Squaws slammed (11/17/07)

DECATUR - Any time both teams walk off the court with 31 turnovers, neither coach is going to be overly excited.

But in the case of the Patriots, it marked a second straight road win as a prelude to a battle with a state-ranked foe. Kirk Comer will take it.

The Jay County High School girls basketball coach got 16 points from sophomore Lindsey Wellman, and his team led by double digits throughout the fourth quarter of a 58-42 victory over the host Bellmont Squaws.

"We had a lot of turnovers and didn't take care of the basketball, but we still beat a good team on their home floor," said Comer, whose Patriots visit Class 2A No. 7 Winchester today at 6 p.m. "You're going to have nights where you make turnovers or you miss free throws or whatever, but you still have to find ways to win."

Jay County had key runs in each half, and also got a pair of quarter-ending hoops from senior forward Amber Edmundson in the victory.

The Patriots (2-1), whose loss came by four points to Class 4A No. 9 Fort Wayne South Side, trailed 10-9 late in the opening period. However, Edmundson hit her first field goal of the game with just seconds left on the clock for a one-point lead at the quarter break.

Edmundson added a hoop to start the second quarter, then assisted on a Kaelee Keller 3-pointer. Keller added a lay-up off a Cassandra Huelskamp steal and assist as JCHS completed a 10-0 run.

Bellmont closed to within six late in the half, but Edmundson grabbed an offensive board and scored on a put-back as the final tenths of a second ticked off the clock.

"We've got to block out. ... In our first game we blocked out really well, and then (tonight) we give up two offensive rebounds and a put-back at the buzzer," said Bellmont coach Tory Fuelling. "Instead of being down six, now you're down eight. It doesn't seem like much, but I think in our girls' minds it was."

Edmundson was one of five Patriots to finish with eight or more points as she shot 4-of-5 from the field for nine. Wellman made 10 free throws as she scored a game-high 16 points, Keller and Huelskamp each hit a pair of 3-pointers as they also reached double figures with 13 and 10 respectively, and Pazia Speed chipped in eight.

"She's really maturing as a player," said Comer of Edmundson. "A year ago when she made a mistake she'd come back down and make another mistake. Tonight she would make a mistake and she'd go back down and get us a basket. That play at the end of the half was huge."

Jay County never trailed after Edmundson's hoop at the end of the opening quarter, although the Squaws pulled to within 34-30 at the 3:30 mark of the third period thanks to a personal 5-0 run by Cindi Miller. But the Patriots responded again, getting four Wellman free throws as part of an 8-0 run.

They led by 11 at the end of the third quarter, and proceeded to score the first seven of the fourth - it was a 17-3 run overall - to put the game away.

It was a 43-percent shooting night for the Patriots, but they really earned the win on the defensive end. They held Bellmont to 0-for-3 from the field with five turnovers in its first eight possessions before Kylee Ehrsam finally converted the first field goal 4:15 into the game. Overall, the Squaws hit just 13-of-40 (33 percent).

"Defensively, we did a good job," said Comer. "I thought we did a better job of rebounding. We got second opportunities. The post players took some huge steps tonight. ... Overall I'm real pleased ... to get out of here with a win.

"We moved a lot of people in and out tonight. ... I thought everybody that went in and played tonight gave good minutes."

Jay County's rebounding improved after a first-quarter in which it was out-worked on the glass by a 9-3 count. Over the next three quarters the Patriots won the battle of the boards 25-20 with Wellman grabbing a game-high eight.

Ehrsam and Miller each scored 11 points for Bellmont, and Jessica Hakes finished with eight.

"There was no intensity out there on our part," said Fuelling. "I want us to play harder than every team, and they out-played us in every part of the game tonight. ... They dove on the floor after loose balls. They did the things that we didn't do. ... We're not going to be very good if we don't play hard.

"It seemed like every time we'd get a steal, we'd turn it right back over. ... We've got to take care of the basketball. That's something we've got to work on. We've just got to slow down."

Junior varsity

Jay County rolled out to a seven-point first-quarter lead and never looked back as it took a 41-25 victory over the Squaws.

Cara Garringer racked up 15 points for the Patriots to lead all scorers.

Katie Butcher added eight points, and Shelby Gierhart finished with six.

Dana Kaczmarek paced Bellmont with seven points, and Madison Schultz followed with six.

Freshman

A close game at halftime slipped away after the break as the Patriots fell 35-20 to Bellmont.

The Squaws pushed their lead to four after the third quarter, then outscored JCHS 11-1 over the final six minutes. Alyssa Bauman led Bellmont to the victory with 14 points, and Jessica Brewer followed with six.

Danielle Link finished with 10 points to lead Jay County. Deidre Chenoweth scored five points.

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