Matthew Lounsberry mlounsberry@hillsdale.net<\/a> mlounsberryHDN <\/p>\n READING Jonesville employed a more aggressive defense in the second half of Tuesdays game at Reading, which lifted the Comets to a 57-39 win over the Rangers. <\/p>\n At halftime, I told the guys lets get up a little more and make it tougher, said Jonesville coach Kirk Wright. That created a lot more turnovers in the second half. It really changed the game with more pressure in the second half. <\/p>\n The game sat tied at 23 as both teams exited the locker rooms for the third quarter, and the Comets full court pressure helped them open the frame on a 11-2 run. <\/p>\n It was a pretty physical game, and we kind of got wore out up front, said Reading coach Brett Kerspilo. We made some mental mistakes, and they played really aggressive defense. <\/p>\n We werent able to over come those mistakes. You start missing baskets and it kind of snowballs from there. <\/p>\n The teams went toe-to-toe for the remainder of the third quarter, as Jonesville took a 46-35 lead into the final frame. <\/p>\n The Comets defensive was suffocating in the fourth quarter, as Jonesville outscored the Rangers 11-4 to end the game. <\/p>\n For Reading, Thursday night was another frustrating example of a strong first half followed up by a disappointing second, a trend that has become a theme for their season. <\/p>\n Weve been working on it. What weve struggled with is weve had a quarter where we cant score, Kerspilo said. When we dont score, we lose our energy offensively. <\/p>\n Reading struggled to score early in the game as well, with Jonesville jumping to a 10-2 lead in the opening five minutes of the contest. <\/p>\n The Rangers rebounded to cut their deficit to 12-8 by the end of the first quarter, then took an 18-17 lead with 2:21 remaining in the half. <\/p>\n I always want to have a little more pressure on defense. It seems like we always start a little slow, Wright said. <\/p>\n Both teams ended the second quarter with three-point baskets, making it 23-23 before the Comets second half adjustments led them to victory. <\/p>\n Weve had moments all year where weve been good on defense. Now we need to carry it through a whole game, Wright said. <\/p>\n We can play with anybody if we play right. We have good enough players here. We just need to make sure we finish a game, play four quarters of defense. <\/p>\n Jonesville was led by senior point guard Jake Wilson with 21 points, five steals and four assists. Joel Benn pitched in a strong performance with 14 points, five steals, five rebounds and three assists. <\/p>\n Will Taylor had nine points and two steals, and Seth Young added eight points. Mitchell Beatty contributed three assists and three steals, while Seth Spahr added five rebounds. <\/p>\n Wright was pleased with his teams offensive balance. <\/p>\n Its how weve been playing lately. Our last game, Jake didnt lead us. Jake really is a pass-first guy, and we have other guys who will step up, he said. <\/p>\n If we get three or four guys every game to step up, we have a chance to finish out the season real strong going into districts. <\/p>\n The Comets return home for three straight games, as they look to enter the postseason on a hot streak. <\/p>\n We just have to keep playing every game. Were going home for our next three games in a row, which is huge, Wright said. We have to come out and try to win every game we can and go into districts with momentum. <\/p>\n Reading was led by freshman Nick Affholter with 12 points and seven rebounds. Cole Boyd scored 10 points. <\/p>\n Also for the Rangers, Corbin Hoover scored seven points, Alex Price scored six and Ben Affholter added four points and 11 rebounds. <\/p>\n Kerspilo remains confident in his young squad, and hopes the lessons learned from throughout the season lead to a mature, dangerous team come district play. <\/p>\n Were hungry. Weve just have to put together four quarters. A lot of it is gaining confidence. We just got to have a night where we figure it out, get over that hump, he said. <\/p>\n I think well get it. Im still excited about district. The guys are still into it. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Follow this link:<\/p>\n Second half 'D' lifts Comets over Rangers - The Hillsdale Daily News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Matthew Lounsberry mlounsberry@hillsdale.net<\/a> mlounsberryHDN READING Jonesville employed a more aggressive defense in the second half of Tuesdays game at Reading, which lifted the Comets to a 57-39 win over the Rangers. At halftime, I told the guys lets get up a little more and make it tougher, said Jonesville coach Kirk Wright Continue reading