SHELBY — The Whippets were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
River Valley came to town Friday still smarting from last week’s loss to Marion Harding and the Vikings took out their frustrations in a 98-65 Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference boys basketball victory.
River Valley suffered a 64-44 setback at home to Marion Harding last Saturday. It was the Vikings’ first MOAC loss.
“We were definitely still upset,” senior guard Chase Smith said. “We didn’t make shots that night and we couldn’t get to the rim.”
First-Quarter Fireworks
That wasn’t the case Friday. River Valley (10-5, 8-1) made its first five shots — four by Smith, including a pair of 3-pointers — and built a quick 12-6 lead.
Shelby (9-4, 6-3) responded with a 10-5 run and took a 16-15 lead when Braxton Dawson split a pair of free throws with 2:12 remaining.
RV closed the period with a 5-0 run and took a 20-16 lead to the second.
“We kind of went bucket-for-bucket with them in the first quarter and we can’t do that,” Shelby coach Greg Gallaway said. “We’re not going to be a team that wins games 75-70. That’s just not the way we play.”
The Vikings took control in the second quarter, outscoring the Whippets 27-14. Junior forward Carter Myers led the charge, scoring 11 points in the period.
“They’ve got some guys who can really score,” Gallaway said. “Defensively, we really struggled.
“There were times when they made some tough shots, but then there were some times when we really lacked on the defensive end.”
Pulling Away
Leading 47-30 at the half, River Valley put it away in the third quarter. The Viking outscored the Whippets 27-21 in the period and took a 74-51 lead to the fourth.
It might have been worse if Shelby didn’t go on a 9-3 run during the final 1:23 of the third.
By the time Smith hit his seventh and final trey of the evening, River Valley led 89-64 with 3:25 remaining. Both teams emptied their benches not long after.
“I think this was more indicative of the type of team we are,” said Smith, who scored a game-high 36 points. “We can ben pretty good if we play like this.”
Leaders
Myers backed Smith with 28 points. Ellis McFarland had 15, while Eli Snyder added 14.
Brayden DeVito paced the Whippets with 22 points. Landon Foltz added 20 and Michael Shepherd had 10.
Championship Chase
River Valley regained the outright MOAC lead Friday thanks to Marion Pleasant’s 70-64 win over Ontario. The Vikings hold a one-game lead over the Warriors (14-3, 8-2).
“We kind of expected it to come down to the last few games,” Smith said of the MOAC title chase. “We knew Shelby and Ontario would be good and there are some other teams in the league that are sneaky.”
Jeckyll and Hyde
Shelby had its three-game winning streak snapped. The Whippets had won eight of their last nine games before Friday.
“We’ve been inconsistent,” Gallaway said. “There’s days where it looks good and there’s days where it seems like we take a step back.
“That’s part of the growing process. The question now is are we going to respond or not?”