JEFFERSONVILLE – When scheduling his team’s games for this particular
weekend, Jeffersonville head coach Mike Warren wanted to set up a situation to
see how his Red Devils would handle adversity.
The weekend started with a trip to the eastside of
Indianapolis to face Warren Central on Friday night. The result did not turn
out so good, as the Red Devils lost to the host Warriors 42-39.
After a two-hour bus trip back to Jeff late Friday night, Jeff
had a 1:30 p.m. home matchup with Jasper on Saturday at Johnson Arena.
The result was much, much better than the night before.
The Red Devils jumped out to a 27-4 lead after one quarter
and rolled to a 57-31 victory over the Wildcats (9-9). The key Jeff player in
that period was senior guard Jhala Henry, who scored 14 of her game-high 18
points in the first.
“We did this for the purpose of creating some adversity and
see how we reacted to some adversity. Would we have liked to have gone 2-0?
Yes, but we were 1-1,” Warren said. “Obviously, we were disappointed in losing
(Friday) night. I thought we were the better team. We just didn’t play like it
(Friday) night. (The Red Devils) had a lot of reasons to let down today and let
Jasper hang around.
“It started and ended with Jhala. Once (her teammates) saw
what she was doing in that first quarter, those kids had no choice but to
follow.”
Warren hopes Saturday’s victory gives Jeff some momentum
heading into this week where it plays two crucial Hoosier Hills Conference
games. The Red Devils (12-7, 5-0 HHC) can clinch a share of the conference
title with a win at defending league champion Seymour (14-5, 3-1) on Tuesday
night. If Jeff downs the Owls, it can capture the outright HHC championship
Friday night at home versus archrival New Albany (12-5, 3-1). The Red Devils’ last
conference title happened in 2011 when they won it outright and proceeded to claim
the Class 4A state championship.
“We have a chance to win the conference with an undefeated
record,” Warren said. “We’re not going to hide anything. We’re going to play to
win.”
Jeff junior guard Jacinta Gibson scored 12 points. Freshman
guard Brooke Nottingham led Jasper with seven points.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Henry – The Red Devils’ leader shot 7-of-10 from the field and 3-of-4 from
3-point range. In the opening quarter, Henry connected on five of her six
field-goal attempts and made all three of her 3’s. Warren also lauded her
defensive effort.
“She was phenomenal in the first quarter. She’s our heart
and soul and she’s the leader of this team,” Warren said. “She just wreaked
havoc on those girls and her defensive intensity got us some easy shots. It
kind of got her in the flow and she was able to knock down some 3’s.”
KEY SEQUENCE: With
Jeff holding an early 4-3 lead, it closed out the first stanza with a 23-1 run.
Henry scored 12 points during that spurt, which included her three 3-pointers
and a three-point play with 37.8 seconds left in the quarter.
UNSUNG HERO: Chelsea
Gibson, Jeff – The 6-1 sophomore forward displayed her potential with 10
points, shooting 4-of-7 from the floor and 2-of-2 at the free-throw line. The
younger Gibson came out ready to play like Henry in the first quarter, scoring
eight points.
“She has the tools. We’re just asking for more consistency
from her,” Warren said. “We need her to start well and finish well.”
WHAT JEFF DID WELL:
Once again, the Red Devils showed they have one of the best defenses in
Indiana.
It was the 11th time this season Jeff has held an
opponent under 40 points. The Red Devils rank second in Class 4A and 32nd
in Indiana in points allowed per game (37.4). The Wildcats shot 33.3 percent
from the field (10-for-30) and committed 23 turnovers. For most of the game,
Jeff used a full-court press and a half-court trapping defense to frustrate
Jasper.
“Through three quarters, our defense was outstanding. I was
real happy with our (help-side defense),” Warren said. “Our on-ball defense,
our traps and our press have been as good as it’s been lately. But more so, we
were helping each other.”
AREA OF CONCERN FOR
JEFF: If there was one thing to worry about, it was the Red Devils’
shooting percentage dropping off after the first quarter.
In the opening stanza, Jeff nailed 10-of-14 field goals
(71.4 percent). But after that, the Devils connected on only 12-of-36 shots (33.3
percent) as they ended up 22-of-50 for the game (44 percent).
JEFF’S NEXT GAME:
At Seymour, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
JEFFERSONVILLE 57,
JASPER 31
Jasper 4 10 2 15-31
Jeff 27
8 14 8-57
Jasper (9-9):
Brooke Nottingham 7, Madisyn Hunt 6, Kathryn Wigand 6, Claire Knies 5, Riley
Merder 5, Brooklynn Pierce 2, Anna Charron 0, Maria Gobert 0, Summer Herzog 0,
Emily Kuhlman 0, Lindsey Leinenbach 0, Kortney Ruhe 0.
Jeff (12-7):
Jhala Henry 18, Jacinta Gibson 12, Chelsea Gibson 10, Nan Garcia 6, Britney
Epperson 3, Jaylynn Brown 2, Tori Handley 2, Kelsie James 2, Jaelyn Lee 2,
Jasmine Lilly 0, Makiyah Owens 0, Kiersten Poor 0.
3-point field goals: Jasper
5 (Nottingham 2, Wigand 2, Hunt 1); Jeff
5 (Henry 3, J. Gibson 2).
Rebounds: Jasper 24
(Knies 6); Jeff 30 (Epperson 7).
Free throws:
Jasper 6-10, Jeff 8-12.
Turnovers: Jasper
23, Jeff 13.
Total fouls:
Jasper 14, Jeff 14.
Fouled
out: none.
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