Jay County is 9-1 against Delta since January of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Jay County Patriots will challenge the Delta Eagles at 7:30 p.m.
Jay County is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Norwell last Wednesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Jay County was dealt an 89-34 loss at the hands of Norwell. The Patriots were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 56-20.
| 01/29/25 @ Norwell | 2 |
| 01/28/25 vs Heritage | 7 |
| 01/25/25 @ Southern Wells | 2 |
Despite the defeat, Jay County saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Hallie Schwieterman went 11 for 26 on her way to 26 points and five rebounds. Schwieterman is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last three games she's played.
Meanwhile, it's playoff time, and Delta had no trouble coming through when it counted. They blew past Hamilton Heights 63-37 on Tuesday. The Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight games by 26 points or more this season.
Jay County better focus on containing Addison Barnes and Jillian Barr as the pair were huge in Delta's win. Barnes went 7 of 15 en route to 20 points along with six assists and three steals, while Barr went 6 for 11 on her way to 13 points in addition to seven boards and four steals. Olivia Marshall was another key player, putting up nine points.
Delta smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 13 consecutive contests.
The win snapped Delta's losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 15-7 record. As for Jay County, their loss dropped their record down to 10-12.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Jay County has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 28.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Delta struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Jay County took a serious blow against Delta in their previous matchup two weeks ago, falling 64-33. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Barr, who almost dropped a double-double on 29 points and nine boards. Now that Jay County knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
