SHELBY — The sparkling new gym at Shelby’s recently-opened high school doesn’t officially have a name, but on opening night it was The House That Tristan Kehres Built.
A senior and Shelby’s lone returning letterman, Kehres banked in a 15-footer with 2.6 seconds remaining and the Whippets boys christened their new gym with a stunning 62-61 win Friday.
Shelby trailed 61-60 with 6.9 seconds remaining when Kehres hauled in the inbounds pass near his own bench. He took a couple dribbles and pulled up near the free throw line. His shot hit hard off the board before falling through the rim, sending a large and boisterous Shelby student section into a frenzy.
“That’s not at all how we had it drawn up,” Kehres said. “It was a fluke, I think.
“I’m not much of a jump-shooter but that time I was, and I used the glass to my advantage.”
The rugged 6-foot-1 power forward, who has been limited in the preseason because of a football injury, scored 13 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter as the Whippets outscored the Rams 20-10.
“The play was drawn up to get him the ball, but I wanted him to keep going (to the basket),” Shelby coach Troy Schwemley said. “Normally, he doesn’t stop.
“His shot was a little strong, but it was online. We’ll gladly take it.”
Kehres’ unlikely shot capped an unlikely comeback. Shelby trailed by as many as 11 points late in the third quarter. Madison held a 51-42 advantage to start the fourth.
Kehres, who scored 13 points in the first half, was 0-for-3 from the floor and scored just one point in the third quarter.
“Madison did a nice job in the third quarter and we weren’t able to enter the ball inside,” Kehres said. “I kind of got on a roll in the fourth quarter and started to feel good. Everything they were giving me, I was taking.”
Kehres gave the Whippets their first lead at 60-59 with 1:17 remaining on a driving layup.
“It’s just toughness, plain and simple,” Madison coach Tim Mergel said. “He’s a senior and he put his head down and got the the rim whenever he wanted to in that fourth quarter. We didn’t have anybody who wanted to step over and take a charge.
“We led the whole basketball game and we just continued to put the kid at the free throw line in the fourth quarter. As a team, they shot eight free throws in the fourth quarter. It’s unacceptable. We’ve got to do a better job of moving our feet.”
The Rams reclaimed the lead with 49 seconds left on freshman Tyrell Ajian’s layup in traffic. Madison had a chance to extend its advantage, but junior Coy Vantilburg misfired on the front end of a one-and-one situation with 20 seconds remaining. Kehres corralled the rebound to give the Whippets a shot at the victory.
“We lost a couple of big guys from last year, so I knew I was going to have to be one of our main rebounders going into this season,” Kehres said. “I’m just glad I was able to get it done for the team.”
A 6-foot-2 marksman, Vantilburg enjoyed an outstanding shooting night. He connected on seven 3-pointers and scored a team-best 26 points.
“Coy shot the ball well,” Mergel said. “Our problem was we didn’t have anyone step up and make plays.
“When it gets late and the game is on the line, we need to have people who want the basketball in their hands.”
Billy Buckley backed Vantilburg with 10 points. Ajian had six in his varsity debut.
Brandon Schneider had 12 points for the Whippets. Spencer Blevins had six.
After Shelby’s girls won their home opener last week, Kehres was glad to be able to deliver for the boys.
“It’s great to bring in a win like this for our community,” Kehres said. “Now that we’ve moved into a new gym and, being a senior, I just wanted to get it started off the right way.”
Schwemley agreed.
“The girls opened it up with a win last week,” Schwemley said. “The first boys game in here … you couldn’t have drawn it up any better as far as a way to open your first game in a new gymnasium.”
In junior varsity action, Madison let a big second-half lead slip away but held on for a 45-43 win. Hunter Powers led the Rams with 20 points. Trevor Young had 16 for the Whippets.
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad.
