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Scoring droughts prove costly to Golden Bears
Posted by Ronald Williams at Jan 15, 2014 4:00PM PST
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Campbell, Niehoff lead Class 3A, No. 5 Rushville past Shelbyville
By Ross Flint
Staff writer
A couple scoring droughts turned a competitive game in the first quarter into a 53-35 loss for the Shelbyville girls’ basketball team against Rushville.
The Golden Bears (5-10) led twice in the first quarter, the latest being on a field goal by senior Taylor Pierce with 2:15 left, butcouldn’t buy a bucket to start both the second and third quarters. They were held scoreless for the first four minutes, 40 seconds of the second quarter as the Class 3A, No. 5-ranked Lions (11-3) went on an 8-0 run for a 22-12 lead.
“Basketball is a funny game sometimes,” said Shelbyville coach Scott Larrabee. “We got some good looks. They didn’t fall. Against a good team like Rushville, you’ve got to make shots from the perimeter. Their length, strength and size really force you to shoot perimeter shots. Obviously, we didn’t make enough tonight.”
The drought ended when freshman Cora Reinhart entered the game and made a shot with 3:20 left, then added a pair of free throws 18 seconds later to cut Shelbyville’s deficit to six, 22-16.
The Golden Bears got to within five on a free throw by freshman Alexis Tackett and again on a field goal by Pierce. By halftime, Shelbyville was down a manageable seven points, 28-21.
But another drought, this one lasting 6:20, allowed the Lions to start the second half on a 14-0 run for a commanding 42-21 lead.
“I was really proud of our girls in terms of their effort, in terms of their toughness, and their will not to quit,” Larrabee said.
Rushville’s size also was a factor. The Lions used that advantage to get second-chance points throughout the night, and outrebounded Shelbyville 38-26.
“They’re a big, strong physical team,” Larrabee said. “We got some foul trouble early in the first half that took away some of our size. They took advantage of that.”
One area Larrabee was particularly proud of his team was pulling Rushville out of its 1-2-2 defense.
“To do that against a quality team like them says a lot about our improvements as we progress throughout this season,” he said. “This is another stepping stone for us to try to get better.”
Pierce tied the game at four with 6:09 remaining in the first quarter and was fouled, but missed the free throw.
Rushville took the lead again on a spin move by Keragan Niehoff, who shared top scoring honors with Mackenzie Campbell (21 points apiece).
Senior Allyson Conner gave Shelbyville its first lead with 5:04 left on a 3-pointer and sophomore Cassady Skipton’s layup made it 9-6 with 4:22 left.
But Campbell’s putback and free throw tied the game up with 3:28 left in the first, and freshman Kaitlyn Howe made a free throw to give the Lions the lead.
“I thought we pushed and got some easy buckets in transition,” Larrabee said of the first quarter. “It was one of our better rebounding quarters, and that allowed us to create transition buckets. They’ve got a very good program. There’s a reason why they played in the semistate last year.”
Pierce and Tackett each scored 10 points to lead Shelbyville, who return to action Saturday at Hoosier Heritage Conference leader Mount Vernon (10-3, 3-0 HHC).
The Golden Bears (5-10) led twice in the first quarter, the latest being on a field goal by senior Taylor Pierce with 2:15 left, butcouldn’t buy a bucket to start both the second and third quarters. They were held scoreless for the first four minutes, 40 seconds of the second quarter as the Class 3A, No. 5-ranked Lions (11-3) went on an 8-0 run for a 22-12 lead.
“Basketball is a funny game sometimes,” said Shelbyville coach Scott Larrabee. “We got some good looks. They didn’t fall. Against a good team like Rushville, you’ve got to make shots from the perimeter. Their length, strength and size really force you to shoot perimeter shots. Obviously, we didn’t make enough tonight.”
The drought ended when freshman Cora Reinhart entered the game and made a shot with 3:20 left, then added a pair of free throws 18 seconds later to cut Shelbyville’s deficit to six, 22-16.
But another drought, this one lasting 6:20, allowed the Lions to start the second half on a 14-0 run for a commanding 42-21 lead.
“I was really proud of our girls in terms of their effort, in terms of their toughness, and their will not to quit,” Larrabee said.
Rushville’s size also was a factor. The Lions used that advantage to get second-chance points throughout the night, and outrebounded Shelbyville 38-26.
“They’re a big, strong physical team,” Larrabee said. “We got some foul trouble early in the first half that took away some of our size. They took advantage of that.”
One area Larrabee was particularly proud of his team was pulling Rushville out of its 1-2-2 defense.
“To do that against a quality team like them says a lot about our improvements as we progress throughout this season,” he said. “This is another stepping stone for us to try to get better.”
Pierce tied the game at four with 6:09 remaining in the first quarter and was fouled, but missed the free throw.
Rushville took the lead again on a spin move by Keragan Niehoff, who shared top scoring honors with Mackenzie Campbell (21 points apiece).
Senior Allyson Conner gave Shelbyville its first lead with 5:04 left on a 3-pointer and sophomore Cassady Skipton’s layup made it 9-6 with 4:22 left.
But Campbell’s putback and free throw tied the game up with 3:28 left in the first, and freshman Kaitlyn Howe made a free throw to give the Lions the lead.
“I thought we pushed and got some easy buckets in transition,” Larrabee said of the first quarter. “It was one of our better rebounding quarters, and that allowed us to create transition buckets. They’ve got a very good program. There’s a reason why they played in the semistate last year.”
Pierce and Tackett each scored 10 points to lead Shelbyville, who return to action Saturday at Hoosier Heritage Conference leader Mount Vernon (10-3, 3-0 HHC).
The Lady Bears Move Their Record To (5-10 Overall & 1-3 In HHC Play) After Losing To #5 3A (11-3) Rushville 53-35 Tuesday Night. The Bears Was Led In Scoring By: Taylor Pierce, & Alexis Tackett 10 Apiece, Cassady Skipton 6, Allyson Conner 5, & Cora Reinhart 4. Rushville Was Led In Scoring By: Mackenzie Campbell 21, Keragan Niehoff 19,
Kelsi Ash 6, Kaitlyn Howe 3, Makayla Herbert, & Brooke Ash 2 Apiece. The JV Ran Their Record To (1-14) After They Lost Rushville 57-20 The Bears Was Led In Scoring By: Abby Smith 7, Madalyn Toll 5, Natalie Weber , & Cora Reinhart 3 Apiece, & Abby Orem 2. Rushville Was Led In Scoring By: Ellie Sammons 19. The Bears Will Be Back In Action Saturday Afternoon When They Travel To Take On HHC Foe Mt. Vernon (10-3 Overall & 3-0 In HHC Play) JV Tip Is At 1 PM. & Varsity Tip Is At 2:30 PM.
Achenbach caps off Shelbyville’s win over Yorktown
Posted by Ronald Williams at Jan 12, 2014 4:00PM PST
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By Ross Flint
Staff writer
Published: Monday, January 13, 2014 8:05 AM US/eastern
Prior to the final five minutes, 23 seconds of the game, Shelbyville senior Riley Achenbach had missed her first six 3-pointers.
It was the two big ones in the closing minutes that mattered, though. Both helped Shelbyville to a thrilling 42-40 comeback win over Hoosier Heritage Conference rival Yorktown Saturday afternoon at William L. Garrett Gymnasium.
Achenbach, who shot 40 percent from the field for the game but couldn’t find her range before the final quarter, drilled a 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining to give the Golden Bears (5-9 overall, 1-3 HHC) their first lead since the second quarter.
Yorktown senior Tyann Kobza missed a 3 with two seconds left, and the Golden Bears came up with the rebound and ran out the clock.
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“This team is just continuing to grow,” said Shelbyville coach Scott Larrabee. “I am so proud of our mental toughness. We get down in that fourth quarter and we just kind of gritted our teeth, fought through adversity, created some turnovers, got some baskets, and all of a sudden, the pressure’s on.”
In a game that Yorktown (7-3, 1-2 HHC) led most of the way, Shelbyville found itself down 35-26 with 5:48 remaining in the fourth quarter. From there, the Golden Bears went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to two.
Achenbach started it with her first 3-pointer of the game with 5:23 left. Then freshman Alexis Tackett brought the Golden Bears to within two with a baseline jumper and layup.
After junior Emma McCord’s putback on her own miss gave the Tigers a 37-33 lead, Shelbyville tied the game. Achenbach scored on a layup, and Tackett scored after the Golden Bears stole the ball with 1:46 left.
“We just kind of chipped away,” Larrabee said. “We finally started getting out on (Katie Wolfert). Defensively, we forced them to get a little stagnant offensively. They were a little more passive than they had been in the quarter. When it got closer, we put our foot on the accelerator and they were still in a little bit of a passive mode.”
Wolfert, who hit three 3-pointers in the third quarter to help the Tigers pull away for an eight-point lead entering the fourth, made 1-of-2 free throws to make it 38-37, but Tackett scored from the baseline with 37 seconds left.
Wolfert made a pair of free throws 10 seconds later, setting up Achenbach’s heroics.
“We’ve worked on a lot of situations, down so many points, so many minutes,” Larrabee said. “It’s a culmination of this season. Our goal is to be the best team we can at the end of the season. We’re improving. We are absolutely improving. To beat a veteran team like Yorktown, in our conference, is a huge win in our program.”
Shelbyville put itself in that position to win with a first half that saw neither team shoot the ball particularly well (30 percent for both teams), but the Golden Bears were down just one, 31-30.
“We gave them a couple easy opportunities in the first half that we wanted to correct,” Larrabee said. “We gave a couple putback layups and cuts. Basketball is a game of mental toughness. Only a few stoppages of play, and you’ve got to fight through it.”
The Lady Golden Bears Move Their Record To (5-9 Overall & 1-3 In HHC Play) After They Defeated Yorktown Now (7-3) On A Last Second 3 Pointer By Riley Achenbach 42-40. The Bears Was Led In Scoring By: Riley Achenbach 17, Alexis Tackett 12, Allyson Conner 6, Taylor Pierce 4, & Cora Reinhart 3. Yorktown Was Led In Scoring By: Katie Wolfert 15. The JV Move Their Record To (1-13) After They Was Defeated By Yorktown 34-29 In Overtime. The Lady Bears JV Was Led In Scoring By: Natalie Weber 9, Abby Smith, Haelynne Poole, & Abby Orem 7 Apiece Yorktown JV Was Led In Scoring By: Breanna Baldwin 10, & Amanda Slaven 8.
The Lady Bears Will Be Back In Action Tuesday When They Host Rushville & The Return Of Amanda Norris Asst. Coach Of Rushville & Former Head Coach Of The Lady Bears. JV Tip Is At 6 M. & Varsity Tip Is At 7:30 PM.
Westfield repeats as Shelby Shootout champion
Posted by Ronald Williams at Dec 29, 2013 4:00PM PST
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Shelbyville freshman forward Alexis Tackett (left) avoids contact with Westfield’s Natalie Slagle near the basket during the championship game of the 2013 Shelby Shootout Friday night at William L. Garrett Gymnasium. (Steve Bush photo)
By Jeff Brown
Sports editor
Published: Monday, December 30, 2013 8:05 AM US/eastern
Shelbyville’s first appearance in the championship game of the Shelby Shootout since 2006 ended with a predictable loss to Class 4A, No. 7 Westfield.
The Shamrocks won their second straight title and improved to 11-0 Friday night at William L. Garrett Gymnasium with a 59-30 victory over the Golden Bears.
Westfield hit seven three-pointers to build a nine-point lead at halftime and sophomore Haleigh Reinoehl scored 13 of her game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter to finish off Shelbyville (4-9), who reached the championship with a 54-52 win over Decatur Central Friday morning.
“I’m really proud of our whole team. I thought we grew up today,” said Shelbyville coach Scott Larrabee. “I don’t think the score in the championship game reflects how competitive it was for three quarters. We have to use this as a springboard into our last seven games. It’s really important that we continue to improve.”
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The Golden Bears built an early 10-5 lead on the heavily-favored Shamrocks with back-to-back 3s from Riley Achenbach and Allyson Conner.
Westfield scored the next nine points to close out the opening quarter with a 14-10 lead.
Four different Shamrocks hit a total of five 3s in the second quarter to extend the lead to 31-22 by halftime.
“That’s kind of what we do. We have some shooters on this team so it’s a big part of what we do,” said Westfield coach Shane Sumpter. “In the second quarter, some of our shots started falling.”
The Golden Bears’ offense fell apart in the second half, scoring just eight points on 2-of-12 shooting. Shelbyville also committed 13 turnovers.
Reinoehl pulled Westfield’s offense closer to the rim by getting active in the low post. She scored six points in the third quarter before overmatching Shelbyville in the fourth. The 5-foot-10 sophomore along with classmates Maddy Grennes and Allison VanDyke combined for 39 points in the championship game.
Indiana All-Star candidate Kayla Brown, who is committed to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, finished with 12 points, six rebounds and six assists and was named the 2013 Shelby Shootout’s Most Outstanding Player.
“We feel like we have a lot of weapons but, obviously, it starts with Kayla Brown,” said Sumpter. “She should be an Indiana All-Star.”
Shelbyville was led offensively by its three seniors. Conner topped the team in scoring with 10 points. Achenbach finished with eight and Taylor Pierce had seven points and six rebounds.
Decatur Central won the consolation game over Lawrence Central, 68-38.
Shelbi Patterson led the Hawks (2-9) with 14 points. Emily Huber had 13.
Kyra Tucker was the only Lawrence Central player to reach double digits. The senior scored 14 for the Bears (2-8).
Westfield won the Junior Varsity tournament with a 34-10 win over Decatur Central in the championship game.
The 2013 Shelby Shootout Sportsmanship winners were Tucker, Reinoehl, Conner and Decatur Central’s Macy Walker.
Joining Brown on the All-Tournament Team were Grennes, VanDyke, Patterson, Achenbach and Pierce.
