Jay smothers Winchester

WINCHESTER — As the game went on, the Patriots’ defense got better.
Lyla Muhlenkamp found her groove from long range too.
Jay County High School’s girls basketball team kept the Winchester Golden Falcons to 10 points in the final three quarters and Muhlenkamp scored a game- and career-high 17 points in a 60-22 victory Saturday at Winchester Field House.
“I thought defensively we picked up our intensity,” said JCHS coach Kirk Comer, whose team moved to 5-0 on the season. “They came out and hit some shots early. They got some good looks.
“I thought from probably the middle of the second quarter on our defense was pretty good.”
It was nearly perfect.
Liz Pegg of Winchester (3-3) hit a pair of free throws with 4:48 remaining in the second quarter to make it 23-16 in favor of Jay County.
Winchester didn’t score another point for more than 10 minutes. Actually, after Hannah Graft made a 3-pointer at the end of the opening quarter, the Golden Falcons didn’t make a field goal until there was 1:08 remaining in the third.
Winchester missed all five of its field-goal attempts in the second quarter, and Jay County’s press forced six turnovers in the frame after having seven takeaways in the first period.
“We are getting closer on the defensive end on our presses, getting to the right spots at the right times,” said Comer, who has now beaten three of his former teams — Monroe Central, Union City and Winchester.
Meanwhile, Jay County’s offense was able to hit shots at the other end of the floor. The Patriots, who are undefeated through the first five games in back-to-back seasons, were 7-of-13 in the second quarter after a 5-of-19 performance in the first.
Muhlenkamp missed five of the first six 3-pointers she took, but was 4-of-6 on her final six shots.
“I was really proud of her because she continued to shoot the ball when she wasn’t hitting early,” Comer said of Muhlenkamp, who reached double figures for the third game in a row. “We talked to her about that, she’s got to keep shooting it.
“Shooters have got to shoot. Fortunately, she started hitting them later on. We knew she would.”
Muhlenkamp said she was frustrated early but knew that her shots would go in sooner or later.
“My job offensively is to shoot,” she said. She had a pair of 3-pointers in each of the second and third quarters and was 5-of-12 overall. “In the beginning I wasn’t hitting very many, but I came through. Coach Comer told me to keep shooting and that’s what I did.
“It’s a big thanks to my teammates as well. They screened really well to get me open and made good passes to me.”
As Muhlenkamp heated up, Jay County’s defense tightened the clamps, limiting the Golden Falcons to four and two points respectively in each of the final two quarters.
After Graft’s free throws midway through the second period, Jay County scored 19 consecutive points, including five straight from Abby Wendel. The senior — she led all players with 11 points at half and finished with 16 to reach double digits for the fourth time in five games — made a pair of free throws to put the Patriots up 37-16. The next time down the court she was fouled as she made a layup, and hit the subsequent freebie to complete the three-point play.
“Abby is just steady,” Comer said. Although she shot 33 percent (4-of-12) from the field, she made eight of her nine free-throw attempts. “I thought that Abby had another great game. She is just our leader out there, not just offensively but defensively.”
Winchester’s leading scorer Mariah Roberts was averaging 22 points per game entering the contest, and Wendel held her in check for the entire game. Roberts was 1-of-9 and had just two points, 14 fewer than her previous season low.
“She did an outstanding job on Roberts,” Comer said.
Jay County has eclipsed 60 points for the third time in as many games after doing so just twice all of last season. Comer said the Patriots still haven’t quite found their groove.
“We’re getting closer,” he said. “We still have a long way to go, but the good thing is … we’re getting better.
“We’re a long way from reaching our potential. We don’t want to be peaking right now.”

Junior varsity
Sam Twigg and Kendra Muhlenkamp had nine points apiece, leading the Patriots to a 40-30 victory.
Jay County, which is also 5-0 like its varsity counterpart, led 13-8 after one frame and extended the advantage to 25-14 at halftime. The Patriots continued their offensive production in the third, taking a 16-point lead into the final quarter, and held of a Golden Falcon surge to preserve the double-digit victory.
Audrey Shreve and Briana Muhlenkamp had six and five points respectively. Hannah Phillips added four points, and Klarisa Hemmelgarn tallied three.
Shelby Miller led Winchester with 16 points.