Patriots fall to Delta

With Jillian Barr on the bench, the Patriots got back to within single digits.

Even after she returned and hit a couple of free throws, a Hallie Schwiterman 3-pointer cut the deficit to seven.

They just couldn’t slow down Delta’s post player.

Barr followed with back-to-back hoops as part of her 29-point effort before assisting Elizabeth Bamidele to start a 19-1 run that put the game away as the Jay County High School girls basketball team lost Thursday to the visiting Eagles.

“They’re just a lot more physical,” said JCHS coach Sherri McIntire. “They definitely did a good job of picking out our weaknesses, which is rebounding. They exploited that.

“They’re just a solid ball team. She definitely has them all on the same page and playing well together.”

The Patriots (8-11) had no answer for Barr inside. She scored on four consecutive possessions in the opening quarter and had 10 points when she went to the bench with her second foul at the 16.2-second mark. She sparked Delta (14-4) when she returned and went on to hit a 3-pointer late in the game to cap the second-best scoring night of her career while shooting 11-of-13 from two-point range.

“She’s just so darn athletic,” said McIntire. “And then, I also think, she just has that mentality. She wants to kick your butt every time she steps on the floor. She’s a competitor.”

Barr also grabbed eight rebounds as part of the Eagles’ 42-24 advantage on the glass. 

The 5-foot, 4-inch Griffyn Knight led the effort on the glass — 19 of Delta’s rebounds were on the offensive end — with a dozen boards while Bamidele had 10 and Addison Barnes totaled six.

“I tell my girls all the time, if we get 40 or more rebounds, that’s amazing,” said DHS coach Ty’Ronda Benning. “Forty is a lot. But if we can do it, typically that’s who wins the basketball game.”

Barnes shot 50% from the field, including hitting three 3-pointers, to follow Barr with 15 points. Knight added nine points and five assists.

Coming off the bench after not practicing for a couple of days because of an illness, leading scorer Hallie Schwieterman totaled 14 points for the Patriots. Elizabeth Brunswick added six points and six rebounds.

“I felt like our kids played hard,” said McIntire, whose team will visit Southern Wells on Saturday night. “Even down 20 to 30 points, we’re still out there trying to do things correctly. And that’s huge, that’s important, because it’s real easy to get down on yourselves. And I feel like these kids continue to try to get better, try to do the right thigs, and we’ll get there …”