GARY JOHNSON
Sports Writer
Shelbyville Central’s Golden Eagles advanced to the Region 3 AAAA semifinals with an impressive 68-53 win over East Hamilton at home on Saturday night.
With the win, the Golden Eagles (20-12) claimed their 20th win of the season, the program’s first 20 win season since 2009.
“This was a big win for us in a number of ways. We lost in the opening round of the region last year and it was one of our goals to get back and win this first game,” Shelbyville Central coach Shane Young said. “Also this win was our 20th of the season and that is also a great milestone for a basketball team.”
Senior Tae’Shawn Shelton scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Golden Eagles
in scoring. He connected on a pair of 3-pointers in the opening frame while Malek Johnson added another as Shelbyville Central held a 17-15 advantage at the end of the period.
The game remained close throughout the first half with the Golden Eagles holding on to a slim 26-25 lead at the intermission.
“We has some shots that just didn’t fall for early in the game and throughout the first half,” Young said. “It was a win or go home game and I think we were a little nervous at the beginning. East Hamilton went to a zone defense and that slowed us us down for a short time but once we settled in our defense took over and that led to our second half success on offense.”
Shelbyville Central took control of the game n the second half and led by as may as 17 points on a number of occasions.
The Golden Eagles outscored their opponent 15-6 in the third stanza to lead 41-31 going into the fpurth quarter.
Jevon Lee scored 11 of his 14 points in the final period while Ladarius Sparrow pitched in seven of his eight points in the fourth,
“We have been having a balanced scoring effort for a while now and that just makes us harder to defend,” Young said. “On any giving night we can have a number of leading scorers.”
It was the defense that sparked the team in this win as East Hamilton committed 17 turnovers.
The Golden Eagles did leave some points on the floor as they struggled from the free throw line making on 12-of-21 attempts.
Shelbyville Central faces a talented Walker Valley team on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. The game will be played at Warren County High School in McMinnville.
Shelbyville Central 15 11 15 27 – 68
East Hamilton 17 8 6 22 – 53
East Hamilton (53) – Jayden Evens 18, Jack Pendleton 13, Jaxon Primus 11, Corbin Mayes 7, Luke Wingate 2, Ant Sims 3.
Shelbyville Central (68) – Tae’ Shawn Shelton 21, Jevon Lee 14, Malek Johnson 9, Ladarius Sparrow 8, Jordan Taylor 6, Tommie Cannon 6, Jasiah Berry 3, Jack Conditt 1.
3-point goals – East Hamilton (8): Primus 3, Pendleton 3, Evans 2; Shelbyville Central (4): Shelton 2, Johnson, Sparrow.
Halftime – Shelbyville Central 26, East Hamilton 25.
Ladarius Sparrow hustles after a loose ball for Shelbyville Central as the Golden Eagles rolled past East Hamilton 68-53 in the Region 3 AAAA tournament quarterfinals,
Post photo by Gary Johnson