Retrospect: FTs lifted JC over Carmel

Twenty-five years ago this week, the Jay County High School boys basketball team closed out its best season since 1988.

The Feb. 24, 1996, edition of The Commercial Review featured coverage of the Patriots’ 45-44 victory over visiting Carmel with senior Andy Mitchel delivering the game-winning points in free throws with six seconds left.

Jay County (14-6) scored 18 points in the second quarter for a seven-point halftime lead before watching it slip away. It fell behind by four before Brian Bickel buried a 3-pointer to make it 44-43 with 33 seconds left. With the Greyhounds (13-7) trying to run out the clock, Bickel slapped the ball away from Shannon Polk, the ball going off Polk’s leg and out of bounds.

After a pair of timeouts, the Patriots got the ball to Brock Raszkowski, who then handed it off to Mitchel. The senior attacked the lane and threw his hands up when he felt contact from Carmel’s Kyle Stuck. The result was a trip to the foul line, where Mitchel calmly buried both of his attempts.

“I was just trying to relax and do the same thing you do at the free-throw line any other time,” said Mitchel.

Matt Tribul of the Greyhounds got a good look at a potential game-winning shot from his own free throw line, but it went off the left-front of the rim as time expired.

The Patriots would go on to win their third consecutive sectional title and make the regional final before falling 52-51 to Anderson.