Free throws lift Jay Co.

FORT RECOVERY — The Patriots built a comfortable lead in the third quarter.
But as the advantage slipped away, it was the easiest shot in the sport — the free throw — that put the game out of reach.
Jay County High School’s boys basketball team was 14-of-18 from the foul line in the fourth quarter as it held off a previously undefeated Fort Recovery Indian squad 60-48 Saturday at Fort Site Fieldhouse.
“We have to have them,” said JCHS coach Chris Krieg, whose team only missed five of its 29 shots from the charity stripe. “Free-throw shooting wins you games and loses you games. In close ball games you have to make free throws and we did.”
Jay County (4-1) led by as many as 18 points late in the third quarter, but saw the advantage shrink to just four with 2:02 remaining in the fourth. That’s when Krieg called a timeout to help settle down the Patriots, who had six of their 14 turnovers in the final period.
“(Krieg) just told us to calm down because we started to get out of control,” said Jay County junior Jay Houck, who led all players with a career-high 24 points. “We started to make careless passes, trying to push it when we didn’t need to.”
Out of the timeout, a Patriot shot missed the mark, and at the other end of the court Darien Sheffer had an offensive rebound put-back to cut Fort Recovery’s (3-1) deficit to just two points with 78 seconds remaining. Sheffer finished with nine points and three rebounds before fouling out in the final minute of the game.
 “We did a nice job of it,” FRHS coach Chris Guggenbiller said of cutting down the Patriot lead. Chase Bruns and Brandon “Speedy” Schoen both hit 3-pointers during the Tribe’s 19-5 run in the fourth quarter. “Unfortunately at that point the foul total picks up and with that aggressive style, we’re playing physical so we pick up some fouls and Jay County … really sealed the deal from the free-throw line.”
Kyler Carvel (3-for-4) and Houck (7-of-7) combined to put the game out of reach in the last 73 seconds. Carvel finished with seven points and two assists.
Houck also shared the game-high of eight rebounds with teammate Adam Dirksen, who contributed 17 points on the offensive end of the court including a towering dunk midway through the second quarter to highlight an 11-0 Patriot run in the period.
After grabbing a defensive rebound, Dirksen passed the ball to Houck, who was double teamed on the right side of the court near the 3-point line in front of Fort Recovery’s bench. Houck used his 6-foot, 5-inch frame to throw a pass across the court to the wide open 6-foot, 8-inch Dirksen, who took three steps and threw down a two-handed slam over 6-foot, 2-inch Chase Bruns while drawing a foul.
“I thought we worked together real well,” said Houck, who prior to Saturday had never scored more than 17 points, which he did four times. “No one is selfish. Our goal out there is to win. We pass the ball … and try to find the open man.”
Houck also said the 41 points and 16 rebounds combined between him and Dirksen equated to their best post game of the short season.
“They did a great job of feeding us,” he said. “Adam did a great job down low getting rebounds and just finishing.”
The Patriots’ two towers proved to be too difficult for the Tribe’s big man, Micaiah Cox, who gives up 1 and 4 inches respectively to Houck and Dirksen. It also didn’t help that he didn’t have his other post player Wes Wenning, who had gotten in early foul trouble and also hurt his knee on a scramble for a loose ball during the opening quarter.
“I can’t say I’m real pleased with the touches that we got him,” Guggenbiller said. Cox had a team-high 15 points and seven rebounds. “Even when we do get it to the post it is the inside/outside that our shooters shoot best from on those kick outs from him.
“He did do a nice job, but obviously you look at a night like tonight and Dirksen is a difference maker on the defensive end. He does influence a lot of things, not only just on our big but on our penetration and our layups.”
 After using the 11-0 run in the second quarter for a 25-20 advantage heading into halftime, Jay County outscored Fort Recovery 19-8 in the third quarter thanks to another 11 straight points.
With the score 33-26, Carvel kicked off the run by driving the lane to draw a pair of Indian defenders then passing underhand to Bowen Runyon under the basket for an easy lay in. Carvel later drove through traffic again for a layup, and Dirksen hit his only 3-pointer of the contest from the left corner to give Jay County a 42-26 advantage.
“That was a huge quarter for us,” said Krieg, whose team was 7-of-11 from the field.
But in the end, Krieg praised the Patriots’ ability to buckle down when the lead nearly disappeared to get a road victory in a hostile environment.
“Bottom line is the kids fought like there is no tomorrow, and when you play in an environment like this you have to fight,” he said. Throughout the game, the Patriot and Tribe student sections were quite vocal. “Whoever wants it the most is going to get it, and tonight we wanted it more than they did.”

Junior varsity
Much like their varsity counterparts, the Patriots had a comfortable lead early but hung on down the stretch for a 42-36 victory.
A 15-point second quarter gave Jay County (4-1) a 24-16 halftime lead, but Fort Recovery (2-2) surged in the third quarter to get within three, 30-27.
The Patriots outscored the Indians 12-9 in the final seven minutes for the victory.
Fort Recovery’s Reese Rogers was 5-of-10 from 3-point range to lead all players with 15 points, nine of which came in the first quarter. Clayton Pearson followed with nine points, and Ryan Braun added seven.
Holton Hill and Ryan Schlechty had nine points each for Jay County, with Garrett Rodgers and Michael Schlechty contributing eight points apiece.