Jay to play in Challenge Cup today

Jay County Patriots
Portland, 5-3
Coach: Chris Krieg, first year
Conference: Allen County Athletic
Thursday at Adams Central: Jay County overcame a sluggish start to pull away from Adams Central during the second half on its way to a 53-35 victory over the host Jets. Adam Dirksen scored 13 of his game-high 15 points in the final 16 minutes, and Jay Houck scored 10 points to surpass his father Jack on the school’s all-time scoring list.
Season leaders (per game): Points — Houck 14.6, Dirksen 14.3, Carvel 5.6. Rebounds — Dirksen 6.8, Houck 5.8. Assists — Carvel 2.6.

vs.

Cooper
Jaguars
Union, Kentucky, 12-2
Coach: Tim Sullivan, eighth year
Thursday at Newport Catholic: Cooper cut a 15-point deficit early in the second quarter down to five points at halftime, but the Newark Catholic Thoroughbreds kept the Jaguars’ then-leading scorer Sean McNeil at bay in a 60-46 victory. Adam Kunkel finished with a game-high 19 points, and McNeil scored just nine.
Season leaders (per game): Points — Adam Kunkel 17.0, Sean McNeil 16.8, Dante Hendrix 6.7. Rebounds — McNeil 7.8, Hendrix 3.8. Assists — Chris McNeil 3.1.

Game notes: This is the third game of the third-annual Kentucky-Indiana Challenge Cup, pitting four boys teams and one girls team from each state against one another.?Kentucky has won the last two Challenge Cups ... Randall K. Cooper High School opened in 2008 to alleviate crowding at the other three schools in Boone County ... The Jaguars have won their district (sectional) three out of the last four years, and advanced to the region semifinal in two of those seasons ... Cooper was 18-9 last season and has averaged at least 18 wins each of the previous five years ... A Cincinnati.com article from Thursday has Cooper ranked No. 1, but MaxPreps.com lists the Jaguars at No. 2 ... This is the first time Jay County meets a team from Kentucky and just the 20th time the Patriots play a team from out of state. JCHS is 8-11 against non-Hoosier squads.