MANSFIELD, Ohio — Lenell Shelby is on a mission and he’s bringing his Ontario teammates along for the ride.
Shelby scored a game-high 21 points despite early foul trouble and the Warriors flexed their muscle with a 75-37 win over Sandusky Perkins in the Division II sectional championship game Friday at Madison Middle School.
“I thought Lenell’s leadership tonight was outstanding,” Ontario coach Joe Balogh said. “You’ve seen it here, especially late in the season. He’s kind of put the team on his back and said, ‘Come on and ride with me.’
“His play in the first half was key,” said Balough.
The game was tied 10-10 when Shelby picked up his second foul with 2:19 remaining in the first quarter. He came out of the game briefly, but Balogh rolled the dice and re-inserted the District 6 Player of the Year to start the second quarter.
Shelby responded with 12 second-quarter points as the Warriors opened a 35-28 halftime lead.
“I didn’t care when I picked up that second foul,” Shelby said matter-of-factly. “Coach expected me to keep playing the way I play and that means aggressive defense. I can’t sit there and whine about the foul calls. It wasn’t a big deal.”
Second-half surge: Shelby held down the fort until reinforcements arrived in the second half. Ontario (23-1) outscored Perkins (7-16) 40-9 in the during the third and fourth quarters.
“Our defense in that second half was outstanding,” Balogh said. “To be that good defensively in a half really says something about our kids.”
Perkins managed just four field goal attempts in the third quarter. The Pirates turned the ball over seven times and were outscored 20-6.
“You score nine points in a half against a good team and you’re not going to win very often,” Perkins coach Scott McVeigh said. “It boils down to just not being aggressive with the ball. We took a lot of bad shots and settled a lot in the second half.”
Spread the Wealth: Balance has been Ontario’s calling card all season and it was on display again Friday. The Warriors had 13 players dressed for the game and all 13 scored. Andrew Rathburn backed Shelby with 10 points, while Treyvian Jordan, Griffin Niss and Corey Thomas each had eight.
“They are a good team,” McVeigh said. “The district player of the year was off the floor, but they had other guys step up.”
Back to District: For all it accomplished last season — a Division II poll championship, a share of the Northern Ohio League crown and a win over eventual Division II state champ Norwalk — Ontario was unable to make it out of the sectional. That fact wasn’t lost on the Warriors as the cut down the nets Friday evening.
“We had some good times last year, but we were disappointed with the way it ended,” Shelby said. “We’re not done yet this year. It doesn’t matter who we play, we’re going to go out and battle.”
