24-hour turnaround

WINCHESTER — The Patriots got out to a slow start on Friday night, only managing four points in the first quarter.

Twenty-four hours later, they made a 180 degree turn.

After struggling to get going the previous night, the Jay County High School girls basketball team locked in early to explode to a 21-4 first-quarter lead as it took down the Winchester Golden Falcons 65-40 Saturday.

“Very pleased tonight,” JCHS coach Sherri McIntire said. “We came ready to play. I knew that we needed to get off to a quick start, and I thought we did that. Then we had good intensity throughout the whole game.”

The Patriots (3-2) were active defensively, trying to create turnovers out of their 1-2-2 zone. Winchester’s guards were overwhelmed by the defensive effort, committing 10 turnovers in the first period.

Throughout the game, Jay County utilized turnovers to get out in transition where it scored 10 points and got to the free throw line several times as well. Some points were left on the board due to missed layups, but the havoc the defensive presence caused was more valuable as it fit the Patriots’ style of play.

“I was jumping up on their passes, which really helped me get quite a few steals, and then I would bring it to the other side, but I was struggling, making my layups,” said guard Breanna Dirksen, who finished with 14 points on 5-of-19 shooting. “We just didn't want to have a night like we did last night. We were ready to come here today and compete, and we just knew that we had to work hard.”

Winchester (1-4) committed 36 turnovers, 24 of which were the result of steals. Breanna Dirksen led the Patriots with six steals and seven rebounds, tied Hallie Schwieterman with three assists and was one point behind Schwieterman who tallied 15. 

The Patriots’ defense was so stout in the first quarter that the Golden Falcons only managed to get off only six shot attempts through the first eight minutes. Conversely, Jay County got off 18 shots, converting eight. Five of the shots came from beyond the arc, powering the Patriots to the early lead.

Jay County got a nice boost offensively from its bench. Meredith Dirksen and Danielle May both scored season highs as they dropped 10 and eight points, respectively.

Jay County High School senior Danielle May begins her motion to fire off a three pointer from the right corner during the Patriots' 65-40 win at Winchester Saturday night. May had eight points, while Meredith Dirksen and Raylah Newton combined for 20 points off the bench in the game. (The Commercial review/Andrew Balko)

 

“It felt really good, especially after not making a few for a while,” said Meredith Dirksen, who shot 1-for-6 through the first three games before finishing 4-for-5 against Winchester. “I think it really helps with playing JV before, because I really have to step up whenever I do that. Once I go to varsity, I don't have to do as much so it just really comes naturally.”

May and Meredith Dirksen both were forced to play some extra minutes early after Sophie Saxman picked up two fouls a minute into the game, and two more Patriots got saddled with a pair of first-half fouls. McIntire is hoping this game will work as a confidence booster for Meredith Dirksen.

The game was a physical battle that saw 41 fouls between the two teams. The physical play favored the Patriots who shot 27 free throws to Winchester’s 17.

“I felt like there were a couple of times where we had some silly fouls,” McIntire said. “But, I don't know how many times we got to the line, but I think it was more than we typically do. So that shows that we were aggressive and that's what we need to do.”

Autumn Nebel powered the Golden Falcons’ offense, dropping 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting. Madyson Hummel followed up with eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Junior varsity

The Jay County junior varsity squad fell to Winchester 24-15 in a game that only lasted two quarters.

The Patriots (2-3) got down to an early 12-2 deficit in the first quarter. They worked their way back as Alexis Sibray created turnovers and got out in transition, while also working to probe the Golden Falcon’s defense.

Sibray led the Patriots with 11 points. Raylah Newton supplemented her effort, scoring the other four points.

Winchester Golden Falcons vs.

Jay County Patriots

Girls varsity summary

Jay County (3-2)

                         FG-FGA     FT-FTA    PTS

Muhlenkmp        2-8            0-0         5

Saxman             2-6            4-7         8

Schwieterman    4-15          5-9         15

MDirksen           4-6            1-2         10

Sibray               0-0            0-0         0

Denton              1-5            1-1         3

BDirksen           5-19          3-6         14

May                  3-8            0-0         8

Newton             0-0            2-2         2

Luzzi                 0-1            0-0         0

Totals                21-68       16-27      65

                        .309          .592

Def. rebound percentage: .556

Winchester (1-4)

                          FG-FGA     FT-FTA    PTS

Friend                 0-3           1-2         1

Campbell            1-1           0-0         2

Bouge                 1-2           0-0         2

Moyer                 0-1           0-0         0

McCoy                2-3           1-5         5

MHummel           4-7           0-0         8

AHummel           0-3           0-0          0

Nebel                 5-11         2-4         14

Mote                  1-10         5-6         8

Totals                14-41        9-17       40

                        .341          .529

Def. rebound percentage: .468

Score by quarters:

Jay Co.    21    13    14    17    —    65    

Wnchstr    4    16    6    14    —    40

3-point shooting: Jay County 7-19 (Schwieterman 2-4, May 2-5, MDirksen 1-2, BDirksen 1-3, Muhlenkamp 1-5). Winchester 3-10 (Nebel 2-2, Mote 1-6, Friend 0-2).

Rebounds: Jay County 33 (BDirksen 7, Saxman 6, Muhlenkamp 5, Denton 5, Schwieterman 4, MDirksen 4, May 1, Newton 1). Winchester 29 MHummel 11, Friend 5, AHummel 4, Mote 3, McCoy 2, Nebel 2, Campbell 1, Bogue 1).

Assists: Jay County 13 (Schwieterman 3, MDirksen 3, Muhlenkamp 2, Denton 2, BDirksen 2, May 1). Winchester 4 (Friend 1, MHummel 1, Nebel 1, Mote 1).

Blocks: Winchester 5 (Bogue 2, McCoy 1, AHummel 1, Nebel 1, Team 1).

Personal fouls: Jay County 20 (MDirksen 5, Muhlenkamp 3, Saxman 3, Schwieterman 3, Denton 3, BDirksen 2, Sibray 1). Winchester 21 (McCoy 5, MHummel 4, Mote 4, Nebel 3, Bogue 2, AHummel 2, Campbell 1).

Turnovers: Jay County 14. Winchester 36.