MANSFIELD — Mansfield Senior’s big three were too much to handle Tuesday night.
Jeryn Reese, Rajaa Anderson and Erica Johnson combined for 55 points and the Tygers improved to 3-0 with a 62-45 win over Shelby at Pete Henry Gym.
Reese, an All-Ohio honorable mention selection last year and the Most Valuable Player of the season-opening Bucyrus Tip-off Classic, led the way with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Anderson had 15 points and 13 boards and Johnson added 13 points despite foul trouble.
“As a team, we kind of go how Erica and Jeryn go,” Senior High coach Todd Krill said. “If they’re going really well, then everyone’s going really well. That’s what we’re looking at right now.
“Rajaa does the dirty work for us and she likes it.”
The Tygers raced out to a 16-4 first quarter lead. The Whippets (1-2) were never able to recover.
“We just really got off to a slow start,” Shelby coach Natalie Lantz said. “I’m not exactly sure what it was. I don’t think they did anything to hurt us. All night long it was a little bit self-inflicted.”
The 6-foot Reese outscored the Whippets 9-4 in the first quarter. She had 16 points and seven rebounds at the half.
“Reese is top-notch. She can take it inside and she has a beautiful outside shot,” Lantz said. “She anticipates and reads rebounds so well.”
Lead By Example: Reese, a senior wing, has taken on a more active role early in the season.
“She’s stepped up quite a bit from last year until now,” Krill said. “She’s trying to be a leader and help the other girls do what they are supposed to do. Right now she is starting to accept that responsibility. We’re just so pleased with her right now.”
Glass Work: Senior High out-rebounded Shelby 51-22. The Tygers had 19 second-chance points.
“We tell them getting offensive rebounds is cheap points, so go after those boards and get some cheap points,” Krill said. “We’ve got three pretty good offensive rebounders hitting those boards.”
Rugged Stretch: After opening the season with a win over Plymouth, Shelby has dropped two straight to Ashland and Senior High. The rugged stretch continues with Northern Ohio League heavyweights Bellevue and Willard.
“We went 1-9 starting the season last year. … That’s tough,” Lantz said. “These kids stay composed. They know they are strong enough and talented enough to come back.”
Gabby Stephens led Shelby with 21 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
