Jimtown High School

Brutal lesson cuts Jimmies short By Red Williams Freelance Sportswriter ELKHART – Sometimes a lesson on the basketball court can be extremely painful, brutal even. Jimtown High School’s men’s basketball squad is suffering from a barnyard whipping Tuesday night (12.17.24), as visiting NorthWood eviscerated the Jimmies, 61-26, before a large crowd. “We will use this as a learning tool,” said Jimmy Coach Tyler Leighton. “NorthWood’s pressure hurt where it mattered most, with just six guys in our rotation.” The Panthers stretched their unbeaten record to 6-0 to start the ’24-25 season, inflicting the Jimmies with their first loss in six games. “They wore us down,” Leighton said. “We lost our legs. NorthWood’s a strong, physical team and caused us to shoot poorly. They took us out of our game.” The Panthers’ defense was so suffocating, it was exceedingly difficult for Jimtown to get any semblance of an open shot. The Jimmies finished with a dismal 18 percent shooting average and just 12 percent from outside the three-point arc. NorthWood coach Aaron Wolf singled out Collin Deatsman and Caleb Vincent for their defensive efforts against Dylan Fey, Jimtown’s top scorer. He managed just two points. “They are our unsung heroes,” he said. That appeared to be the Panthers’ game plan from the outset: Keep Fey from scoring. The Jimmy senior worked hard in trying to get loose and found himself on the floor several times in an effort to bust free. NorthWood’s physicality outmuscled Jimtown at every sector. “We’re still trying to improve,” Wolf said, “and stay in front.” Leighton said of his team, “We didn’t have the toughness and patience to get the shots we wanted. NorthWood’s a good team.” A Panther rally in the second period virtually put the game out of reach. Leading just 12-10 at the first break, NorthWood erupted for 12 points without return to push the score to 24-10, and a 17-1 burst in the third put the Jimmies on the ropes. With 4:32 left in the game, Leighton emptied his bench to avoid any further injuries to his starters (Javen Jackson is still out with a high ankle sprain), and the Jimmies scored just five points in the final stanza. Branden King, who fought valiantly under the rim for the Jimmies, led Jimtown with 17 points to go with 10 rebounds, and also found himself on the floor with a loud thump. No one else scored more than three. Tyler Raasch and Myles Everingham led NorthWood’s balanced attack with 17 and 10, respectively. The Panthers shot 53 percent from the field and outrebounded the Jimmies, 39-28. The Jimmies will be looking to bounce back Saturday against visiting Fairfield with a 7:30 pm tip-off. Score by quarters NorthWood 12 16 18 15 - 61 Jimtown 10 3 6 5 - 26 Officials: Bryan Lochmondy (LaPorte), Mike Winter (LaPorte), Sean Westman (Michigan City).