Jay County hangs on

Nine days ago, the Patriots were able to put away the Starfires in the third quarter.
South Adams hung around for a full 32 minutes Friday night.
The visiting Starfires scored half of their points in the final eight minutes as the Jay County High School boys basketball team hung on for a 59-48 Allen County Athletic Conference victory.
“It’s very difficult,” JCHS coach Chris Krieg, whose team travels to Southern Wells tonight, said of beating a team a second time in the same season. In the opening round of the ACAC tournament Jan. 13, Jay County won by 34.
“We have the mentality that because we blew them away that teams are going to roll over and die on us,” Krieg said. The Patriots improve to 9-4 and 3-0 in ACAC play. “We don’t start well, we don’t play with any intensity.
“I am at a loss. I really am.”
South Adams coach Andy Brown was surprised, yet pleased, with the way his team made a 22-point improvement from the first meeting.
“We were missing some shots but for the most part … I was proud of us,” he said. “We competed and executed the game plan.”
Sure, the game plan probably didn’t include falling behind by 19 points with a couple minutes remaining in the third quarter and trailing 40-24 heading into the fourth.
But that’s what happened.
And the Starfires (6-7, 1-2 ACAC) kept shooting.
South Adams was 9-of-32 (28.1 percent) through the first three quarters, but was 8-for-15 (53.3 percent) during the fourth.
Senior McGerran Clouser scored nine of his team-high 11 points in the final eight minutes, including a 3-pointer late that got the Starfire deficit to single digits, 57-48, for the first time since the opening half.
Jared Grabau hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final two minutes, one from the right wing on an assist from Clouser and the other from the left side. He finished with eight points and a pair of rebounds.
Jay County’s post players Adam Dirksen and Jay Houck torched the Starfires for 19 points apiece in their last meeting, and they combined for just 25 points Friday.
Houck had a game-high 16 points, and did most of his damage in the opening half by scoring nine points, including a pair of 3-pointers. He drained another triple in the third quarter and hit four free throws in the fourth. He added seven rebounds and five assists.
Dirksen was limited to just nine points — he still led all players with 13 rebounds, nine of which came in the first half — including a dunk in the final 90 seconds of the game on an assist from Justin Crouch.
The Patriots’ big men were not as effective this time around because the Starfires were more physical with them under the hoop, often double- and triple-teaming them in the paint.
“That was one of our keys,” Brown said. “Probably the biggest key tonight.”
Krieg even noted the difference in physicality from the last time the two teams met.
“Sure they were (more physical),” he said. “How do you beat Jay County? Play physical because we don’t like the physicality of the basketball game.”
Jay County senior Kyler Carvel had 14 points, reaching double figures in consecutive games for the first time in his career.
He had back-to-back 3-pointers on assists from Houck in the third quarter to push the JCHS lead to 40-21.
But in the fourth, when the Starfires made their comeback, he spent most of his time on the bench.
“Not having Kyler on the floor because he was cramping up really bad, that hurt,” Krieg said. Carvel was the savior in the ACAC championship game Jan. 16, scoring a game-high 14 points and adding a steal in overtime to seal the title. “He didn’t play much in the fourth quarter, which I needed him.”

Junior varsity
Jay County scored 21 points in the first quarter and held off a second-half surge in a 52-42 defeat of South Adams.
JCHS sophomore Max Moser scored 10 of his team-high 14 points in the first quarter. Jay County (6-3, 3-0 ACAC) had a 27-14 lead going into halftime. South Adams came roaring back with a 17-point effort in the third quarter to trail 40-31, but the Patriots hung on for the win.
Andrew Trewyn and Holton Hill had eight points apiece in support of Moser. Garrett Rodgers, Ryan Schlechty and Connor Davis chipped in with six points each.
J.D. Groh and Nick Wurster scored 16 and 15 points respectively for South Adams.

Freshman
A strong effort in the first and third quarters propelled Jay County to a 41-30 victory over South Adams.
The Patriots (8-3) doubled up the Starfires in the opening quarter, 12-6, and led 17-8 at half. Jay County scored 16 points to 11 for South Adams in the third quarter to nab a 33-19 lead after three periods.
Jay County’s Matthew Franks had a team-high 10 points, and Parker Grimes was close behind with nine. Korbin Auker added seven points.
Grant Besser led South Adams with 10 points.