Third quarter thumping

In the first three contests of the season, Hallie Schwieterman has been the game’s leading scorer.

The Golden Falcons came out with a plan to prevent that, having Addy Bogue face guard the Patriot sophomore as part of a box-and-one zone. While Schwieterman didn’t end as the game’s leading scorer, the young team made some halftime adjustments, leading to a dominant third quarter to seal the deal.

Jay County High School’s girls basketball team went on an 11-4 run in the fourth quarter to power past the Winchester Community Golden Falcons 42-30 on Saturday.

The Patriots (3-1) developed a 6-point lead in the first quarter on a pair of Amelia Heath baskets, threes from Natalie May and Alexis Sibray and two Schwieterman free throws. That lead didn’t grow in the second quarter, but some halftime adjustments were just what Jay County needed to take off.

“We talked at halftime about swarming the post, putting a lot of ball pressure and I felt like our defense turned into offense,” said JCHS coach Sherri McIntire. “With Hallie, they were running the box-and-one in the first half and we made some adjustment and I felt like that really helped us.”

The added focus on doubling the Winchester (3-2) post players and putting heavy ball pressure on the perimeter resulted in the Patriots forcing eight turnovers. (The Golden Falcons ended the game with a total of 26 turnovers, while Schwieterman led Jay County with five steals and Raylin Hummer followed with four.)

The first JCHS bucket came on a 3-point shot by Sibray, but all eight of the following points were the direct result of transition basketball.

Schwieterman benefited first from the defensive showing as she hit a transition layup assisted by Elizabeth Brunswick. After Winchester’s Alivia McCoy split a pair of free throws, the Patriots had a pair of back-to-back steals for breakaway hoops by Schwieterman and Hummer for a 30-16 advantage. McCoy again split a pair of free throws before a Gabi Petro basket – assisted by Schwieterman – off of a press break. The Golden Falcons finally hit a field goal late in the quarter as Kendall Patterson’s post feed to McCoy led to a drop step for the score.

“It definitely was a big stretch because it brings them down,” said Hummer. “It was just hard for them to recover from that stretch.”

The Golden Falcons kept trying to attack the paint, and despite scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter, they couldn’t mount a comeback. While Winchester couldn’t beat the Patriots, it did manage to contain Schwieterman.

The sophomore guard came into Saturday averaging 23 points per game through three contests. A box-and-one defensive scheme that had Addy Bogue face guarding Schwieterman kept the Patriots’ leading scorer from hitting a single shot in a half-court setting. All 13 of her points came in transition, either via steal or following a rebound that she pushed the pace off.

“That’s (Bogue’s) forte,” said WCHs coach Holly Gutierrez. “She proved tonight that even at the (Class) 3A level she can keep somebody much, much below her average. I thought she was fantastic.”

While WCHS contained Schwieterman, other Patriots stepped up to fill in the gaps. Hummer, Heath and Sibray picked up some of the offensive load, combining for 19 points. Hummer and Heath each shot 3-of-9, to score seven and six points, respectively, while Sibray hit a pair of three pointers.

Raylah Newton of the Jay County girls basketball team fires up a 3-pointer from the right corner during Saturday’s 42-30 victory Saturday. Newton hit the shot, earning her first points of the season. (The Commercial Review/Andrew Balko)

 

Brunswick also provided a strong floor game from Brunswick. While the freshman only had two points off the bench, she led Jay County with three blocks, tied Hummer with a team-high seven rebounds and tied Schwieterman for a game-high four assists. In total, Brunswick accounted for 11 of the Patriots’ points.

“I felt like we got into (our roles), which got us going,” Brunswick said. “I think their zone was a little easier to pick apart than what Bellmont’s defense was. I think we really just looked for each other and made sure that we were getting open and getting them good passes.”

Most of the Golden Falcons’ points came inside the paint, as 10-of-11 made shots came between the lane lines. McCoy led the way with 19 points on 6-14 from the field.

The Patriots held WCHS scoreless from beyond the arc, as it hoisted up seven missed threes. Jay County went 5-22 from 3-point range, while hitting five extra field goals.

The victory for JCHS came just one day after its largest loss – it fell to Bellmont 66-37 – since the 2021-22 season. With Schwieterman as the only returner from last year’s rotation, McIntire was uncertain of how the young group would respond but was happy with the result.

“We came in this morning, things were upbeat, we went through a walkthrough and talked about things we thought Winchester was going to throw at us,” said McIntire. “I feel like they responded well. Mentally, they were ready to go tonight.”