the lineup and was standing at the foul line with seven seconds left in a tie game. She hit the second of her two free throw attempts, scoring the game-winning point as Bluffton downed Jay County 52-51.
“We just fought hard there at the end,” said Bluffton coach Vicki VanMatre, whose team improved to 5-1. “We made a couple of mistakes but overcame them.”
Jay County still had a chance to win the game after Robles’ free throw, but couldn’t get the ball up the court. Jamie Bruggeman’s inbound pass went off Sarah Dirksen’s fingertips and was recovered by the Tigers, who ran out the few seconds left on the clock.
The Patriots had a time out left, but had already set up their inbound play on a previous timeout prior to the Robles foul shots.
Jay County coach Lea Selvey said he was saving the timeout to use if his team couldn’t get the ball in play or couldn’t get a good look at the other end. However, the opportunity never came.
“We panicked,” said Lea Selvey. “You never know what’s going through their heads in that situation. Seven seconds is a long time. ... (Dirksen) went one way, and the pass went the other.”
Despite the importance of the final seconds, the Patriots (4-3) were truly done in by their third-quarter woes.
They scored just six third-quarter points, finishing 3-of-12 from the field (25 percent). They went scoreless for the final 2:30 of the period, watching Bluffton’s one-point halftime lead balloon to seven.
A big part of the struggle came from the absence of Felisha Parr, who went down with an ankle injury on the final play of the first half.
Parr had scored 14 of her team’s first 20 points, and had all of her team-high 16 points when the halftime buzzer sounded. She shot 6-of-12 in the first half while the rest of the Jay County squad was just 5-of-18.
She was not able to return after the intermission, and the Patriots struggled to put points on the board. Her status for Saturday’s game at home against Coldwater at 10:30 a.m. is questionable.
“We obviously struggled in the second half scoring,” said Selvey, noting Parr’s absence. “They couldn’t stop her. They didn’t have an answer. When she was out they were able to go a little bit further out on our shooters.”
Bluffton did its part to earn the victory with excellent work on the glass and a great free throw shooting effort by Chrissy Tudor.
The Tigers dominated the rebounding battle despite sporting no one taller than 5-foot-8 compared to five players taller than that on the Jay County roster.
Christina Yoder and Tudor, seniors who both stand 5-foot-5, each grabbed 10 boards to lead Bluffton to a 40-28 advantage. Parr, Bruggeman and Markie Runyon shared the Patriot team high with five apiece.
Despite her unorthodox style, Tudor scored most of her team-best 14 points from the foul line. Shooting almost one-handed, she hit 10-of-12 free throw attempts.
“She’s been working on that,” said VanMatre. “That’s been one of her goals this year because she knows she goes to the line a lot.”
Yoder also reached double figures for the Tigers, finishing with 11 points. Audrey Ballinger, the sister of former Michigan State player Adam Ballinger, and Mandy Huber each scored nine points.
Weitzel followed Parr for Jay County with 12 points. She added four rebounds and one assist.
Bruggeman scored seven points and dished out five assists, and Markie Runyon also put in seven points.
Junior varsity
Jay County’s junior varsity team dominated the action, putting up two 20-point quarters in a 60-29 victory over Bluffton.
The Patriots scored 21 second-quarter points for a 31-15 lead at halftime. They increased the lead to 40-19 after three quarters and then put up 20 more points in the final period.
Much of the damage in the second quarter was done by Mary Spencer. She hit four of her six 3-pointers in the second quarter as she finished with a team-high 18 points.
Theresa Reinhart scored nine points, and Miranda Betz and Saffron Redwine each had seven.
Paula Huber, Katie Hinshaw and Jami Hunt each had five points for Bluffton.[[In-content Ad]]
Tuesday’s girls basketball contest had to be stopped twice for trainers and coaches to help Robles off the floor after she crashed to the ground in collisions with other players.
Still, the 5-foot-2 Bluffton Tiger’s senior point guard returned to the lineup and was standing at the foul line with seven seconds left in a tie game. She hit the second of her two free throw attempts, scoring the game-winning point as Bluffton downed Jay County 52-51.
“We just fought hard there at the end,” said Bluffton coach Vicki VanMatre, whose team improved to 5-1. “We made a couple of mistakes but overcame them.”
Jay County still had a chance to win the game after Robles’ free throw, but couldn’t get the ball up the court. Jamie Bruggeman’s inbound pass went off Sarah Dirksen’s fingertips and was recovered by the Tigers, who ran out the few seconds left on the clock.
The Patriots had a time out left, but had already set up their inbound play on a previous timeout prior to the Robles foul shots.
Jay County coach Lea Selvey said he was saving the timeout to use if his team couldn’t get the ball in play or couldn’t get a good look at the other end. However, the opportunity never came.
“We panicked,” said Lea Selvey. “You never know what’s going through their heads in that situation. Seven seconds is a long time. ... (Dirksen) went one way, and the pass went the other.”
Despite the importance of the final seconds, the Patriots (4-3) were truly done in by their third-quarter woes.
They scored just six third-quarter points, finishing 3-of-12 from the field (25 percent). They went scoreless for the final 2:30 of the period, watching Bluffton’s one-point halftime lead balloon to seven.
A big part of the struggle came from the absence of Felisha Parr, who went down with an ankle injury on the final play of the first half.
Parr had scored 14 of her team’s first 20 points, and had all of her team-high 16 points when the halftime buzzer sounded. She shot 6-of-12 in the first half while the rest of the Jay County squad was just 5-of-18.
She was not able to return after the intermission, and the Patriots struggled to put points on the board. Her status for Saturday’s game at home against Coldwater at 10:30 a.m. is questionable.
“We obviously struggled in the second half scoring,” said Selvey, noting Parr’s absence. “They couldn’t stop her. They didn’t have an answer. When she was out they were able to go a little bit further out on our shooters.”
Bluffton did its part to earn the victory with excellent work on the glass and a great free throw shooting effort by Chrissy Tudor.
The Tigers dominated the rebounding battle despite sporting no one taller than 5-foot-8 compared to five players taller than that on the Jay County roster.
Christina Yoder and Tudor, seniors who both stand 5-foot-5, each grabbed 10 boards to lead Bluffton to a 40-28 advantage. Parr, Bruggeman and Markie Runyon shared the Patriot team high with five apiece.
Despite her unorthodox style, Tudor scored most of her team-best 14 points from the foul line. Shooting almost one-handed, she hit 10-of-12 free throw attempts.
“She’s been working on that,” said VanMatre. “That’s been one of her goals this year because she knows she goes to the line a lot.”
Yoder also reached double figures for the Tigers, finishing with 11 points. Audrey Ballinger, the sister of former Michigan State player Adam Ballinger, and Mandy Huber each scored nine points.
Weitzel followed Parr for Jay County with 12 points. She added four rebounds and one assist.
Bruggeman scored seven points and dished out five assists, and Markie Runyon also put in seven points.
Junior varsity
Jay County’s junior varsity team dominated the action, putting up two 20-point quarters in a 60-29 victory over Bluffton.
The Patriots scored 21 second-quarter points for a 31-15 lead at halftime. They increased the lead to 40-19 after three quarters and then put up 20 more points in the final period.
Much of the damage in the second quarter was done by Mary Spencer. She hit four of her six 3-pointers in the second quarter as she finished with a team-high 18 points.
Theresa Reinhart scored nine points, and Miranda Betz and Saffron Redwine each had seven.
Paula Huber, Katie Hinshaw and Jami Hunt each had five points for Bluffton.[[In-content Ad]]
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