SHELBY – Tony Gerrel had taken a halfcourt shot before, like most interested in basketball. But he had not hit one with this much riding on the outcome.
“Of course I have,” he said. “And to be honest, as soon as the ball left my fingertips, I knew this one was going in.”
Gerrel, a senior at Lexington High School, drilled a halfcourt heave during the Richland Source NOL-OCC Challenge last Saturday at halftime of the Lexington and Tiffin Columbian girls basketball game at Shelby High School.
The shot was worth a 55-inch TV donated by sponsor Best Buy.
He said he stays current on his shooting skills by playing pick-up games with his friends.
A high school athlete, Gerrel played basketball his freshman and sophomore years of school and finished his last year of football this year.
“We were so excited to see Tony win. It was pretty clear from the time the shot left his hands that it had a chance, and that was unusual in the context of the other shooters that day,” Richland Source’s Publisher, Jay Allred said. “Let’s just say that Tony’s halfcourt shot game is strong.”
The senior is planning to join the Air Force next year, and he will bring along his new appliance.
“I was planning on getting a TV with money I got for Christmas,” Gerrel said. “But now I can save that money for gas and bills.”
Be sure to check out the gunners again this Saturday at Ontario High School when the boys teams compete in the Richland Source NOL-OCC Challenge. Presale tickets are available at each participating school, $6 for adults and $4 for students. One ticket is worth admission all day long, but leaving the gym requires another ticket purchase to re-enter.
All tickets at the door are $8.
Game times are as follows:
11 a.m. Tiffin Columbian vs. Clear Fork
1 p.m. Bellevue vs. Madison
3 p.m. Norwalk vs. Mount Vernon
5 p.m. Shelby vs. Ashland
7 p.m. Ontario vs. Lexington
9 p.m. Sandusky vs. Mansfield Senior
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.
