Lights out Lyla

Move over Cassandra Huelskamp, there’s a new sniper in town.
Nearly midway through the third quarter, Ava Kunkler passed to Lyla Muhlenkamp, who was camped behind the 3-point line. Like she had 11 times already, the senior launched a shot from behind the arc.
As it fell through the hoop, it wasn’t just any ordinary Muhlenkamp triple.
It was a record-setting trey.
Muhlenkamp shattered one single-game record — Huelskamp’s total of seven 3-pointers — and tied another by racking up 40 points in leading the Jay County High School girls basketball team to a 64-39 victory Tuesday against Blackford.
“In 21 years of coaching I have never seen anyone shoot like that,” said JCHS coach Kirk Comer, whose team moved to 10-2 and hosts South Adams at noon Saturday. “It was neat to watch. She was in the zone.”
Muhlenkamp drained a dozen 3-pointers, which is second all-time in the state. New Harmony’s Jill Reynolds hit 13 in a game during the 1995-96 season.
Sitting at 38 points late in the fourth quarter, the Patriots did everything they could to get her the ball. After destroying Huelskamp’s record, Muhlenkamp was chasing another — most points in a game.
With a lopsided lead, 62-37, Jay County continued to pressure on defense in order to give Muhlenkamp one last chance. Blackford (3-8) was whistled for double dribble with 12.2 seconds remaining, and following a battle for a loose ball Muhlenkamp fired a desperation shot from in front of her team’s bench.
As the shot fell short, Muhlenkamp was fouled with one tenth of a second remaining. Three free throws separated her from a second piece of history.
The first one bounced off the front of the rim.
No new record for the senior.
The second? Swish.
The third? History.
Muhlenkamp’s 40 points tied the single-game record held by Shannon Freeman, who is also the school’s all-time scoring leader.
What was going through Muhlenkamp’s head when she put herself in the Jay County record book for the second time of the night?
“Well, I just tied the record that I never thought I would do,” she said. She finished 13-for-21, matching the number of field goals Blackford made as a team. “I was definitely excited and proud of myself and my teammates because they definitely helped me. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
She made them from all over the court, too. The corner, the wings, the top of the key. Wherever she was open along the arc, she took a shot.
“We didn’t defend her well,” BHS coach Jack Norton said. “It was a team failure, not just one person. It was a team defensive failure. We knew early on she was hot.”
Muhlenkamp made six of her 10 3-point attempts in the first half, with the first giving Jay County a 5-4 lead it never gave up. Her second was on an assist from Kunkler that capped a 7-0 Patriot run. She then hit four in the second quarter, scoring 12 straight points for Jay County. Her last triple of the frame, which was from the right corner, stopped a 10-point Blackford run.
The record-tying trey came with 4:21 remaining in the third quarter. Blackford’s Rachel Thomas hit a triple of her own from the right corner on the other end to get the Bruins as close as two points, but Muhlenkamp drained her eighth 3-pointer on the next possession from the top of the key.
“To her credit, she knocked down shots,” Norton said. Muhlenkamp was a perfect 4-for-4 from long range in the third quarter and also had a jumper from inside the arc. “That’s what she’s supposed to do.”
As Muhlenkamp approached Freeman’s record, those in the crowd started to catch on. The rare occasion she missed — she was just 2-of-5 in the fourth quarter — fans groaned, wanting her to hit 41.
Comer also credited the other Patriots for doing what was necessary to get the basketball to the shooter with the hot hand.
“I thought they did a good job of moving the ball inside, outside and kicking it to her where she was able to get open shots,” he said. “I told them during the timeout (when Muhlenkamp had 35 points), if she is able to get this record it is a team record because (they were) working hard to get it to her.
“I’m really proud of them for helping her, giving her the opportunity for a chance to set the record.”

Junior varsity
Jay County held Blackford without a point and no more than four in any of the final three quarters in a 42-7 thumping of the Bruins.
The Patriots (12-0) had a 15-0 lead after the first quarter and doubled its score for a 30-1 advantage heading into intermission. Jay County wasn’t able to score during the third quarter, but also held Blackford to just four points in the period.
Klarisa Hemmelgarn scored a game-high nine points, all of which came in the first half. Devin Foltz followed with seven points, while Audrey Shreve, Kendra Muhlenkamp and Gwen Omstead each had five points.