Inside out

ARCADIA — Riley Suarez had her way in the paint in the first half.

Still, the Patriots attacked the basket and mostly kept pace.

It was when Suarez and fellow 6-footer Zoey Curry stepped outside that the game got away.

Suarez’s back-to-back 3-pointers early in the third quarter pushed Hamilton Heights High School’s advantage to double figures, and consecutive triples from Curry increased it to its widest margin. The freshman duo combined for 52 points Saturday as the host Huskies handed Jay County a 73-57 defeat.

“I’d like to have a do-over,” said JCHS coach Sherri McIntire, whose team slipped to 1-1 after opening its season Nov. 11 with a 62-16 bludgeoning of South Side. “I just felt like in the beginning we didn't match their physicality. I felt like that got better as the game went on.”

The game was tied at 26 late in the second quarter before Hamilton Heights (2-1) pushed to a five-point advantage at halftime. The home team scored the first seven points of the second half, including the pair of triples from the 6-foot, 1-inch Suarez.

The Patriots got back to within eight before Curry got into the act from long distance. She hit her pair, and another freshman, Addison Blum, added a third for a 49-32 lead.

“We’ve got to be able to defend and get stops,” said McIntire. “They shot the ball better than we anticipated. I had watched them two games and they had not shot the three like that. So that’s either our defense wasn’t very good or they shot better than they normally do.”

Hamilton Heights coach Erin Trimpe noted a halftime adjustment that focused on eliminating driving lanes for Jay County’s Hallie Schwieterman. Though the junior led the Patriots with 25 points, she was scoreless in the third period as her team was outscored 22-11.

“We came out and changed our defense a little bit,” said Trimpe. “I mean, (Hallie) Schwieterman is just such a talented player. She's so dynamic and she creates so well for herself and for others. And so we had to find a way to try and limit her a little bit.”

JCHS was able to get back within nine twice in the final period, but the Huskies scored the game’s final seven points to pull away again.

Suarez had 18 of her game-high 32 points in the first half and was efficient throughout. She missed only one 3-point attempt and shot 14-of-19 overall while grabbing eight rebounds.

“We had really preached to Riley before the game to work for the inside out,” Trimpe said. “We feel like she's got such a good touch. … So she stepped up to the challenge.

“The joke with her that she doesn't love to be in the paint. She likes to be on that 3-point line, perimeter.

“She bought in. … Just incredibly efficient.”

Curry went 4-for-5 from long distance and 8-of-12 overall for her 20 points.

Five of the six Hamilton Heights players who scored were freshmen, with Blum contributing nine points, nine rebounds and three assists, point guard Bayleigh Eisele totaling six points and seven assists, and Stella Taylor chipping in two points. Junior guard Kamryn Rhoton had the other six points.

The Schwieterman sisters led Jay County by getting to the foul line, where they scored 20 of their combined 47 points. Hallie finished with 25 to go along with a team-high nine rebounds. Carsyn, a freshman, was 14-of-18 from the line as she scored 22 but also missed more than 12 minutes of the first half because of foul trouble and fouled out with about three minutes remaining.

“I was pleased with our effort,” said McIntire. “I felt like we didn’t quit … continued to battle. … We gave the effort. Even when we were down, they kept trying to edge back.”

The opening half was back-and-forth, with 14 lead changes. The Patriots’ last advantage came at 25-24 following a Hallie Schwieterman drive that led to a Hamilton Heights timeout.

Charlee Peters and Raylah Newton each scored three points for Jay County.