ONTARIO — Shelby’s Max Hess celebrated Senior Night three days late — and he did it about 10 miles from home.
The 6-foot-1 senior guard scored a career-high 28 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead the Whippets to a 74-43 win at Ontario, a victory that clinched the fourth straight outright Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference title for Shelby.
The win came three days after Shelby (19-3, 13-1) dropped its own Senior Night game at home against Lexington. His performance helped to spoil the Senior Night celebration for the Warriors (12-10, 8-6).
It was the regular-season finale for both schools.
“We didn’t feel like we played our best game against Lexington. In my opinion. I think we’re still the better team, but we have got to prove that if we get a chance (in the postseason),” Hess said.
“But we just came to work to get better for playoffs and we got one today,” said Hess, who hit on 10 of 15 shots, including six of eight behind the arc.
Hess said he felt loose during warmups.
“I was just trying to have fun with it. I didn’t want to put any pressure on myself. But when I see the first couple drop, I have more confidence the rest of the game,” he said.
“I love (my teammates). I appreciate every thing they have done for me. I am beyond blessed. When they keep giving it to me, I have got to make it worth it. That’s my mindset,” Hess said.
FRIDAY NIGHT SCORES
Shelby 74, Ontario 43
Highland 50, Clear Fork 40
River Valley 64, Galion 44
Marion Pleasant 67, Marion Harding 62
FINAL MOAC STANDINGS
*Shelby 19-3, 13-1
River Valley 17-5, 12-2
Marion Harding 14-8, 10-4
Ontario 12-10, 8-6
Marion Pleasant 12-10, 7-7
Galion 8-14, 3-11
Clear Fork 6-16, 2-12
Highland 7-15, 1-13
* Shelby wins its fourth-straight league title.
On a team that includes All-Ohio junior Alex Bruskotter (6-7) and All-District juniors Casey Lantz (6-5) and Issaiah Ramsey (6-3), it’s easy for teams to perhaps overlook the 6-1 Hess.
Shelby coach Gary Gallaway said he is confident Hess can make opponents pay for that mistake.
“Max stepped up big for us. He’s been consistent for us all year. It’s just nice to see him break out of his shell and make some big shots for us,” Gallaway said.
“We knew he was capable of doing that and our guys had a lot of confidence in him. I think he’d be the first to say there were a lot of guys on the court that were trying to find him cause they knew he had the hot hand, which just shows the unselfishness of our team and how balanced we are.”
Ontario coach Tim Mergel said the Whippets’ balance makes them a tough team to defend.
Shelby at Ontario boys box score
“You have got to pick your poison. You got to take Bruskotter away, and you got Lantz to worry about. You got Ramsey shooting 75 percent from the field. There’s Hess — and he kills you. So we picked a bad night for them to have a good night,” Mergel said.
“You can’t duplicate their length (in practice). They altered a lot of shots at the rim and when they get second-chance opportunities, it kills you. I don’t know what they shot on the night, but it seemed like a, a high percentage,” he said.
Indeed, Shelby shot 55 percent from the field (31-of-56 field goals), including 6-of-9 triples.
Ontario, which trailed 21-2 after the first quarter, managed to hit just 33 percent from the floor (15-of-45 field goals), including 7-of-20 triples.
With the district tournament beginning next week, the emergence of Hess gives the Whippets yet another weapon for opponents to consider.
“That’s been kind of the story of us this year. We really balanced,” Gallaway said. “We have three guys that are averaging double figures and then two guys that are right there on the verge.
“We approach games like it’s anyone’s given night. We want to get good shots. And it might be one guy, might be two guys. with a hot hand. It could be a different guy each night. So I was just pleased to see other guys step up,” Gallaway said.
With the tournament set to begin, the Whippets have little time to celebrate another league title. But Gallaway — after he and his players donned t-shirts indicating a school-record fourth straight MOAC title — said it’s a feat worth celebrating.
“It’s extremely tough. I think obviously that’s what the expectation is here now at Shelby. Our guys don’t even need to say it’s a goal at the start of the season to win an MOAC title, because we all know that.
“Our guys just did a great job holding each other accountable to reach that goal. Other teams are giving us their best shot every night. Our guys have been resilient all year and have faced adversity and have done a great job. So I’m proud of them,” Gallaway said.
Ontario plays Clear Fork (6-16) in the first round of the tournament Wednesday at Madison Junior High School. The Warriors defeated the Colts twice during the regular season, though the second went into overtime.
The winner of that game plays Shelby next Friday, also at Madison.
“You have got to be positive. I mean, life’s too short to be negative,” Mergel said. “We have got to get better and we have to learn from it. We have got to get back in the gym and prepare for Wednesday.
“You have got to be able to bounce back quickly in the game of basketball. We have been able to do that this season. I have got full confidence in my guys that they will be able to do that,” he said.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Bruskotter finished with 12 points, eight assists and five rebounds for Shelby. Ramsey and Lantz each scored nine.
Junior Grady Schroeder led Ontario with 12 points. Junior Grayson Purvis added eight.
Shelby had a 30-26 rebounding edge and committed just two turnovers, compared to 11 for Ontario. The Whippets had a 15-2 edge in points off of turnovers and also a 14-10 edge in second-chance points via offensive rebounds.
