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Triton Central handles big-game environment better to defeat Shelbyville

Shelbyville did not have the experience nor the composure needed to defeat Triton Central.

In a raucous environment Saturday night in Fairland, all five Triton Central starters – all seniors – scored in double digits to push the Tigers’ record to 2-0 this season.

Josh Kemper scored a game-high 18 points followed by Josiah Blair’s 17. Blair also had eight rebounds, four blocks and four assists.

Caleb Miller finished with 12 while Alex Crouse and Aiden Lindsey each had 11. Lindsey had eight first-quarter points but was in foul trouble the rest of the way.

“We preach to our kids all the time about controlling what they can,” said Triton Central coach Kyle Ballard, who is the first TC coach to defeat the Golden Bears in consecutive years. “I thought our experienced guys answered the bell. We turned it over a lot more than we wanted too. As physical as it was and defensively (Shelbyville) is very sound, I think our kids kept our composure pretty well.”

Shelbyville got an early lead with back-to-back baskets from Ollie Sandman and Jakob Heaton but the Tigers put together scoring runs of 9-0 and 14-0 to build a 25-11 lead that the Golden Bears (1-1) never overcame.

The second quarter turned sloppy as both teams combined for 17 turnovers and just 12 shot attempts.

Shelbyville went frenetic with its guard-heavy defense in the third quarter and had some success, outscoring the Tigers 17-11 to cut the lead to 48-38 with eight minutes left.

Foul troubles, turnovers and overall poor execution from the free-throw line stifled any comeback attempt in the fourth quarter.

“We have a young group of guys where most haven’t been in this position before. A lot of new faces on the varsity floor and that was the start of the game right there,” said Shelbyville coach John Hartnett Jr. “We’re in a big environment here with a lot of fans yelling and screaming. A lot were nervous just like on Wednesday (a season-opening win at home over Rushville). We are going to have to work on that and make sure our guys are under control and doing things the right way.”

 

 

Shelbyville was 5 of 17 from the floor in the fourth quarter while Triton Central shot 80% and connected on 14-of-18 free throws to pull away.

“They hit a lot of shots. They will do some damage in 2A this year,” said Hartnett Jr. “The biggest thing I’m taking away from here is what we didn’t do on our end – making free throws, not turning the ball over, missing some easy shots and on the defensive end, Triton Central put up 79 points. That’s a lot of points and we have to get back to work to head to Connersville next week and compete with them.”

A trio of Golden Bears scored 48 of the 57 points. Sandman finished with a team-high 17. Heaton added 16 and Luke Brinkman had 15.

Shelbyville is at the Spartan Bowl Saturday night against Connersville (2-0).

With Lindsey sidelined most of the final three quarters, Triton Central had to turn to other veterans to pick up the offensive slack.

“It’s one of those scenarios you kind of talk about in the coach’s office – what do you do if Lindsey gets in foul trouble?” said Ballard. “I think, like the physicality of that game, it was good for us to experience and see what it’s like not to play with him. We had to make some changes on the fly that we weren’t prepared for. I can’t talk enough about how proud I am of our kids and their ability to adjust and fight through and control what they can.”

Triton Central finished 28 of 39 from the field (72%) and 17 of 22 from the free-throw line (77%).

Triton Central will host Waldron (2-0) Thursday in Fairland.

Shelbyville’s junior varsity improved to 2-0 with a 52-29 victory over Triton Central. The Golden Bears trailed 13-10 after the first quarter, outscored the Tigers 20-9 over the middle two quarters and put up 22 points in the final seven minutes for the win.

Kohen Myers led Shelbyville with 16 points. Eli Chappelow had 10.

Silas Blair led Triton Central (1-1) with eight points. Sam Kemper finished with six.

 

Triton Central 79, Shelbyville 57

SH: Sandman 6-17 2-4 17, Brinkman 3-8 6-12 15, Heaton 7-12 0-0 16, Macaluso 0-1 0-0 0, Smothers 2-4 0-0 6, Parker 1-2 1-2 3, Conover 0-0 0-0 0, Chappelow 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 19-45 9-18 57.

TC: Blair 6-10 3-3 17, Crouse 3-6 4-4 11, Miller 4-5 2-2 12, Lindsey 4-5 3-4 11, Kemper 7-9 4-6 18, Morgan 2-3 1-3 5, Faust 1-1 0-0 3, Dewey 0-0 0-0 0, Krebs 1-1 0-0 2, Palmer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 28-39 17-22 79.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

SH (1-1)  11  10  17  19  –  57

TC (2-0)  25  12  11  31  –  79

3-point field goals: SH 10-21 (Sandman 3-10, Brinkman 3-4, Heaton 2-3, Smothers 2-3, Chappelow 0-1), TC 6-11 (Blair 2-5, Crouse 1-2, Miller 2-3, Kemper 0-1, Faust 1-1).

Rebounds: SH 17 (Sandman 3, Brinkman 3, Heaton 1, Macaluso 1, Smothers 5, Parker 2, Conover 2), TC 20 (Blair 8, Crouse 1, Miller 4, Lindsey 3, Kemper 2, Morgan 3, Krebs 1). Assists: SH 3 (Sandman 2, Heaton 1), TC 15 (Blair 4, Crouse 4, Miller 3, Lindsey 2, Kemper 1, Morgan 1). Steals: SH 8 (Sandman 1, Brinkman 3, Heaton 1, Macaluso 1, Parker 2), TC 4 (Blair 1, Crouse 1, Miller 1, Morgan 1). Blocks: TC 7 (Blair 3, Crouse 1, Lindsey 1, Kemper 1, Morgan 1). Total fouls: SH 23, TC 17. Fouled out: Sandman, Parker (SH), Lindsey (TC). Turnovers: SH 17, TC 19.

JV

Shelbyville 52, Triton Central 29

SH: Myers 16, Chappelow 10, Badgley 8, Runnebohm 6, Conover 4, Lambert 4, Sherwood 2, Fortune 1, K. Parker 1).

TC: S. Blair 8, S. Kemper 6, Collier 5, Chandler 3, Baugh 3, Goul 2, Stuckey 2.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

SH  10  11  9  22  –  52

TC  13    4   5    7  –  29

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