Announcement
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| Shelbyville guard Allyson Conner gets a shot off in the lane over Delta's Darby Koger during their Hoosier Heritage Conference basketball game Saturday afternoon in Shelbyville. (Steve Bush photo) |
By Jeff Brown
Sports editor
Teams with talented guards really bother the Shelbyville Lady Golden Bears.
And as the program continues to improve and toughen up, it must find a way to keep guards that can score in check.
On Saturday at William L. Garrett Gymnasium, Shelbyville celebrated Senior Day after a 64-45 loss to guard-oriented Delta, who doesn't seem to have a post play in its offensive repertoire.
Instead, the Lady Eagles shot 51 percent from the field on a mixture of long-range jumpers and cuts to the basket. Four different Delta players scored in double digits and the Lady Golden Bears never recovered from a 20-0 run that started midway through the first quarter and ended early in the second.
"I think our kids have had a hard time with the turnaround after playing so hard against Whiteland (Thursday) and playing so well against Whiteland, and then having one day of rest and having to do it again," said Shelbyville coach Amanda Norris. "We knew going into the season it was going to be tough, especially at the end, with having such low numbers (in the program). Our kids have the heart... they have the pride... they have the work ethic... they have the effort... we just don't necessarily have the legs all the time. So defending an all-guard team is not easy when you're tired."
After Shelbyville (7-10, 1-6 Hoosier Heritage Conference) jumped out to a 6-3 lead, Delta (12-4, 2-4 HHC) settled in and put its motion offense to work.
Darby Koger started the game-changing run with a 17-foot jump shot. On Delta's next possession, Alicia Farmer hit a three-pointer and the Lady Eagles had the lead for good.
Kasin Spay scored four straight points off a drive to the basket, then a steal and transition layin. Kaitlin Clawson followed with a 3-pointer and Shelby Wyman scored off an offensive rebound to put an end to the first quarter.
Delta went from down 6-3 to leading 19-6.
The run continued into the second quarter when Wyman hit a 15 footer and Farmer drove the lane and scored. Meanwhile, Shelbyville was racking up fouls. And by halftime, its two leading scorers, Chelsey Skipton and Ashley Bush, had three fouls each.
Allison Gobel and Riley Achenbach did hit second-quarter 3s for Shelbyville, but the Lady Golden Bears went into halftime trailing 33-17.
Delta's lead grew to as many as 22 points in the third quarter before Shelbyville countered with a 5-0 run that culminated with Chelsee Simerly scoring off an offensive rebound.
Koger made sure the momentum ended there with a 3-pointer with just under a minute left in the quarter.
Skipton scored seven of her team-high 12 points in the fourth quarter but it was too late to mount a comeback. Bush finished with seven points and seven rebounds.
Spay led Delta with 19 points and four assists. Farmer had 16 points and six assists. Koger finished with 12 points and Wyman had 10.
There was no junior varsity game.
Norris started all five seniors against Delta in what was their final game at Garrett Gymnasium. Over the last three seasons, the senior class has helped turn around the struggling program. Two seasons ago when Norris arrived, the program won just one game. Last year it improved to 5-16.
Now the Lady Golden Bears can win their final three regular-season games and finish .500. That won't be an easy task as Class 2A, No. 5-ranked Triton Central (15-1) awaits Tuesday followed by road trips to Connersville (11-7) and Franklin (10-7).
"Today was all about our seniors and what they've done for our program," said Norris, who spent plenty of time after the game taking pictures with the group. "They're a great group of kids that work extremely hard in everything they do.
"It all started with their work ethic and their attitude. When they started believing in themselves, you saw a huge turnaround with our program. It really all started with them.
Honored after the game were seniors Raven Hibbard, Allison Gobel, Ashley Bush, Chelsee Simerly, Meghan Thornburg and senior manager Becky Couch.
And as the program continues to improve and toughen up, it must find a way to keep guards that can score in check.
On Saturday at William L. Garrett Gymnasium, Shelbyville celebrated Senior Day after a 64-45 loss to guard-oriented Delta, who doesn't seem to have a post play in its offensive repertoire.
Instead, the Lady Eagles shot 51 percent from the field on a mixture of long-range jumpers and cuts to the basket. Four different Delta players scored in double digits and the Lady Golden Bears never recovered from a 20-0 run that started midway through the first quarter and ended early in the second.
After Shelbyville (7-10, 1-6 Hoosier Heritage Conference) jumped out to a 6-3 lead, Delta (12-4, 2-4 HHC) settled in and put its motion offense to work.
Darby Koger started the game-changing run with a 17-foot jump shot. On Delta's next possession, Alicia Farmer hit a three-pointer and the Lady Eagles had the lead for good.
Kasin Spay scored four straight points off a drive to the basket, then a steal and transition layin. Kaitlin Clawson followed with a 3-pointer and Shelby Wyman scored off an offensive rebound to put an end to the first quarter.
Delta went from down 6-3 to leading 19-6.
The run continued into the second quarter when Wyman hit a 15 footer and Farmer drove the lane and scored. Meanwhile, Shelbyville was racking up fouls. And by halftime, its two leading scorers, Chelsey Skipton and Ashley Bush, had three fouls each.
Allison Gobel and Riley Achenbach did hit second-quarter 3s for Shelbyville, but the Lady Golden Bears went into halftime trailing 33-17.
Delta's lead grew to as many as 22 points in the third quarter before Shelbyville countered with a 5-0 run that culminated with Chelsee Simerly scoring off an offensive rebound.
Koger made sure the momentum ended there with a 3-pointer with just under a minute left in the quarter.
Skipton scored seven of her team-high 12 points in the fourth quarter but it was too late to mount a comeback. Bush finished with seven points and seven rebounds.
Spay led Delta with 19 points and four assists. Farmer had 16 points and six assists. Koger finished with 12 points and Wyman had 10.
There was no junior varsity game.
Norris started all five seniors against Delta in what was their final game at Garrett Gymnasium. Over the last three seasons, the senior class has helped turn around the struggling program. Two seasons ago when Norris arrived, the program won just one game. Last year it improved to 5-16.
Now the Lady Golden Bears can win their final three regular-season games and finish .500. That won't be an easy task as Class 2A, No. 5-ranked Triton Central (15-1) awaits Tuesday followed by road trips to Connersville (11-7) and Franklin (10-7).
"Today was all about our seniors and what they've done for our program," said Norris, who spent plenty of time after the game taking pictures with the group. "They're a great group of kids that work extremely hard in everything they do.
"It all started with their work ethic and their attitude. When they started believing in themselves, you saw a huge turnaround with our program. It really all started with them.
Honored after the game were seniors Raven Hibbard, Allison Gobel, Ashley Bush, Chelsee Simerly, Meghan Thornburg and senior manager Becky Couch.
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