Seventh at sectional

MUNCIE — First the tournament was delayed two hours.
Then it was pushed back another.
And by the time the Patriots’ round was over, they were glad to be off the course.
Jay County High School’s girls golf team had its season come to a close on Saturday as it finished seventh in the IHSAA sectional tournament at Crestview Golf Course.
“I don’t know if it is because we haven’t played many 18-holers,” said JCHS coach Butch Gray, whose team played in just its third 18-hole tournament of the season. The Patriots shot a 444, their season high. “It kind of got to them with fatigue.”
Muncie Central won the team title with a score of 389, ending a streak of seven consecutive sectional championships for the Yorktown Tigers. Delta placed second with 413, and the Tigers were third with 427.
Yorktown’s Reece Malapit was the individual champion with a 5-over-par 77. Bailey Teague of Daleville and Wapahani teammates Emily Rausch and Abigail Snider shot identical scores of 95 to earn the three individual regional qualifying spots.
The top three teams and players with the three lowest scores on non-advancing teams receive regional berths.
The beginning of the tournament was delayed because of heavy rains overnight that continued into the morning. Around the state, some tournaments never got to tee off.
Conditions proved to be a backbreaker for the Patriots, who didn’t tee off until almost 1 p.m. — the event was scheduled to start five hours earlier — and were the last wave off the course.
Jay County struggled the most on the greens, as they were not consistent throughout the course. The rain-soaked greens slowed down putts. Therefore, some were being left short.
As the clouds gave way to the sun and the course began to dry, the greens got faster. At that point, some shots had too much power and rolled by the hole.
“Ball doesn’t break as much when they read it,” Gray said of saturated greens. “Then they get defensive on how they’re going to putt.
“You have to be able to handle all those different changes and everything. You have to adjust to it and sometimes it’s hard. It’s hard for kids and it’s hard for adults.”
Kendra Dodd, one of four seniors on the JCHS sectional roster, ended on a personal high note. She led the team with a career-low 107, two strokes best than her season-opening round Aug. 2 at Cross Creek in Decatur. If not for having to settle for a double-digit score on No. 10, she could have shot an even 100 or lower.
“Our front side was about what we’ve been shooting,” Gray said. “Then we came out on the back and evidently didn’t shoot as well, and I know the back is tougher here than the front.”
Madison Brown was second on the team with a 109, and Carlie Wickey was third with a 113. Cassie Reno shot a 115 to complete the Patriots’ team score. All three had their golf careers come to an end.
“The four seniors, I feel sorry for them because their season is over,” Gray said.
Madalyn Garringer played in just her second tournament., and she finished with a 119. She made birdie on the 452-yard, par-5 fourth hole.