JC stuns Archers

FORT WAYNE — The Patriots didn’t panic after giving up 17 points to the high-scoring Archers in the opening quarter on Tuesday.
They simply shut them down the rest of the game.
Jay County High School’s girls basketball team overcame a seven-point halftime deficit to beat Fort Wayne South Side, 42-36.
It was the Patriots’ first win against the Archers since 2009.
“It’s a huge win,” said JCHS coach Chris Krieg, whose team moved to 4-0 for the first time since the 2008 squad went undefeated in the regular season. “We have struggled at Fort Wayne South since I’ve been the coach here. The girls played with heart and energy.
“In the second half we came out, we hit the shots we missed (in the first half) and our defense took everything away. They couldn’t drive (and) we got to their shooters. I’m very, very proud of these girls.”
South Side (0-4) led 24-17 after 16 minutes, but the Patriots came out firing in the third quarter, outscoring the hosts 17-10.
They also held on to the ball, not committing any turnovers in the frame.
The Archers rallied in the final period, but the Patriots went 6-of-7 from the charity stripe to put the game away.
“Free throws win you ball games down the stretch,” Krieg said. “Those are huge points. We only had two field goals in the fourth quarter.
“I told the girls, ‘With a lead, we’re shooting lay ups and free throws,’ and they did.”
Jay County juniors Abby Wendel and Ava Kunkler led the offensive effort with 11 and 10 points respectively. It is the second time in as many games Wendel has reached double figures after she totaled 15 in the Patriots’ 54-22 clubbing of Winchester on Saturday.
“Abby takes such smart shots. She takes what is given to her,” Krieg said.
But in the end, it all came down to the Patriots’ stingy defense, which ranks seventh in the state — second in Class 4A — in defensive average with 28.3 points per game. Jay County had shut out each of its previous three opponents for a full quarter, and held South Side to single digits in the second and fourth quarters.
“Our length just affected them in a huge way,” Krieg added. “We could throw around them, over them (and) our fundamentals are really good.
“In the fourth quarter we got a little sloppy with four or five turnovers, but it worked out well for us. Our defense … kept them off the board.”
Sophomore Taylor Homan chipped in with nine points, Catherine Dunn tallied seven points and Bre McIntire had five.
The undefeated Patriots return to the court at 6 p.m. Friday, opening Allen County Athletic Conference play at home against the Woodlan Warriors (2-2).
To beat the Warriors, Krieg said his team would have to control the area around the hoop.
“Bottom line, we have to finish shots around the basket and keep them off the rebounds,” he said.­