Scots stop JCHS (02/12/2009)

ANDERSON - Offense has been difficult at times in the Patriots' last five games. But Wednesday night it went to a different level.

The Anderson Highland Scots used Jay County's style against it, using patient offense and stifling defense to hand the visitors a 39-27 defeat.

"You've just got to be as smart as them. You can not go out there playing silly basketball," said first-year Highland coach Jeff Howard, whose team has won nine of its last 10. "Because if you go down, you take one pass and you jack the ball ... you're going to sit on defense for four, five, six, seven, eight, nine passes. So I told them at halftime, make them sit ..."

So the Scots (12-5) were content to play at the slower pace, committing just five turnovers to Jay County's nine. They held the Patriots to just 33 percent shooting as both teams attempts only 33 field goals in the game.

The offensive output was the lowest for JCHS since falling 41-25 to Delta in the 2005 sectional championship game. It had scored at least 40 points in 13 of its previous 14 games this season.

"We're not very good offensively ... but really the thing I was disappointed in is our defense," said Patriot coach Craig Teagle, whose team is now 11-4. "We gave up 22 shots in the paint. Our whole point was ... don't let anybody get to the paint."

Jay Mohr struggled in the first half, hitting just a single 3-pointer. But he got to the line for the Scots early in the second half and continued to break down the Jay County defense.

All of Mohr's six two-point field goals came in the last 11 minutes of the game as he helped Highland pull away with game highs of 18 points and six rebounds.

"We just let him go around us right and left," said Teagle. "We didn't help out very well. And then every time they made a good play, it took something away from us. The wind went out of our sails."

Derrick Hill added 10 points and two assists for Highland.

Eric Homan's eight points paced JCHS, and he also had four rebounds and four blocks. Adam Garringer scored seven points.

Brad Horn led Jay County's junior varsity team (14-1) with 13 points, including 10 in the second half, in its 36-24 victory.

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