A 7-0 run midway through the fourth quarter put Shelbyville in a great position to upset Pendleton Heights Saturday afternoon. Finishing off the Arabians proved too much for the youthful Golden Bears.
Hannah Baker’s baseline drive and score with three minutes, five seconds left put Shelbyville up 44-38, but those were the final points of the game for the host Golden Bears.
Kaycie Warfel, the Hoosier Heritage Conference’s leading scorer at 27.5 points per game, hit a pair of free throws with 2:19 to go.
Olivia Jones hit a 3-pointer with 48 seconds left and a Shelbyville turnover led to Warfel racing to the basket and scoring to give the Arabians a 45-44 lead that would hold till the final buzzer.
Ava Wilson quickly attacked the lane at the other end but lost control of the ball, shuffled it to Lilly Marshall but she could not get a shot off in time.
For the second year in a row, Warfel scored the game winner in the game’s final seconds.
“We had it at the end there but it was key turnovers and a little bit of lack of experience in that pressure situation,” said Shelbyville head coach Becca Hoefler. “This season, we’ve been on the back side of it where we’ve had to come back from it. We were in control, I think it was a four-point lead toward the end and it was some key turnovers – and you can’t do that against Pendleton Heights.”
Warfel, a junior who secured her 1,000th career point earlier this season, was kept in check with 16 points, four rebounds and five steals. Jones hit a trio of 3s on the way to 15 points. And six-foot, three-inch freshman center Adah Hupfer was held to four points but grabbed 10 rebounds (seven on the offensive end) and had two blocked shots.
Ava Wilson led Shelbyville with 16 points – all in the first half when she led the Golden Bears (5-2, 0-1 HHC) to a 26-21 lead.
All five Pendleton Heights starters scored in the third quarter which helped the Arabians (6-1, 3-0 HHC) get the game tied at 34-all going into the fourth quarter.
Skylar Baldwin hit a short jumper to get Pendleton Heights its first lead of the second half but Shelbyville responded with a Ellie Keller 3-pointer.
Warfel slashed her way to the rim and scored to put the Arabians up again, 38-37.
Baker took an Ella Johnson pass and stuck a 3-pointer that started Shelbyville’s 7-0 run. Baker then rewarded Johnson with a quick slip pass on the next possession and the senior sank a 10 footer for a 42-38 lead.
Another stop on the defensive end led to Baker finding room along the baseline to convert again and take a 44-38 lead with 3:05 left.
Baker (photo, at Franklin County), a sophomore, finished with 10 points. Keller and Johnson each had six points while Johnson pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.
“It’s just game experience and it’s learning,” said Hoefler of the outcome. “I told the girls I am not disappointed, more or less just frustrated with the situation. We will learn from this.
“It happened in our seventh game and on our 22nd game when we are in the sectional, we will know we won’t handle it this way. It was a really teachable game there of what not to do and how to relax against the pressure of the situation.”
Shelbyville’s junior varsity squad improved to 7-0 under the direction of head coach Ben Sprinkle with a 49-25 victory. Sophia Asher led Shelbyville with 14 points.
The Golden Bears get their first look at a potential sectional opponent Tuesday when they travel to Columbus North (4-2), who have won four straight after losing their first two games of the season to Franklin (7-2) and Mooresville (6-2).
Steve Bush photo
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