Patriots perfect in ACAC

PONETO — Perfection.
Teams strive for it.
The Patriots achieved it.
Jay County High School’s girls basketball team remained perfect against conference opponents with a 59-17 thrashing of the Southern Wells Raiders on Saturday.
It secured the second consecutive regular season Allen County Athletic Conference championship.
“That was definitely one of our goals,” said JCHS coach Kirk Comer, whose team is now 19-0 in two years against ACAC foes. “These kids have never lost a conference game so we didn’t want to be the group that did that.
“It’s nice to be able to get a conference championship.”
Senior Abby Wendel said she enjoys the feeling of knowing she will end her high school career without a conference loss.
“It is a really good feeling because we haven’t been in a conference in a little while,” she said. “To be able to come in our first two years and win it all both years, it is really good. It is a great feeling.”
While the Patriots (18-3, 6-0 ACAC) had the advantage over the Raiders (5-16, 1-5 ACAC) from the opening tip, it took a little bit to find their stride.
After a bucket on the first play of the game and a pair of free throws from Wendel, Jay County had a quick 4-2 lead.
Southern Wells freshman Kirtlyn Noble hit a jumper from the right baseline to make it 4-4, prompting an early timeout from Comer.
“After the timeout I thought they really responded and our intensity picked up,” Comer said. The Patriots have a six-game winning streak for the second time this season. “I thought we did a good job.”
It was basically smooth sailing the rest of the way for the Jay County closed the quarter on a 12-0 run, kicked off by Lyla Muhlenkamp nailing a 3-pointer. It later included back-to-back baskets from freshman Shelby Caldwell.
Muhlenkamp — she finished with a pair of 3-pointers and was third on the team with 10 points — made a jumper from the right baseline on an assist from Wendel to open the second quarter to complete a streak of 14 straight Patriot points.
Jay County also had two separate streaks of nine and 11 consecutive points for a 41-9 lead at halftime.
The Patriots were 52.3 percent (16-of-30) in the first half while Southern Wells was 4-for-21 (19.1 percent).
“It was really good because we came in, Comer told us we had to pick (the intensity) up because now we’re looking toward sectional,” Wendel said of the hot start. She had nine of her game-high 16 points in the second quarter and led the team with four assists.
“Abby is our leader,” said Comer, whose team has won each of the last six games by at least 25 points and an average of 35. “She is the one that is going to be involved in a lot of our scoring, whether she is the one scoring or she distributes the ball to who does score.
“It was good to see three girls in double figures again.”
Caldwell also had a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter. She finished second on the team with 12 points and had a game-high eight rebounds.
“It was good to see Shelby back in double figures,” Comer said.
The Raiders committed six of their 19 turnovers in the third quarter, and the giveaways often led to easy baskets in transition.
“The easier shot we can get the better percentage we are going to have of making it,” Comer said. “We’re all for trying to get easy shots.”
Britlyn Dues (four points, four rebounds) and Caldwell both scored points off rebounds. The Patriots had a 29-22 advantage on the glass.
“I thought Britlyn did a good job on the boards,” Comer said.
With the lopsided advantage, Comer was able to clear his bench and give everyone playing time. All but one of the 12 players scored a point.
“(They are) games that are going to help us prepare for sectional.”
The sectional draw — the tournament begins next week — is at 8 p.m. today.

Junior varsity
Like their varsity counterparts, the Patriots are perfect. Not just for the conference, but the season too.
Jay County moved to 18-0 and 6-0 in ACAC play with a 35-20 victory.
The Patriots used a 15-point second quarter to lead 25-5 at halftime, and went point-for-point with the Raiders during the third quarter. Southern Wells outscored Jay County during the fourth, but the first-half deficit was too daunting to overcome.
Audrey Shreve led the Patriots with eight points. Hannah Phillips and Klarisa Hemmelgarn followed with seven points each.
Sarah Bothast of Southern Wells had a game-high 15 points.