Clean fourth quarter

MONROE — The Patriots played sloppily in the first half.

Despite racking up more turnovers than made shots in the first two periods, their size and speed kept them within striking distance of the Jets. So when the elder Schwieterman stepped up and took ownership of the rock and the Patriots started applying pressure, the Jets’ engines started to falter.

Jay County High School’s girls basketball team took better care of the ball in the fourth quarter to secure a comeback victory over the Adams Central Jets in Friday’s Allen County Athletic Conference opener 50-45.

“I was disappointed in the fact that we started out so poorly, and weren’t just ready to go,” said JCHS coach Sherri McIntire, whose team went down 13-5 with two minutes remaining in the first quarter. “But very proud of the kids and how we gutted it out. We came out in the second half and played with a lot of grit, and did the things that we needed to and stepped up and hit free throws when we needed them.”

The Patriots’ biggest issue came in the form of turnovers as they coughed up possession of the ball 12 times in the first 16 minutes. 

A majority of the Jay County turnovers didn’t come as the result of defensive pressure from the Jets (4-6, 0-2 ACAC), but rather as the result of poor passing. As a result, Adams Central only managed to score eight points in transition against Jay County (4-3, 1-0 ACAC) in the first two quarters.

“I just think it was our mental focus,” McIntire said. “Obviously Adams Central did what they needed to do, but they weren’t full-court pressing us or in a tight man-do-man defense. I just think we were making poor decisions with the basketball and we weren’t ready to go.”

Along with the turnovers, Jay County struggled to finish. The Patriots entered halftime 8-of-31 (25.8%) from the field, including 6-of-21 (28.6%) from inside the arc.

For the first seven minutes of the second half, JCHS didn’t manage to make a dent in the lead, trailing 35-27.

At that point, Hallie Schwieterman began to step up and take care of the ball for the Patriots and made an emphasis on finding driving lanes to either put up a shot or find offense for her teammates.

    Jay County center Charlee Peters puts up a bunny off a pass from Natalie May during Friday’s 50-45 victory. Peters ripped down seven rebounds as the Patriots outplayed Adams Central on the glass 51-25. (The Commercial Review/Andrew Balko)

“In the locker room, coach said we need a leader,” Hallie Schwieterman said. “I think, as an upperclassman, that is my job and as one of our leading scorers, that is my job to take that responsibility at times. …

“Playing the same team, and they’re a conference team, a bunch of times, you learn their tendencies. That team is really good at closing out on shooters, but they leave a lot of gaps. So I was just driving those gaps and if they crash, kick it out, or go up for layup or get fouled. It’s whatever’s working in that moment.”

As a result, Jay County only finished with four fourth quarter turnovers, none of which came from Hallie Schwieterman.

She also fueled a 7-2 run to end the third quarter. Twice she found Elizabeth Brunswick on baseline-out-of-bounds plays sitting wide open at the weak-side wing – the first time Brunswick converted on a euro step and the second she knocked down a triple. Hallie Schwieterman also scored herself on a baseline-out-of-bounds play by driving the baseline after the ball reversed sides of the floor.

The final quarter opened with a pair of buckets by Demi Landis – she had 10 points for the Jets, trailing only Tenley Hendricks with 12 – and Karsyn Schwieterman, who had a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

Shortly after, Hallie Schwieterman gained the Patriots their first lead since 3-0 by getting fouled after pushing the ball all the way up the floor from a missed free throw by Jillian Brotherton and then making a quick pull up jumper. The junior point guard finished with game-high 22 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double.

“A big key was keeping Hallie from getting driving lanes,” said ACHS coach Tim Hildebrand. “I told the girls, it’s easier said than done with her. She is phenomenal in the open court and when she gets a chance to drive to the basket. … We couldn’t stop her but we tried to limit it and I think early on we did a better job of that.”

After Schwieterman earned the 40-39 lead, JCHS padded the advantage when Brunswick exploited Adams Central’s 2-3 zone by finding a cutting Raylah Newton on the weak-side out of the high post.

Jay County went on to hit 8-of-10 free throws to maintain the lead, only turning the ball over one time, leading to a Hendricks triple on an assist from Ava Stafford.

Adams Central struggled to handle Jay County’s defense in the fourth quarter and without free turnovers, the Jets only managed eight points to allow the comeback.

“Their defense did a really good job making things difficult for Ava (Stafford) and Kate (Fisher) to get clean looks,” Hildebrand said. “We had other girls that were stepping up but just not enough.”

While JCHS escaped with the close victory, the Patriots don’t want this trend to continue and will look to start off games on a better note.

“We just need to come out in the first quarter ready to play and I think we’ll be a very, very good team,” Hallie Schwieterman said. “We started out slow, but I think us pulling out that win says a lot about our team our mental part of the game and how locked in we can get when we need it.”

Photo Gallery

Jay County girls basketball vs. Adams Central (12/12/2025)