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Basketball season kicks off with first official practices
Posted by Ronald Williams at Oct 23, 2012 5:00PM PDT
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| Senior Megan Fix works on her free-throw shooting as teammate Allyson Conner (left) looks on during the Shelbyville Golden Bears' first official practice of the season. Over 20 girls attended the open practice Monday in an attempt to make the roster. (Jeff Brown photo) |
Girls' swimming, basketball hold open tryouts for 2012-13 season
By Jeff Brown
Sports editor
If Shelbyville figures out a way to match the intensity of its high-energy girls' basketball coach, the Golden Bears will be very competitive.
Over 20 girls showed up Monday for the first IHSAA-sanctioned practice of the upcoming high school basketball season. Girls' basketball and girls' swimming programs around the state are the first to officially begin practice.
Wrestling teams begin next Monday, with boys' basketball and boys' swimming programs following on Nov. 5. First practice for gymnastics teams is set for Nov. 19.
With just two seniors on the projected roster, and neither with significant varsity experience, the Golden Bears face an uphill battle against a schedule that features three teams that reached the semistate level of the state tournament last season.
By mid-week, Norris expects to make cuts and set both the varsity and junior varsity rosters.
The scenario was similar in Fairland as Triton Central coach Bryan Graham put his players through the paces for the first time Monday.
Graduation took a pair of seniors but there is plenty of talent left on a roster that won 24 games last season and played in the Class 2A Bedford Semistate where it lost to eventual state champion Evansville Mater Dei.
"The practice went very well," said Graham. "The intensity level was very high. They know the expectations. We had two good seniors graduate, so it's next person up. We hope we don't have to rebuild... just reload."
Samantha Dewey, the reigning Shelby County Player of the Year, returns for her sophomore season following a record-breaking soccer season in which she scored 70 goals and helped the Tigers set a program record with 14 wins.
Graham also had over 20 girls show up for the first practice.
"We will cut a few I think," said Graham, who mentioned that over 40 girls recently participated in a fifth- and sixth-grade tryout. "It's a good problem to have that many people that want to be part of the program."
Bill Taylor also had a Final Four team last season at Southwestern. The Spartans lost to Northeast Dubois at the same Bedford Semistate as Triton Central.
The Spartans graduated four valuable seniors but return its top two scorers, Annie Thomas and Oda Shackelford.
The six-foot-one Shackelford arrived Monday nursing some nagging injuries from the long volleyball season and watched from the sidelines. Taylor hopes to have her back involved in practice today.
Thomas has already shown signs of stepping into a leadership role, according to Taylor.
"She looks wonderful," said Taylor, who coached Thomas this fall when she joined the school's soccer program. "Her conditioning is very good."
Taylor had 17 at practice Monday and expects to keep all of them for the upcoming season.
"I'm excited about the season. Well, I'm cautiously optimistic," said Taylor.
Fast Facts
SHELBYVILLE GOLDEN BEARS
Head coach: Amanda Norris.
Last year's record: 7-14.
How season ended: At Columbus North Sectional to Bloomington South, 56-23.
Season opener: Nov. 10 at East Central.
TRITON CENTRAL TIGERS
Head coach: Bryan Graham.
Last year's record: 24-2.
How season ended: At Bedford Semistate to Evansville Mater Dei, 51-37.
Season opener: Nov. 9 vs. Park Tudor.
MORRISTOWN YELLOW JACKETS
Head coach: Mike Smith.
Last year's record: 7-15.
How season ended: at Morristown Sectional to Southwestern, 53-22.
Season opener: Nov. 13 vs. Beech Grove.
SOUTHWESTERN SPARTANS
Head coach: Bill Taylor.
Last year's record: 16-9.
How season ended: At Bedford Semistate to Northeast Dubois, 54-51.
Season opener: Nov. 10 at Waldron.
WALDRON MOHAWKS
Head coach: Rod Suiter.
Last year's record: 1-19.
How season ended: At Morristown Sectional to Lutheran, 50-42.
Season opener: Nov. 10 vs. Southwestern.
Over 20 girls showed up Monday for the first IHSAA-sanctioned practice of the upcoming high school basketball season. Girls' basketball and girls' swimming programs around the state are the first to officially begin practice.
Wrestling teams begin next Monday, with boys' basketball and boys' swimming programs following on Nov. 5. First practice for gymnastics teams is set for Nov. 19.
With just two seniors on the projected roster, and neither with significant varsity experience, the Golden Bears face an uphill battle against a schedule that features three teams that reached the semistate level of the state tournament last season.
The scenario was similar in Fairland as Triton Central coach Bryan Graham put his players through the paces for the first time Monday.
Graduation took a pair of seniors but there is plenty of talent left on a roster that won 24 games last season and played in the Class 2A Bedford Semistate where it lost to eventual state champion Evansville Mater Dei.
"The practice went very well," said Graham. "The intensity level was very high. They know the expectations. We had two good seniors graduate, so it's next person up. We hope we don't have to rebuild... just reload."
Samantha Dewey, the reigning Shelby County Player of the Year, returns for her sophomore season following a record-breaking soccer season in which she scored 70 goals and helped the Tigers set a program record with 14 wins.
Graham also had over 20 girls show up for the first practice.
"We will cut a few I think," said Graham, who mentioned that over 40 girls recently participated in a fifth- and sixth-grade tryout. "It's a good problem to have that many people that want to be part of the program."
Bill Taylor also had a Final Four team last season at Southwestern. The Spartans lost to Northeast Dubois at the same Bedford Semistate as Triton Central.
The Spartans graduated four valuable seniors but return its top two scorers, Annie Thomas and Oda Shackelford.
The six-foot-one Shackelford arrived Monday nursing some nagging injuries from the long volleyball season and watched from the sidelines. Taylor hopes to have her back involved in practice today.
Thomas has already shown signs of stepping into a leadership role, according to Taylor.
"She looks wonderful," said Taylor, who coached Thomas this fall when she joined the school's soccer program. "Her conditioning is very good."
Taylor had 17 at practice Monday and expects to keep all of them for the upcoming season.
"I'm excited about the season. Well, I'm cautiously optimistic," said Taylor.
Fast Facts
SHELBYVILLE GOLDEN BEARS
Head coach: Amanda Norris.
Last year's record: 7-14.
How season ended: At Columbus North Sectional to Bloomington South, 56-23.
Season opener: Nov. 10 at East Central.
TRITON CENTRAL TIGERS
Head coach: Bryan Graham.
Last year's record: 24-2.
How season ended: At Bedford Semistate to Evansville Mater Dei, 51-37.
Season opener: Nov. 9 vs. Park Tudor.
MORRISTOWN YELLOW JACKETS
Head coach: Mike Smith.
Last year's record: 7-15.
How season ended: at Morristown Sectional to Southwestern, 53-22.
Season opener: Nov. 13 vs. Beech Grove.
SOUTHWESTERN SPARTANS
Head coach: Bill Taylor.
Last year's record: 16-9.
How season ended: At Bedford Semistate to Northeast Dubois, 54-51.
Season opener: Nov. 10 at Waldron.
WALDRON MOHAWKS
Head coach: Rod Suiter.
Last year's record: 1-19.
How season ended: At Morristown Sectional to Lutheran, 50-42.
Season opener: Nov. 10 vs. Southwestern.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Golden Bears bounced from sectional
Posted by Ronald Williams at Feb 8, 2012 4:00PM PST
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| Shelbyville guard Chelsey Skipton (12) shoots from close range over the outstretched arms of Bloomington South’s Amanda Martindale (22) and Jacqueline Forney (23) during the first half of their sectional quarterfinal game Tuesday at Columbus North High School. Skipton led the Golden Bears with 14 points. (Steve Bush photo) |
Bloomington South eliminates Shelbyville, 56-23
By Jeff Brown
Sports editor
COLUMBUS — Shelbyville’s debut return to the Class 4A girls’ basketball state tournament was a short one.
In the Sectional 14 opener at Columbus North Tuesday, the Lady Golden Bears scored the first three points of the game only to see Bloomington South follow with a 19-5 run that virtually put the game out of reach.
When it wasn’t turning the ball over, Shelbyville’s offense didn’t show much interest putting the ball in the basket. That resulted in 21 total shots, according to the Shelbyville coaching staff, and for the third time in the last four games, less than 25 total points.
With its 56-23 win, Bloomington South (13-8) advances to Friday’s semifinal round where it will face 10th-ranked Columbus North (18-3). In the other semifinal, Columbus East (16-6), a 67-53 winner over Bloomington North Tuesday, takes on East Central (11-9).
Shelbyville closed out head coach Amanda Norris’ third season by losing seven of its last eight and finishing 7-14.
“Bloomington South is extremely tough,” said Norris. “We talked in the pre-game about having to do everything right to beat them. Were we capable of beating them? Yes. Were we capable of beating them tonight? That answer is no.
“I thought the girls that played the majority of the game, their effort was phenomenal. They played with so much heart and so much pride. You can’t ask for anything more. The only issue is we ran out of numbers of those willing to give it everything they had. It’s been a tough season. It’s been an exhausting season. Thirteen girls for 21 games plus however many (junior varsity) games we played, it’s a tough row to hoe. I think our girls did a good job of stepping up and attempting that feat.”
Shelbyville got off to a solid start Tuesday with a Chelsey Skipton drive and score. She followed that by drawing a foul in the lane and hitting one of two free throws.
Meanwhile, Bloomington South missed its first four shots which kept it from jumping into its full-court press. But once Ariel Turner scored in the low post at the 5:31 mark, the Lady Panthers turned up the pressure.
Alexus Shields hit a 15-foot jumper to give Bloomington South its first lead at 4-3, but Skipton answered right back with a drive and score.
Lexi Ingram swished a long three-pointer for Bloomington South and followed that with a steal, score and a free throw for a second 3-point play inside five seconds. Jacqueline Forney quickly scored again and it was 12-5.
Skipton would hit a 3-pointer later in the quarter, but would be the only Golden Bear to get into the scorebook in the first quarter.
“In the beginning of the game, I thought we were going to keep scoring pretty easily,” said Norris. “Honestly, I thought if we scored like that in the beginning, we’d have no problem scoring from then on out. It seemed like after our first couple of shots we stopped cutting and we stopped moving. They put that press on us and we struggled with the press. We shouldn’t. We didn’t have the cutters and the ball movement that we’ve been asking in the press.”
Bloomington South scored the final seven points to take a 19-8 lead at the first break.
Skipton hit four free throws in the second quarter, and Ashley Bush scored in the low post – but that would be all the offense the Golden Bears would muster.
Bloomington South sophomore Mackenzie McNew, the fifth player to come off her team’s bench, scored 10 straight points to give her team a 32-14 lead at halftime.
Chelsee Simerly, a senior playing her last game in a Golden Bears uniform, scored four points in the third quarter, which turned out to be all of her team’s points too.
Bloomington South extended its lead to 46-18 after three quarters.
Skipton finished with 14 points, four rebounds and two steals. Bush, a senior, had five points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.
Ten different Bloomington South players scored, led by Lauren Whitlatch’s 13 points. McNew finished with 10. Turner had eight points and seven rebounds.
In the Sectional 14 opener at Columbus North Tuesday, the Lady Golden Bears scored the first three points of the game only to see Bloomington South follow with a 19-5 run that virtually put the game out of reach.
When it wasn’t turning the ball over, Shelbyville’s offense didn’t show much interest putting the ball in the basket. That resulted in 21 total shots, according to the Shelbyville coaching staff, and for the third time in the last four games, less than 25 total points.
With its 56-23 win, Bloomington South (13-8) advances to Friday’s semifinal round where it will face 10th-ranked Columbus North (18-3). In the other semifinal, Columbus East (16-6), a 67-53 winner over Bloomington North Tuesday, takes on East Central (11-9).
“Bloomington South is extremely tough,” said Norris. “We talked in the pre-game about having to do everything right to beat them. Were we capable of beating them? Yes. Were we capable of beating them tonight? That answer is no.
“I thought the girls that played the majority of the game, their effort was phenomenal. They played with so much heart and so much pride. You can’t ask for anything more. The only issue is we ran out of numbers of those willing to give it everything they had. It’s been a tough season. It’s been an exhausting season. Thirteen girls for 21 games plus however many (junior varsity) games we played, it’s a tough row to hoe. I think our girls did a good job of stepping up and attempting that feat.”
Shelbyville got off to a solid start Tuesday with a Chelsey Skipton drive and score. She followed that by drawing a foul in the lane and hitting one of two free throws.
Meanwhile, Bloomington South missed its first four shots which kept it from jumping into its full-court press. But once Ariel Turner scored in the low post at the 5:31 mark, the Lady Panthers turned up the pressure.
Alexus Shields hit a 15-foot jumper to give Bloomington South its first lead at 4-3, but Skipton answered right back with a drive and score.
Lexi Ingram swished a long three-pointer for Bloomington South and followed that with a steal, score and a free throw for a second 3-point play inside five seconds. Jacqueline Forney quickly scored again and it was 12-5.
Skipton would hit a 3-pointer later in the quarter, but would be the only Golden Bear to get into the scorebook in the first quarter.
“In the beginning of the game, I thought we were going to keep scoring pretty easily,” said Norris. “Honestly, I thought if we scored like that in the beginning, we’d have no problem scoring from then on out. It seemed like after our first couple of shots we stopped cutting and we stopped moving. They put that press on us and we struggled with the press. We shouldn’t. We didn’t have the cutters and the ball movement that we’ve been asking in the press.”
Bloomington South scored the final seven points to take a 19-8 lead at the first break.
Skipton hit four free throws in the second quarter, and Ashley Bush scored in the low post – but that would be all the offense the Golden Bears would muster.
Bloomington South sophomore Mackenzie McNew, the fifth player to come off her team’s bench, scored 10 straight points to give her team a 32-14 lead at halftime.
Chelsee Simerly, a senior playing her last game in a Golden Bears uniform, scored four points in the third quarter, which turned out to be all of her team’s points too.
Bloomington South extended its lead to 46-18 after three quarters.
Skipton finished with 14 points, four rebounds and two steals. Bush, a senior, had five points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.
Ten different Bloomington South players scored, led by Lauren Whitlatch’s 13 points. McNew finished with 10. Turner had eight points and seven rebounds.
Sectional preview: Shelbyville still improving despite lack of numbers
Posted by Ronald Williams at Feb 6, 2012 4:00PM PST
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| The Shelbyville Golden Bears’ offense this season has been led by a pair of double-digit scorers. Junior guard Chelsey Skipton (left) scored a career-high 29 points in a win at Batesville on Dec. 3. Senior center Ashley Bush is a threat to produce a double-double in points and rebounds every time she steps on to the court. (Jeff Brown photo) |
Golden Bears take on Bloomington South in return to Class 4A tourney
By Jeff Brown
Sports editor
One of Shelbyville’s main goals this season was to finish with a .500 record or better.
An ambitious undertaking since the program last produced a winning season in 2007.
A second full offseason with head coach Amanda Norris led to a faster start to the season. And by early January, Shelbyville was sitting at 6-7 with some tough opponents awaiting.
From there, though, the road proved difficult for a program with limited numbers. The fatigue of a long season and the exhaustion of having just 13 players on a daily basis wore down the Golden Bears.
Shelbyville lost six of its last seven to finish at 7-13.
“I don’t think it puts a damper on our season,” said Norris, now 13-49 in three seasons. “The kids have worked hard and they will continue to work had until the end of the season.
“We’re tired. It’s been a long season but the girls see (the sectional) has the potential to be their last game. I think a majority of the girls are not ready for the season to end.”
With a return to Class 4A, Shelbyville avoids Hamilton Heights and some of the Hoosier Heritage Conference’s top teams, including Class 3A, No. 1 ranked Mount Vernon.
However, the Golden Bears landed in Sectional 14, hosted by Columbus North, with an even deeper field that includes 11th ranked Columbus North.
Shelbyville will open the sectional at 6 p.m. on Tuesday against Bloomington South. The winner returns Friday to face Columbus North.
The other bracket has Columbus East facing Bloomington North on Tuesday with the winner meeting East Central in the second semifinal game Friday.
The sectional championship game is slated for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Despite the tough competition, Norris likes not having to deal with a conference opponent again in the postseason.
“For some reason, we act like we’re supposed to get beat by teams like Mount Vernon, New Palestine and Rushville,” said Norris. “We’re changing that mentality but I think we’ll be better mentally-prepared to play a team we don’t know. There are no preconceived notions.”
Bloomington South comes limping into the sectional having lost five of its last six games. The Panthers average scoring nearly 46 points per game this season while allowing almost 40.
“We’re going to have a hard time matching up with their speed,” said Norris. “We’ll be ready to play multiple defenses. We have to stop the dribble penetration, and, on the other end, handle their pressure. We have to hang on to the ball.”
That concept didn’t go over well in a disheartening 73-25 loss at Franklin last week in the regular season finale. It would have helped, though, to have had starting guard Riley Achenbach, who is out for the season after suffering a concussion in the loss at Triton Central.
“That’s a huge loss for us,” said Norris. “I’m not sure everyone understands what she does for this team. She’s the vocal presence on the team. She gets out there and talks to her teammates.”
The sophomore guard also is one of Shelbyville’s best long-range shooters this season hitting 17 3s.
Junior guard Chelsey Skipton has been near the top of the Shelby County leaderboard all season when it comes to scoring and rebounding.
Senior center Ashley Bush has kept her scoring average near 10 points per game and frequently pulls down just as many rebounds.
Bush is part of the five-player senior class that helped Norris take the program from one win in her first season to five wins last year and seven this season – so far.
“They’ve had a tough road to hoe with me not being their first coach,” said Norris. “They had to learn a new way of thinking and they met that challenge head on.”
However, the next loss will be the final loss for Bush, Chelsee Simerly, Raven Hibbard, Allison Gobel and Meghan Thornburg.
And while Norris will have Skipton back to build around next season, the coach has to figure out how to get players into the program so a full junior varsity season can be played and, potentially, a freshman season too.
“I look at the program as a whole and I definitely think we’re on track,” said Norris. “We still have to get to the younger kids earlier. I still want to see a lot of improvement in the youth program.”
“I think we’re definitely moving in the right direction. It’s not about our record, but are we learning what to do to improve.”
An ambitious undertaking since the program last produced a winning season in 2007.
A second full offseason with head coach Amanda Norris led to a faster start to the season. And by early January, Shelbyville was sitting at 6-7 with some tough opponents awaiting.
From there, though, the road proved difficult for a program with limited numbers. The fatigue of a long season and the exhaustion of having just 13 players on a daily basis wore down the Golden Bears.
“I don’t think it puts a damper on our season,” said Norris, now 13-49 in three seasons. “The kids have worked hard and they will continue to work had until the end of the season.
“We’re tired. It’s been a long season but the girls see (the sectional) has the potential to be their last game. I think a majority of the girls are not ready for the season to end.”
With a return to Class 4A, Shelbyville avoids Hamilton Heights and some of the Hoosier Heritage Conference’s top teams, including Class 3A, No. 1 ranked Mount Vernon.
However, the Golden Bears landed in Sectional 14, hosted by Columbus North, with an even deeper field that includes 11th ranked Columbus North.
Shelbyville will open the sectional at 6 p.m. on Tuesday against Bloomington South. The winner returns Friday to face Columbus North.
The other bracket has Columbus East facing Bloomington North on Tuesday with the winner meeting East Central in the second semifinal game Friday.
The sectional championship game is slated for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Despite the tough competition, Norris likes not having to deal with a conference opponent again in the postseason.
“For some reason, we act like we’re supposed to get beat by teams like Mount Vernon, New Palestine and Rushville,” said Norris. “We’re changing that mentality but I think we’ll be better mentally-prepared to play a team we don’t know. There are no preconceived notions.”
Bloomington South comes limping into the sectional having lost five of its last six games. The Panthers average scoring nearly 46 points per game this season while allowing almost 40.
“We’re going to have a hard time matching up with their speed,” said Norris. “We’ll be ready to play multiple defenses. We have to stop the dribble penetration, and, on the other end, handle their pressure. We have to hang on to the ball.”
That concept didn’t go over well in a disheartening 73-25 loss at Franklin last week in the regular season finale. It would have helped, though, to have had starting guard Riley Achenbach, who is out for the season after suffering a concussion in the loss at Triton Central.
“That’s a huge loss for us,” said Norris. “I’m not sure everyone understands what she does for this team. She’s the vocal presence on the team. She gets out there and talks to her teammates.”
The sophomore guard also is one of Shelbyville’s best long-range shooters this season hitting 17 3s.
Junior guard Chelsey Skipton has been near the top of the Shelby County leaderboard all season when it comes to scoring and rebounding.
Senior center Ashley Bush has kept her scoring average near 10 points per game and frequently pulls down just as many rebounds.
Bush is part of the five-player senior class that helped Norris take the program from one win in her first season to five wins last year and seven this season – so far.
“They’ve had a tough road to hoe with me not being their first coach,” said Norris. “They had to learn a new way of thinking and they met that challenge head on.”
However, the next loss will be the final loss for Bush, Chelsee Simerly, Raven Hibbard, Allison Gobel and Meghan Thornburg.
And while Norris will have Skipton back to build around next season, the coach has to figure out how to get players into the program so a full junior varsity season can be played and, potentially, a freshman season too.
“I look at the program as a whole and I definitely think we’re on track,” said Norris. “We still have to get to the younger kids earlier. I still want to see a lot of improvement in the youth program.”
“I think we’re definitely moving in the right direction. It’s not about our record, but are we learning what to do to improve.”
Lady Bears Bow Out Of The Tournament
Posted by Ronald Williams at Feb 6, 2012 4:00PM PST
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The Shelbyville Lady Golden Bears Finish The Season With A Record Of (7-14) After Losing To Bloomington South 56-23 In The Opening Round Of The Columbus North Sectional Tuesday Night Good Luck To The 6 Seniors Ashley Bush, Megan Thornburg, Allison Gobel, Chelsee Simerly, Raven Hibbard, & Becky Couch.
Have A Great Summer Vacation.
