Jay can’t capitalize

Three consecutive turnovers to start the second quarter helped make the Patriots’ lead disappear.

They got chances to tie the score or take the lead in the second half, but mishaps and missed shots kept them from getting back on top.

Jay County High School’s girls basketball team couldn’t capitalize on opportunities down the stretch in a 58-47 loss to the Winchester Golden Falcons on Saturday at Winchester Field House.

“Well, you have to give Winchester credit,” said JCHS coach Kirk Comer, whose eighth-ranked squad in Class 3A dips to 3-2 on the year. “First of all, they have a good basketball team and I wish them the best.

“It was two good teams battling tonight and it was their night. They outplayed us tonight. The 50/50 balls, they were getting most of them. They got a lot of offensive rebounds. A lot of bounces went their way but you make your own breaks and we didn’t make a lot of breaks tonight for ourselves.”

Winchester, ranked 10th in Class 2A, turned a two-point deficit at the end of the first quarter into a six-point lead in a hurry, benefitting from three straight JCHS turnovers to begin the second period.

Winchester junior forward Caitlyn Campbell hit a jumper from the free-throw line on the first possession of the period to tie the score at 11-all. She scored again on a fast break after a steal, and Haley Lanter notched the first of consecutive buckets as the Golden Falcons (4-0) scored on four straight trips. Lanter put back her own miss on the fourth before JCHS junior Renna Schwieterman got the team’s first points of the period.

“We’ve got some veterans out there that are making mistakes,” Comer said. “We are prepared for all of this stuff. We should be able to see what they’re doing defensively against us. We call it out offensively what we’re going to do against it.

“We should be able to handle this stuff. We’ve got to do a better job of doing that. Mentally we just have to be tougher. Three turnovers in a row, that’s mental weakness. We make a mistake, we get down and we get two more.”

Another advantage Winchester had was its uncanny ability to pull down offensive rebounds. The Golden Falcons has a 41-34 edge on the glass, with 20 of those rebounds coming on the offensive end. Winchester went into intermission — it led 30-25 — with more rebounds on the offensive end (15) than Jay County had on both ends of the floor (12).

Late in the third quarter, Jay County trailed 35-33 and was poised to either tie the score or take the lead following one of Madison Dirksen’s five total blocks. But it committed an offensive foul, and after forcing a turnover the Patriots missed two potential go-ahead baskets.

“We’re hurrying shots,” Comer said. “I think Winchester caused us to do that.”

Then, after two more Dirksen blocks, Campbell scored three of her game-high 23 points.

In the fourth, Schwieterman had made a pair of free throws to get Jay County within one, 40-39. Again, the Patriots weren’t able to pull even or ahead as Gabi Bilbrey missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity.

Winchester scored six straight points, including a Nevaeh Lanter triple, to create separation. Jay County never got closer than two possessions the rest of the way.

“We’re a good shooting team,” Comer said, noting his squad went 11-of-20 (55%) from the line and missed the front end of a one-and-one twice. “When we’ve got our girls that step up to the free-throw line that we had tonight and we don’t make free throws, to me that’s a sign we’re mentally just not where we need to be.”

Schwieterman led Jay County with 19 points, a dozen of which came in the first half. Izzy Rodgers joined her in double figures with 10 points. Dirksen, who led the team with nine boards, tallied seven points. Sophie Saxman and Schwieterman had eight boards apiece.

Neveah Lanter had 11 points for Winchester, and Campbell recorded a game-high 10 rebounds for a double-double.

Jay County opens Allen County Athletic Conference play Friday at Woodlan (4-1), which has won three straight games against Bellmont, Canterbury and Leo.

“We have to be tougher mentally and that’s totally on me,” Comer said. “Next time out I promise we’ll be tougher.”



Junior varsity

Jay County led after each quarter in a 23-17 victory.

The Patriots had an 8-3 advantage after the first quarter and went into intermission up 13-7. Winchester trimmed the margin by two points in the third (15-11) before Jay County put the game away in the fourth.

Danielle May led the Patriots with eight points.