SHELBY — Shelby’s Alex Bruskotter is a match-up nightmare.
The 6-7 junior handles the ball out top as well as a diminutive point guard. He also takes it to the rim like a power forward. And the All-Ohioan can dominate the glass like a center.
That spelled trouble for Mansfield Senior on Wednesday night as Bruskotter recorded an unusual triple-double in Shelby’s 86-73 home win over the Tygers in a non-league game played before a packed house with a tournament-like atmosphere.
The win improved Shelby to 8-1, all eight victories coming after a season-opening loss Nov. 25 against Madison. Mansfield Senior saw its six-game winning streak broken and slipped to 6-2.
Bruskotter, a third-team all-state pick last year, poured in 35 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and drew 14 fouls from a Mansfield Senior defense that had locked down its last six opponents during a six-game winning streak.
Afterward, Bruskotter said he and his teammates were ready for a physical, pressuring Tygers team.
“I knew they were going to come in and be physical. They’re always like that. They are always chirping. That’s how they have won a lot of games and been successful.
“I knew I needed to keep my composure and if I did that, our odds would be really good,” Bruskotter said.
He knows how to take advantage of the match-ups his size, speed and ball skills create.
Bruskotter connected on 10 of 16 field goal attempts, including one-for-two from behind the three-point line. He was also 14 of 18 from the foul line.
“Usually the people guarding me when I bring the ball up the court are a lot smaller. That’s a little bit of a disadvantage because they’re lower to the ground,” he said.
“But it’s an advantage once I get it past half-court,” Bruskotter said. “I can just shoot over them or put them in the post … anything like that.”
Second-year Shelby coach Greg Gallaway knows he has a special talent in Bruskotter.
“He’s one of our leaders. Even as a junior, he’s just very versatile as a player. You don’t see a lot of kids like him at 6-7 with guard skills like that. He is able to handle the pace of the game against a good pressure team, able to step up and make foul shots and rebound.
“A lot of people talk about how many points he scores, but in (the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference), he’s also averaging the most rebounds and he’s averaging the most assists,” Gallaway said.
“He does a lot of things for us. He’s a great kid, works extremely hard, and he had a great game tonight,” the coach said.
Mansfield Senior coach Marquis Sykes, whose team had held its last six opponents to just 46.5 points per game, said his team’s effort was there, but not the execution.
“We played terrible defense tonight. I was really disappointed,” he said. “We played hard, but we got caught up in the moment of a nice crowd, an intense environment and we lost all of our (defensive) fundamentals, all of the things we have been working on.”
The Tygers were whistled for 28 fouls, compared to 16 for the Whippets, and had two players foul out in the fourth quarter.
“We have to make the adjustment. All refs are different. Some will let you play. Some will call it tight. Once you figure out how the refs are calling it, you have to make the right adjustments.
“That was part of our scouting report … to defend without fouling. And we really didn’t execute much of the game,” he said.
It was Mansfield Senior’s eight game in 22 days and the Tygers are back in action on Friday night at Madison.
“I have sympathy for these teenagers,” Sykes said with a laugh. “These guys are good athletes. We pride ourselves on being in tip-top condition.
“We’re still not in that condition yet, because of (the extended football season). But no excuses. We’re not in shape where we need to be to play the way that we wanna play. But we’ll get there. We’re about a couple weeks away. Once we get there, we hope that our execution gets better,” Sykes said.
Both Sykes and Gallaway said they were pleased with the game atmosphere. Both teams are in Division II when the post-season begins in March and a tournament rematch in the sectional or district is possible.
“That’s why we schedule these kinds of games,” Sykes said, “to make sure we’re getting a tournament-style environment early in the season. And that’s exactly what we got tonight.”
Gallaway agreed.
“It’s awesome to see a Richland County game like this where both teams bring a lot of people. I am proud of our guys. They really stepped up and played together,” he said.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Shelby senior guard Max Hess also finished in double figures with 13 points and 6-5 junior Casey Lantz had 11. Senior guard Carson Brubaker had eight and freshman guard Brayden Devito had seven.
Four Tygers finished in double figures. Senior guard Nathaniel Haney led Mansfield Senior with 17. Sophomore Kyevi Roane had 16. Junior Elias Owens finished with 15 and junior Karion Lindsay had 10.
Shelby shot 55 percent from the field (31/56) and connected on 20 of 27 free throws. Mansfield Senior connected on 44 percent of its field goal attempts (28/63) and were 13 of 18 from the line.
The Whippets had a 33-31 rebounding edge, led by Bruskotter. Lance had 10 for Shelby. Roane led the Tygers with 12.
Mansfield Senior committed 20 turnovers, compared to 16 for the Whippets.
UP NEXT: Mansfield Senior will put its 4-0 Ohio Cardinal Conference record on the line Friday night at cross-town rival Madison. The Rams (5-4, 2-3) knocked off Ontario, 72-63, in a non-league game Wednesday night and have now won three in a row.
Shelby is off until Jan. 5 when the Whippets travel to meet MOAC foe Clear Fork (3-6, 0-5). The Colts knocked off Fredericktown, 68-61, in a non-league game Wednesday night and have won two of their last four.
