Jay girls top FR

Both teams hit the floor Saturday in desperate need of a win.

The Patriots were 1-3 and on a three-game skid since their season opener.

The Indians had also lost three in a row and were still seeking their first victory.

It was the Jay County High School girls basketball team that was able to break through Saturday, overcoming a halftime deficit and pulling away as junior leader Hallie Schwieterman dominated the final four minutes en route to a 55-43 victory over Fort Recovery.

“I'm just so proud of our kids,” said JCHS coach Sherri McIntire. “I felt like we just gutted it out.

“Have you ever seen so many kids just like going after loose balls?” she continued, complimenting junior guard Hallie Schwieterman for her effort. “And then I just felt like the kids fed off of her energy. She was all over the floor, even in the stands once. I just felt like that got contagious … That can be our strength — to get out after it like that on the defensive end. We need to do that.”

“It feels good to get a win,” she added. “We needed it. I'm happy for the kids.”

Despite the loss, the game showed progress for the Indians as they got a career effort from sophomore Paisley Hart and were up by six at halftime. It was their closest game of the season, as their previous three losses came by an average of 19.3 points.

“We got out to a better start than we have our first couple games of the season,” said FRHS coach Tyler Deitsch. “So, it was good to see some offense and not have to dig ourselves out of a big hole at one point of the game. Obviously, foul trouble hurt us.”

Despite foul issues that sent point guard Makenna Huelskamp to the bench for the bulk of the second half, Fort Recovery (0-4) was leading by one midway through the final period.

Then Hallie Schwieterman took over.

She scored eight of the Patriots’ next 10 points, hitting a pair of layups on drives to the basket and connecting on four free throws. The home team closed with 13 unanswered points.

Fourteen of Schwieterman’s game-high 25 points came in the second half and she cashed in 11 of her 14 free-throw attempts.

Both teams dealt with foul trouble in the first half, but it was losing point guard Makenna Huelskamp for the bulk of the second that really hurt the Indians. They were up 30-27 in the third quarter when she picked up her third and fourth fouls in quick succession, going to the bench at the 5:41 mark. She returned to the court to start the fourth quarter and lasted a mere 16 seconds before fouling out.

The Patriots took full advantage, forcing 15 second-half turnovers.

“I felt like we regrouped after half and came out in the third quarter and then we just eventually took over,” said McIntire. “As far as playing the kind of game that we wanted to play — the way that was going to get us the win. Our level of play, whatever five I had in there, it stayed consistent. That’s huge.”

With Karsyn Schwieterman limited to four points, Jay County got a boost from freshman forward Charlee Peters. She scored on an assist from Hallie Schwieterman and a put-back in the first quarter and made a couple of post moves in the second half to finish with eight points and nine rebounds.

“She is a player that can step up and just do great,” said Hallie Schwieterman. “She's been working so hard in practice … And I think she contributed a lot and it helped a lot.”

“I've been working on these post moves for a few practices now,” said Peters. “I had the urge to do them, and they just went up.”

Elizabeth Brunswick followed Peters with seven points.

While the scoring wasn’t there, Karsyn Schwieterman contributed by pulling down a team-best 10 rebounds while blocking three shots.

Hart carried the FRHS offense in the first half despite not hitting a field goal. She was unafraid to drive to the basket, drawing contact again and again to earn trips to the free-throw line. She hit 10 of her 12 attempts in the first half and added a pair of field goals in the second half to finish with a career-high 15 points.

Her previous high total was four.

“She's a very aggressive player,” said Deitsch. “She puts her head down, not afraid of anything. … She definitely goes full out with everything she does, doesn't back down … And it led to good things for her. … That's a switch that we made recently trying to get her a little bit more involved. That's some stuff we'd seen in JV, just her willingness to put her head down and be able to get a shot up … And tonight I worked for her really well.”