Richter's record-setting performance highlights Heights' split with Pleasant Ridge
While the Jackson Heights boys basketball team might have had some minor hiccups early in Tuesday night’s league match-up against Pleasant Ridge, the game was eventually marked by a record-setting performance as the Cobras recovered quickly on the way to a 78-52 victory.
Once JHHS got over those early speed bumps, it was off to the races as the team’s pressure defense was giving the Rams fits while the Cobras were getting everything they could want and more on the offensive end.
Zane Richter was especially in the zone as he hit two threes to get the ball rolling for Jackson Heights and the team then proceeded to score at least 20 points in each of the first three quarters. Richter himself had scored 35 by halftime on the way to a school record 47-point performance.
“At the end of the night, the bottom line was we were just making shots, Zane in particular,” JH coach Chris Brown said. “There was a stretch where you felt like he couldn’t miss. When somebody like him gets going, it’s pretty easy as a coach to just kind of kick back and have a front row seat watching him.”
With a 31-point lead by half, it was clear Richter and the rest of the starters would not be needed in the fourth quarter.
Eight minutes was plenty of time for Richter to get 12 points and set the new single game scoring record for the JHHS boys and Brown noted the way he did it was just as impressive, as he didn’t force anything and still played within the Cobras’ offense to help the team build a 40-point lead going into the final period.
“That’s what you like to see. It wasn’t about him getting the scoring record. It was just about him going out there and playing great basketball and when you do that, great things happen,” Brown said.
Defense continued to fuel the Cobras later in the game and while Richter’s final tally stood out, the fact that seven other JHHS players scored in the game was just as important to Brown.
“That’s what we’ve been looking for. Zane added 47, which was good, but then we went 10, 5, 4, 4. A lot of people were able to get in and get a couple buckets and that’s actually what we’ve been talking about at practice,” Brown said.
Jackson Heights (3-0) will now prepare for its final game before the winter break, as the team gets set to hit the road to face Oskaloosa (2-2) on Friday, with games starting at 5 p.m.
Dec. 15, 2015
Varsity
PR: 7-14-11-20—52
JH: 26-26-20-6—78
Individual statistics:
JH: Richter 16 (8) 7-7 47, Olberding 4 (2) 0-0 10, L. Holliday 2 1-2 5, Jacobsen 2 0-1 4, Brey 2 0-0 4, Sauvage 1 1-1 3, L. Thomas 1 (1) 0-1 3, Keehn 1 0-1 2. Totals- 29 (11) 9-13 78.
PR: Haack 3 5-8 11, Bargaray 3 (1) 2-4 9, Clay 2 (2) 2-3 8, Trader 2 3-5 7, Hollinger 2 2-8 6, Currie 2 (1) 0-0 5, Morris 1 1-2 3, Zule 1 0-0 2, Watkins 0 1-2 1. Totals- 16 (4) 16-32 52.
JV
Jackson Heights 49, Pleasant Ridge 24
C-Team
Pleasant Ridge 26, Jackson Heights 10
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Another slow start put the Lady Cobras in an early hole and while the team fought valiantly, it couldn’t quite fight all the way back as JHHS fell to Pleasant Ridge 57-51 on Tuesday night.
“We were playing another fast team that put some ball pressure on us and caused us to turn the ball over and play at a pace that isn’t to our strength,” JH coach Dan Shupe said. “It took us a little bit of time to settle ourselves down and play within ourselves. Once we did that, we played a strong second half.”
After trailing by 12 at halftime, Heights had a chance to cut the deficit to one point and even take the lead late in the game, but some foul trouble hindered key forwards Katelin Strube and Hannah Williams late. Becca Gibson came on strong, though, to help give the Cobras a fighting chance.
“Becca Gibson really stepped up and started taking control of the ball and that’s going to have to be a key for us, Becca having the confidence and being able to handle the ball and distribute it,” Shupe said.
Jackson Heights is still trying to establish its identity and play to its strengths, something that Shupe feels could bode well for the team and should lead to some wins in the future.
“The team definitely has the potential to do that, it just has to come together yet,” Shupe said.
Heading to Oskaloosa (1-3) on Friday, the Lady Cobras (1-2) will look to do that to close out the first half of the season. Games will start at 5 p.m.
Dec. 15, 2015
Varsity
PR: 18-15-11-13—57
JH: 9-12-16-14—51
Individual statistics:
JH: Gibson 7 0-0 14, Strube 3 4-5 10, H. Williams 3 1-3 7, Abel 2 (1) 0-0 5, Rieschick 2 (1) 0-0 5, Wareham 1 3-4 5, Raborn 1 (1) 0-3 3, Cattrell 1 0-0 2. Totals- 20 (3) 8-15 51.
PR: L. Heim 8 (4) 0-0 20, M. Heim 5 0-2 10, McKinney 4 (1) 0-0 9, Wagner 2 3-6 7, Adams 2 2-5 6, Nooner 2 (1) 0-0 5. Totals- 23 (6) 5-13 57.
JV
Jackson Heights 33, Pleasant Ridge 30
C-Team
Jackson Heights 30, Pleasant Ridge 14
