It’s late January, and tournament play has started for the class 3A sectional for girl’s high school basketball. Last night, Yorktown squared off against Jay County at home.
Yorktown came into this game with a record of 13-10 and posted three wins in conference play. Jay County finished the regular season with a staggering record of 20-2 and swept their conference with seven wins. However, the Tigers ended their season with a 56-48 loss to the Patriots.
To start the first quarter, the Tigers came out strong and led most of the opening period. Both teams had a big crowd, and the atmosphere was electric. Sophomore guard Addy Barnes hit a big 3-pointer that rejuvenated an already loud Yorktown cheering section.
“The feeling of hitting that three was very hype,” Barnes said. “I was just trying to get things going and get the crowd into it to create as much energy as I could because I knew this game was going to be very hard.”
Wrapping up the first quarter, Jay County scored five straight unanswered points, and with a big 3-pointer with seconds remaining, ended the quarter with a 15-12 lead.
During the second quarter, Jay County kept the pressure up and gave the Tigers a hard time because of their efficient full-court press. Their lead grew to eight at one point, and as the momentum was almost fully on the Patriots’ side, Yorktown responded with a huge 3-pointer to cut the lead to five entering the break, down 28-23.
Starting the third quarter, the Tigers used a fired-up Yorktown crowd to give them the momentum to keep creeping closer. Head coach Leigh Barga talked about how important the crowd was for Yorktown in this game.
“In a sectional game, it brings out a lot of people, and it is a win-or-go-home atmosphere,” she said.
The rest of the quarter was as back-and-forth as the rest of the game was, and with about two minutes to go in the quarter, senior center Jayde Garrett made a huge play, securing an and-one. That shifted the momentum to Yorktown for the rest of the quarter, and the Tigers only trailed 38-35.
The fourth quarter started the way the third ended, but as the quarter went on, the inside presence of the Patriots on both ends amounted to too much for the Tigers. Jay County was able to pull away late, giving Yorktown the early exit.
“With a loss like this, it’s hard for seniors, but there is a lot that I tell my younger girls,” Barga said. “There is a lot we can improve on for next year. This year we had a winning record with a lot of injuries, so there is a lot we can get better on.”
Contact Kyle Stout at kyle.stout@bsu.edu or X @kylestoutdailyn.
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