All the answers
Janke, Schmitz, thwart Jeffers’ defenses in 66-59 win
PAINESDALE — With junior Jaden Janke spotting up from beyond the arc, and junior Devin Schmitz breaking down his defender with his quick handle, the Dollar Bay Blue Bolts had an answer for any defense the Jeffers Jets threw at them.
Janke connected on six 3s 0n his way to scoring a game-high 28 points, while Schmitz scored 20 to give Dollar Bay a 66-59 Copper Mountain Conference win Thursday in Painesdale.
“Tonight, those two players stepped up, absolutely, when we needed shots,” Dollar Bay head coach Jesse Kentala said. “They were composed and under control, and they did what they needed to do for us to get this win.”
Jeffers (1-1, 1-1) opened the night with an extended 1-3-1 zone, and despite getting decent looks, Janke struggled in the early goings, making just one of his first four attempts from 3-point range.
But like any true shooter knows: you never let a couple misses get you down.
Janke went 5 of 7 from 3 to close the game, and managed to go on a 6-0 run by himself in the third quarter after swishing consecutive 3s on back-to-back possessions to give the Blue Bolts (1-0, 1-0) a 41-32 lead with 6 minutes, 26 seconds left in the third.
“As the game went on, my nerves kind of calmed down,” Janke said. “I’m just confident in my shot and believe in everything I put up. You just have to keep a good head.”
Janke’s 3s were momentum swingers, but his most important shots of the night came at the free-throw line.
With under two minutes to go, Jeffers junior Carson Turner trimmed Dollar Bay’s lead to 58-57 with a layup. On Dollar Bay’s next possession, Janke caught a pass in the left corner and launched a 3 before being knocked down by two Jets. The 3 was off the mark, but he got the foul call and went to the line for three shots; he swished all of them to put Dollar Bay ahead 61-57.
A steal and a fast-break layup by Dollar Bay junior Jacob Iacono — who finished with a game-high 11 rebounds –made it 63-57 with just 1:24 left. Iacono would register another steal on Jeffers’ next possession to essentially seal the game.
“To beat Jeffers at home with the type of team that they have, to me, that says that we’re here to play,” Kentala said. “It means we’re formidable, and we’re excited to keep playing.”
Matching Janke and Schmitz was the Jeffers’ senior backcourt combination of Caleb Maki and Jaden Wood. Maki scored 18, and Wood added 17 as the guards from each school showcased their extensive skills with quick dribble drives and pull-up jumpers.
But similar to Janke, it took a while for Schmitz to get going. Schmitz scored just two points in the first quarter while going 1 of 4 from the field. But once Jeffers went man, no single defender could stay in front of him. Schmitz went 6 of 12 and scored 18 points over the final three quarters; he converted a step-back 18-foot jumper at the buzzer of the second quarter to give the Blue Bolts a 35-28 halftime lead.
“Devin is a great teammate,” Janke said. “He gets to the bucket whenever, and he’s got great handles. He sets us all up.”
With Janke and Schmitz off to slow starts, it was senior Cade Klobucarich coming off the bench to ignite Dollar Bay’s offense. Klobucarich made all three of his attempts from 3-point range, including a buzzer-beating 3 from near the top of the key. A technical was assessed to Jeffers head coach Duane Snell after the play.
“p1″>”Cade’s a kid that can straight stroke,” Kentala said. “He’s the kid off our bench that’s like our microwave. At that point of the game, that might have been the biggest juncture for us because we started slow, and he brought us right back.”
Jeffers fell down by as many as 11 midway through the third, but the Jets outscored Dollar Bay 15-5 before the end of the third quarter, capped by a basket from Maki. Schmitz answered with his only 3 of the night to give the Blue Bolts a 51-47 lead heading into the fourth.
Up next, Jeffers hosts Wakefield-Marenisco on Monday; Dollar Bay welcomes Bessemer on the same day.
Dollar Bay 18 17 16 15 – 66
Jeffers 18 10 19 12 – 59
Dollar Bay – Thompson 2, Iacono 7, Schmitz 20, Janke 28, Klobucarich 9. F: 13; Fouled out: None; Free throws: 14-20; 3-point field goals: Janke 6, Klobucarich 3, Schmitz.
Jeffers – Wood 17, Maki 18, Nicholas 2, Turner 7, Jukkala 7, Jenkins 8. F: 16; Fouled out: None; Free throws: 3-6; 3-point field goals: Wood 3, Carson.