Jay to host Wayne

Jay County Patriots
Portland, 15-5
Coach: Craig Teagle, 17th year
Conference: Allen County Athletic
Thursday at Heritage: Jay County overcame a second-quarter surge and made seven of its nine free-throw attempts in the final quarter to pick up a road victory against the Heritage Patriots. Brothers Adam and Justin Dirksen paced the visiting Patriots with 12 and 10 points respectively.
Season leaders (per game): Points — Adam Dirksen 11.8, Jay Houck 10.9, Justin Dirksen 7.3. Rebounds — Adam Dirksen 4.7, Houck 4.1. Assists — Zach Pryor 3.5.

vs.

Wayne Generals
Fort Wayne, 3-14
Coach: Aaron Rehrer, fifth year
Conference: Summit
Feb. 7 vs. Lawrence Central: Wayne managed just four points in the first quarter and surrendered 22 or more points in each of the final three quarters in an 81-47 home loss to the Lawrence Central Bears. AJ?Neal and Kye Black scored 13 and 12 points respectively for the Generals.
Season leaders (per game): Points — Neal 10.6, Troyon Smith 7.9, Josiah Hopson 6.9. Rebounds — Neal 7.6, Auston Robertson 6.2. Assists — Troyon Smith 3.8.

Last season: Justin and Levi Mitchell combined to score 45 points in the Generals’ 55-29 victory against Jay County. The Patriots managed just six points in each of the final two quarters, and their 29 points were the fewest they would score all season. Jacob Schlosser was the lone Patriot to reach double figures, as he tallied 11 points.

Game notes: This is the 16th meeting between the two schools, with Wayne holding an 11-4 advantage including having won three of the previous five meetings. Jay County’s last victory against the Generals was a 55-40 win in 2013 ... Jay County leads the state in defensive average, allowing fewer than 33 points per game ... Wayne is having one of its worst seasons in recent memory. The Generals have won nine or more games in each of the last nine seasons.