SHELBY, Ohio — The late 1990s Houston Astros had the Killer B’s. Shelby has the Killer G’s.

Senior guards Jackie Garrett and Kennadie Goth scored 22 points apiece and the Whippets survived a spirited fourth-quarter charge for a 69-63 win over Mount Vernon in the Richland Source NOL-OCC Challenge.

Shelby’s dynamic duo combined for 26 first-half points as the Whippets built a 33-19 halftime lead.

“We came out with the mindset that Mount Vernon is a really good team and we need to go all out because we’ve heard so many good things about them,” Garrett said. “We had to pick up our game to beat them.”

Shelby’s lead ballooned to 51-29 late in the third on back-to-back traditional three-point plays by Bailey Walter and Sienna King. The Whippets took a 51-31 lead to the fourth quarter.

“I was very disappointed with our lack of intensity and our lack of sense of urgency,” Mount Vernon coach Doug Savage said. “We played soft with the ball and we turned it over. Shelby had 33 points at halftime and probably 20 of those were in transition.

“We knew they had a good, solid guard game. Their guards played extremely well.”

Comeback: The Yellow Jackets came to life in the fourth quarter, outscoring Shelby 32-18. Senior Taylor Gregory scored 20 of her game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter.

“I think we lost our focus. We built a 22 point lead and we become complacent,” Shelby coach Natalie Lantz said. “That is what we talked about in the locker room. We can’t afford those letdowns if we want to be a championship team.”

Leaders: Payton McCord backed Gregory with 13 points. Maggie Nussbaum added 11 for the Jackets.

King had 11 points for the Whippets.

Sponsors: Events such as the The Richland Source NOL-OCC Challenge do not happen without tremendous partners. The NOL-OCC Challenge is presented by Mechanics Bank Be the Change scholarship program in partnership with The Holden Agency and Marco Photo Service. Supporting sponsors include Olive Garden, North Central State College, Rinehart Walters Danner Insurance, Prospering Life Events, Best Buy, TextLoyal, The Vault Wine Bar, The Ohio State University at Mansfield, and Lantz Star Graphics.