SHELBY — It was the first game of the season, but Shelby’s defense was in mid-season form.
The veteran Whippets were able to make a crucial in-game adjustment that led to a 63-39 win over Madison.
The Rams trailed just 32-26 at halftime, paced by 15 first-half points from junior Tyrell Ajian. That’s when Shelby dropped its trapping defense in favor of simple man-to-man pressure. That slowed down Ajian, who scored just three points in the final two periods.
“Our number one goal was to keep the ball out of Ajian’s hands,” said Shelby coach Troy Schwemley, who welcomed back several players off last year’s sectional championship team. “We weren’t rotating very well out of the traps and our rotation improved a lot after that.”
The change led to a 15-2 Shelby run during a 3:43 stretch of the third quarter, blowing the lead open to 47-30. The inexperienced Rams, missing two key players due to suspension, had no answer.
“Shelby is good at extending its pressure without trapping,” Madison coach Tim Mergel said. “Every time Tyrell touched the ball, they ran two guys at him and with good reason. He is one of the best players in the area.”
Balanced Attack: Shelby had balanced scoring last year and demonstrated the same trait against Madison. Nine Whippets scored, including three in double figures and two others with eight.
Brandon Schneider led Shelby with 14 points, including one triple. Brady Hill had 12 and Brock Kehres had 10, including three treys. Brennan Armstrong had eight (two triples) and Trevor Young also had eight.
“Last year we had six or seven guys averaging eight or more points and a lot of those guys return this year,” Schwemley said. “We were a little too much one-on-one at the beginning. I think we got more patient as the game went along, moving the ball much better.
“I was also happy with our depth tonight. We got into some early foul trouble and guys came off the bench and played well.”
Conversely, the Rams struggled when Ajian was closed down. No other Madison player scored in double figures. The Rams scored just 13 points in the second half and connected on just one of 13 field goal attempts in the fourth quarter.
“A lack of depth on our bench and our inexperience hurt us tonight,” Mergel said. “Our kids played hard, but we let (Shelby) dictate where we were on the floor. We didn’t attack the basket enough in the first half. We did a better job in the second, but we couldn’t put the ball in the hole.”
Patience: Shelby struggled at times in the first half as Ajian scored nine points in just the first quarter. But the Whippets never panicked.
“We told our kids it’s kind of like a boxing match. You aren’t going to get a knockout in the first round or two. But you keep fighting,” Schwemley said.
It was a learning experience for the Rams.
“One thing I have learned is there is no substitute for experience,” Mergel said. “We didn’t have that and it showed tonight. But we played hard and we will get better.”
Stats: Shelby was 23 of 46 from the field and 11 of 19 from the line. Madison hit just 38 percent from the field (14 of 37) and 37 percent from the line (6 of 16). The Whippets had a slight edge on the boards, outrebounding the Rams 28-25. Madison committed 19 turnovers, compared to 16 for Shelby.
