No. 8 Tigers too much for Jay

BLUFFTON — Sherri McIntire identified limiting Tiger offensive rebounds as key to having a chance in the rematch.

The Patriots didn’t. 

And the home team’s prowess from long distance didn’t help either.

The Jay County High School girls basketball team dropped out of the Allen County Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday by a 71-24 score as it gave up nine offensive rebounds in the first half while Class 2A No. 8 Bluffton buried six 3-pointers.

“You know, Bluffton’s a solid ball club,” said JCHS coach Sherri McIntire, whose team had won four consecutive ACAC tournament titles. “I just compare them to the team that we had last year, a veteran team. They have some young girls too that have stepped in and just fit right into their program. Once again, I felt like our kids battled. We’re just not to that level of physicality yet. We’re probably a year away from that.” 

Bluffton (16-2) advances to play Southern Wells (15-4) in the championship game at 6 p.m. tonight at South Adams. The Raiders cruised in their semifinal win, defeating Heritage 68-31.

The Patriots (8-10) never led and the game got away from them after an Amelia Heath hoop early in the second quarter made the score 21-13. Bluffton scored the next 14 points in a row, the first four of which came from Isabella Stout. Khloe Dick hit the third of her four first-half 3-pointers during the stretch — she also buried one from the volleyball line with three seconds left in the first quarter — and Stout capped it with two of her nine free throws.

“It didn’t matter. We were in zone, we were in man, it didn’t matter,” said McIntire. “I felt like at least in zone they were having to make more passive before they made those shots. They played solid tonight. They’re a good ball team. That’s why they’ve been successful.”

The deficit was 25 points at halftime for Jay County. 

The Tigers pushed to a running clock when Konley Ault hit a 3-pointer late in the third quarter. They outscored the Patriots 11-0 in the final period to pull away for the 47-point win.

Bluffton got 18 points apiece from Stout and Ault. Dick followed with 17 while hitting five 3-pointers.

“She has the potential to be a 20-point scorer,” said BHS coach Steve Baker. “We always like it when she gets one in early. She missed her first couple today but I left her in there and she made two or three after that, big ones.”

Maryn Schreiber and 10 points to give the Tigers four players in double figures and also pulled down a game-high seven rebounds.

While Bluffton won the rebounding battle, it was not by a huge margin at 31-26. More than half of the home team’s rebounds (16) came on the offensive end, but McIntire felt her team was putting its focus where it needed to be.

“It seemed like we were making more of an effort to find a body and box out,” she said.

However, JCHS turned the ball over 20 times compared to just five for the Tigers.

Raylah Newton’s eight points were the team high for the Patriots as Bluffton put their defensive attention their leading scorer.

“Schwieterman,” said Baker, whose team beat Jay County by 30 a week earlier, regarding his team’s focus for the evening. “Not that we didn’t give her enough credit the first time … I just thought, ‘OK, we’re just gonna make sure we know where she’s at and we’re just gonna play.’ Well, all of a sudden she got fired up the last time we played them and we couldn’t stop her. … We focused on her, the whole defense.”

Schwieterman, who entered the game averaging 20.1 points, and Natalie Carreno each finished scored six.

Correno matched Schreiber with seven rebounds and Gabi Petro had four assists.

Jay County will face another ranked rival Tuesday when it plays its sixth straight game away from home with a visit to Ossian to take on Class 3A No. 8 Norwell (12-5).