LEXINGTON – The tournament atmosphere of March came early for fans in attendance at Lexington High School on Saturday night.
With nearly every seat filled in the gymnasium, the Minutemen remained unbeaten before the New Year with a 61-57 victory over the Shelby Whippets.
‘There’s not a lot of games like this’
Lexington coach Scott Hamilton said he knew to expect a large attendance, given the rivalry which has developed over the last few seasons.
“We knew it was going to be well attended,” he said. “Shelby always brings a good crowd. They’re well supported by their fans and we’ve had good support at home this year.”
Shelby coach Greg Gallaway said Saturday’s game was good for basketball in Richland County.
“One thing that we reiterated across the team was (to) just be thankful for this,” he said. “I’ve watched basketball in this area for a lot of years and there’s not a lot of games like this.”
“Obviously we wish we would’ve came out on top, but we’ve got to learn from it and we’ve got to grow as a team.”
Late game dramatics nothing new to Lexington-Shelby rivalry
Last season, the Minutemen sent Ashland’s Arrow Arena into a frenzy as Alex Depperschmidt completed a coast-to-coast layup in overtime to end Shelby’s season.
Hamilton said he knew the importance of Saturday’s game and credited his team’s playmaking abilities during the game’s biggest moments.
“They wanted it and we did too,” he said. “I really treated it like we were the underdog with all the talent that they (Shelby) had coming back.”
The back-and-forth affair included 10 lead changes and was tied at nine different points throughout the night.
The Whippets found themselves ahead 27-25 at halftime, led by 16 first half points from senior Alex Bruskotter. Sophomore Brayden Fogle led his team with eight points through two frames.
After shooting 39.3 percent from the field in the first half, Lexington sank 15 of their 26 second half field goals, outscoring the Whippets 36-30.
Hamilton said his message to the team leaned on the idea that the game would not be won in the first or second quarter.
“They believed in it and they trusted us,” he said. “My kids just made some plays down the stretch. When they (Shelby) came up with good defensive stops, my kids just made some plays.”
Gallaway said his team suffered from missed opportunities on both ends of the floor.
“We’ve got to be better offensively, moving the ball (and) getting other guys involved,” he said.
SHELBY AT LEXINGTON PHOTO GALLERY
Hughes rose to the occasion
During one of the game’s most critical moments, Lexington sophomore Dantrell Hughes made one of the biggest shots in his young high school career.
With less than a minute left in action, Hughes found the bottom of the net to give the Minutemen a two-point lead, 59-57.
Hughes said he remembered Hamilton’s coaching as his team brought the ball up the floor.
“My coach always says to move without the ball and I just cut backdoor,” he said. “It felt good. I knew I had to contribute somehow.”
Following Hughes’ basket, Bruskotter was hit with a traveling call with only 19.3 seconds remaining and the Minutemen ahead by two.
Lexington’s Joe Caudill would end the Whippets’ chances, making a go-ahead layup to put his team up four points with 8.9 seconds left on the clock as the home fans stood from their seats.
Hughes said Saturday’s atmosphere was unlike any he’d experienced before on his home court.
“It was probably the biggest game I’ve been in,” he said. “I love it. I love how the fans get hype and every shot you make is just crazy.”
Video: Shelby at Lexington highlight reel
Fogle feeds off ‘amazing’ Lexington atmosphere
Fogle said it was arguably one of the best environments he’s played in throughout his basketball career.
“It was amazing,” he said. “It was the best atmosphere we had all year by far.”
Fogle proved to thrive when the lights are brightest, scoring a team-high 21 points. He also dished two assists and grabbed nine total rebounds.
Hamilton was proud of Fogle’s ability to bounce back after failing to record a rebound Friday during Lexington’s 50-42 victory over New Philadelphia.
“That’s what he’s capable of and we know that,” he said.
“There’s a lot of individual stuff that we work on, but we always make sure that in the back of their mind, it’s a team win.”
The game within the game featured Fogle and Bruskotter, who combined for 53 of the game’s 118 total points scored.
Fogle said entering Saturday’s meeting, his team knew Bruskotter would be a difficult challenge.
“I always feel like I’m the best player on the court, no matter who we’re going against and I feel like I did a good job of showing that tonight,” he said.
“But then again, he (Bruskotter) just had a 32-point game. You definitely still got to respect it.”
Bruskotter ‘wants to win’
Bruskotter finished the game with 32 points, 13 rebounds and one assist.
Gallaway said the senior is a very special player, but his desire to win ranks above all else.
“He knows he’s got to be better (and) he knows as a team we’ve got to be better,” he said.
“He’s our leader and we’ve got to keep growing from this, he’s got to grow from this and we’ve got to grow as a team.”
Gallaway also credited Fogle and the Minutemen’s performance.
“They’ve got a lot of guys that can hurt you,” he said. “They’re a balanced team. They’ve shown this year where they can push the tempo and slow it down and keep teams honest defensively.”
Gallaway says Whippets must ‘hold each other accountable’
Up next for the Whippets is a non-conference matchup on Jan. 6 with the Ashland Arrows. Lexington will look to continue their unbeaten season when it hosts West Holmes on Jan. 5.
“Obviously, you want to win these games, but we’ve got to get a lot better Monday,” Gallaway said.
“I like the expectations that we have as a team, but we’ve got to hold each other accountable and that starts at practice.”