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The Patriots fell flat midway through the second half. A spark from Raylah Newton off the bench pulled them out of the mud to tie and eventually regain the lead.

Up three points with 14.5 seconds left, all they needed was a defensive stop to end the game. Hallie Schwieterman hounded the Jets’ top 3-point threat, but the ball found its way to Ava Stafford, who sent the game into overtime.

The extra period belonged to Elizabeth Brunswick, as the freshman took over to lead the Patriots to victory.

Brunswick scored all seven overtime points for the Jay County High School girls basketball team on Friday as it snapped a four game losing streak with a 53-50 victory over the Adams Central Jets.

Before beating the Jets (1-9, 0-3 Allen County Athletic Conference), Jay County (4-5, 1-1 ACAC) lost the previous four games.  Its last win came against Winchester on Nov. 23.

“I just felt like it showed our mental toughness,” said JCHS coach Sherri McIntire. “For (Adams Central) to hit that three and have the momentum swing, with a young team like this, they could have folded easily and we didn't. We bounced back and got some defensive stops when we needed them to finish the game.

“I’m just so proud of them because I wasn’t sure how we would handle that. We haven’t been in that situation this year. … The look in their eyes when they came off the floor thinking ‘Oh, we’re going to overtime. Can we do this?’ But boy, they did. They continued to battle and keep it together mentally.”

Brunswick played a key role in the extra period. The freshman had scored 14 points through regulation and never slowed down.

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Jay County girls basketball vs. Adam Central (12/13/2024)

Adams Central got on the board first in overtime, as Kate Fisher crashed the glass and picked up a foul on Schwieterman that allowed her to knock down a pair of foul shots.

The Patriots came up empty on the next possession, but followed by forcing a turnover. On the ensuing runout, Schwieterman — who had a double double with a game-high 11 assists — found Brunswick wide open under the basket to tie the game at 48 with 2:34 remaining.

Only 20 seconds later, JCHS made another stop and Schwieterman raced down the floor before finding Brunswick just above the right block for a short jumpshot for the lead. Another defensive stand resulted in the Jets fouling Brunswick, who split the foul shots to go up three points.

Finally, Adams Central applied pressure on Schwieterman at the top of the key, forcing her to drive to the hole, where she found a wide open Brunswick for a final layup.

“I mean really, you just have to have the heart for it,” Brunswick said. “You have to go for it. You have four minutes left in the game. It could be the last game you’re playing so you just have to try your hardest and push for what you want.”

The freshman finished the game with 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting (62.5%), while ripping down seven rebounds.

Jay County trailed the Jets 35-31 heading into the final period after giving up a 12-2 run through the back half of the third quarter that sucked the energy out of the team. Determined to flip the momentum back, Schwieterman got to the foul line early in the second half and Brunswick scored in the post assisted by Newton to get within a point.

Stafford pushed the lead back to three points after scoring on a line drive to the rim.

Jay County started to find some life again after Newton found Gabi Petro for a triple at the top of the key that tied the game at 37 following a scramble. Ties truly started to run two and a half minutes later when Newton knocked down her own 3-pointer to take  a 42-40 lead.

“I just felt good after I hit the shot and everyone went crazy for getting the lead,” Newton said. “I was just pushing through it and doing it for my team.”

Up three points with 20.9 seconds left, Petro left two points at the line that could have put the game out of reach for Adams Central. Jets coach Rob Earl called timeout with 14.5 seconds left to draw up a play.

Schwieterman took away Fisher, who had hit six threes to that point en route to a team-high 22, forcing the ball back toward the top of the key. With time ticking down, Stafford just got a step-back three off over the outstretched arm of Amelia Heath, the Patriots’ 6 foot, 1 inch center. The ball found the bottom of the net with two seconds left, forcing overtime.

The first two quarters were played evenly, with both teams scoring nine points in the first quarter and 14 in the second. Fisher had 12 points as ACHS hit five triples in the first half, while the Patriots dominated the paint with nine buckets coming at the rim.

This was the first victory of the season with a margin less than 12 points. The only other game the Patriots played within 10 points was a 5-point loss to Muncie Central on Tuesday.

“It’s not just huge to come out and win a game again, but to win a tight game,” McIntire said. “They kept their composure and their mental focus. A lot of those girls had been playing a lot of minutes. They came back and I told them, ‘It’s not about being tired right now. You’ve got to dig in and play with heart,’ and I felt like they did.”