SHELBY – Shelby’s senior class has never experienced a loss to a league opponent on its home court.
Thursday’s 86-77 win over River Valley kept the streak unblemished. It also earned the Whippets a guaranteed share of a fifth straight Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship.
Shelby coach Greg Gallaway said a league title is always a goal on his team’s list.
“We felt this year, this league (MOAC) was the toughest it’s been since I’ve been here (Shelby),” he said. “We knew it was going to be a battle tonight…I’m just proud of the guys.”
Whippet senior Issaiah Ramsey said his team entered Thursday’s game with a winning mindset.
“We wanted to keep it (winning streak) that way,” he said. “We know that River Valley is a really good team and we had to come out and compete.”
The Whippets escaped with a one-point win when the two teams met in Caledonia earlier this season.
Several contribute to MOAC clinching victory
Shelby, who boasts a 9-1 record over their last ten games, never trailed after scoring the game’s first bucket.
Four of Shelby’s five starters scored double-digits, led by Ramsey’s 25 points.
Gallaway said he was proud of the senior’s performance, a result of Ramsey’s dedication the last four seasons.
“He’s put the time in. I know he’s a football guy, but he’s put a lot of time in basketball,” he said.
“He deserves to take those shots and recently, we’re seeing him become more and more confident of his offensive abilities.”
Senior Alex Bruskotter added 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Brayden DeVito, Bryson Baker, Karsen Homan and Casey Lantz combined for 38 points.
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River Valley second half rally falls short
A strong first half performance earned Shelby a 13-point advantage, 41-28, by halftime.
River Valley, winners of their last nine games prior to Thursday, began to shift momentum in the third quarter.
The Vikings pieced together scoring runs of 10-0 and 8-0 to find themselves trailing by two with 1:54 remaining in the quarter.
However, a 2:07 scoreless start to the fourth quarter allowed Shelby to rebuild an eight-point lead.
Gallaway said he wasn’t surprised to see the Vikings’ keep themselves within striking distance until the final buzzer.
“We knew they were going to make runs, because they’re a good basketball team,” he said.
“Their non-league (schedule) is always extremely tough. They’re battle-tested.”
Viking senior Carson Smith led his team in scoring with 30 points. Smith knocked down all four of his three-point buckets in the second half. Ayden Kenney added 14.
Teammates Chase Ebert, Chase Smith, Xavier Hensel and Sawyer Weston combined for 33 points.
River Valley coach Rodney Brown said he was proud of the way his team never quit.
“That’s part of our motto, to never quit and fight to the end, and they definitely did that,” he said.
“Every time we’d get close, they’d (Shelby) hit a big basket or a call would go against us. Shelby is good and it’s hard to win here. They did exactly what they needed to do.”
HIGHLIGHT REEL
What’s ahead for both teams:
The Whippets will travel to Clear Fork on Saturday and can claim an outright MOAC title with a win over the Colts.
River Valley will head to Columbus for a Saturday night matchup with St. Francis DeSales.