Jimtown High School

Baugo’s brains, brawn bring down Bruins By Red Williams Freelance Sportswriter ELKHART - What would the warriors at the OK Corral have to say about Tuesday night’s Jimtown vs Bethany Christian basketball contest? Probably, “Not much of a gunfight.” Jumping off to a 10-0 lead, the Jimmies scored at will in this “senior night” game and eventually (yawn) a 70-45 victory over the Bruins before a large crowd (2.17.26). Bethany’s coach Dan Mast even said, “I feel like we owe an apology to the crowd for not making it much of a game.” Will Spurgeon and Tre Baldwin, Jimtown’s only seniors, made the most of their final appearance on Jerry Cook Court. The former played like his scalp was on fire, driving and cutting, defending the court and scoring 13 points. Baldwin had another double-double, using his brawn to snare 11 rebounds (four of them on offense) and score 10 points. Both have made commitments to continue their athletic careers, Spurgeon to Judson College and Baldwin to Indiana Wesleyan (for football). A 21-6 lead for the Boys of Baugo after the first quarter blossomed into a 28-point advantage (ho-hum) in the second period. The victory snapped Jimtown’s three-game losing skid, lifting it to a 13-7 record with just two regular season games on tap. The Bruins’ record dipped below .500 at 11-12. The Jimmies will travel to Argos on Saturday (2.21.26), then to Elkhart on Tuesday (2.24.23). Sectional drawings will be made Sunday (2.22.26) “I really liked the way we played in the first half,” said Jimmy coach Ryan Varga. “We moved the ball well, made some hard cuts, drove the ball. We were back to ourselves. When you share the ball, everyone eats.” The Jimmies had 17 assists, led by Spurgeon’s eight. Varga chided his team for lacking the “killer” instinct, a short spurt of complacency. Dom Fey led the Jimmies in scoring with 20 and Zander Whitaker added a dozen. The game was so out-of-reach (yawn), Varga cleared his bench early in the fourth quarter. Bethany’s Trey Caffee won scoring honors with 25, but the Jimtown defense kept the Bruins at bay and didn’t allow a three-point basket until 1:24 was left in the game. “I thought Bethany was tenacious,” Varga said. They kept bringing it and didn’t give up. I tip my hat. They have one speed and that was hard.” Mast complimented the Jimmies’ play: “They were great to the rim and in the paint. They’ve got some great guards, and their trap defense caused us some problems. “I was actually proud of the way we played,” he continued, “but there were times when we didn’t make good decisions, we lost focus.” Jimtown also won the junior-varsity game, 33-22. Score by quarters: Bethany 6 15 15 9 45 Jimtown 21 23 8 18 70 Officials: Ryan Eakins, Brice Kaylor, Matt Casey