Limiting turnovers key for JC

If there’s one thing that hurt the Patriots last season, it was turnovers.
Chris Krieg is hopeful the Jay County High School girls basketball team can keep that number to a minimum this year.
“Right now we’re going to live and die by our turnovers,” said Krieg, whose team opens its season at 7 p.m. Friday at home against Monroe Central. “We have to keep those in check. Turnovers (are) all fundamentals, and we just have to make sure we take care of the basketball.”
The Patriots, who finished 7-13 last season, averaged more than 20 turnovers a game. It’s an issue Krieg said has been around since he took over the job in 2010.
“It’s just one of those things that’s hard to swallow as a coach,” he said, adding he would rather see turnovers from being too aggressive on the attacking end rather than because of lazy passes.
Jay County returns five of its top six scorers, losing only Katie Aker to graduation. Bre McIntire led the scoring effort with 9.3 points per game, followed by Catherine Dunn (7.5 PPG) and Aker (6.5 PPG).
McIntire and Dunn are the only seniors on the squad, and will also be returning as starters. Sophomore Taylor Homan and juniors Abby Wendel and Ava Kunkler will join them in the starting lineup. Wendel was fourth on the team in scoring last season, averaging 4.6 points per game, with Kunkler (4.5 PPG) and Homan (4.4 PPG) close behind.
“Right now I have five girls that can score,” Krieg said. “I can have my top five girls average eight, 10 points a game.”
In addition to Aker, the Patriots will be without Amber Huelskamp and Abbi Dunlavy. The trio played in all 20 games as seniors, and Krieg said he will use the depth of his bench to make up for their loss.
Junior Lyla Muhlenkamp, sophomore Britlyn Dues and freshmen Hanna Ault and Betzy Muhlenkamp will be among the first off the bench for the Patriots. Additionally, three sophomores — Audrey Shreve, Emily Muhlenkamp and Kyndal Miller — will also play in reserve roles.
After hosting the Golden Bears on Friday, Jay County will be at home against Bellmont Nov. 21 and Winchester Nov. 22, with its first road game to follow Nov. 25 at Fort Wayne South Side. It is the same four opponents the Patriots began with last season, with their only loss in that stretch a thumping by South Side in the season opener.
The change in schedule — Jay County also has six new opponents as it joins the Allen County Athletic Conference — has forced Krieg to change his preparation in the preseason.
“It’s giving us a different perspective as far as what to prepare for,” he said. “Last year at this time we were preparing to play the quickest team we’ll see all year long (in South Side).
“This year, we spent more time focusing on our offense and defense, getting as much in as we can and doing things right.”
Jay County begins its inaugural season in the ACAC at home Nov. 28 against Woodlan, and will entertain Leo and Adams Central Dec. 6 and 12 respectively in Portland. The Patriots have road games against New Castle (Dec. 4) and Muncie Central (Dec. 9) in the middle of its home conference schedule.
Beginning Dec. 16, the Patriots will go more than a month between regular-season home games, as they play six contests away from Portland.
The conference tournament begins Jan. 13, with opening-round games at host sites with the semifinals and championship games at South Adams. Jay County then closes out its road schedule Jan. 20 at Pendleton Heights before ending the regular season with five straight home games.
“Road games are tough,” Krieg said. “We just never know the environment we’re going to play in. We have to do our best, go out there and be ready to play mentally and physically every night.”
New to the program this season is Pazia (Speed) Williams. The 2010 JCHS graduate, who went on to play at Huntington University and finished 10th on the Foresters’ all-time scoring list, is joining the coaching staff as an assistant.
“She brings the knowledge of what it takes to play at the next level,” Krieg said of Williams. “The kids have a lot of respect for her. Her hard work and dedication has taken off and we are so excited to have her on staff this year.”