The Shelbyville Central Golden Eagles pose with their District 9-4A championship plaque after defeating Lincoln County on Tuesday night. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
Jevon Lee goes up strong to the basket after hauling in a rebound in the first half. He finished with a game-high 20 points and was named tournament MVP. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
By CHRIS SIERS
csiers@bedfordcountypost.com
SHELBYVILLE — After leading Lincoln County through the bulk of the first three quarters in the District 9-4A championship game on Tuesday night, Shelbyville Central saw Elijah Parks hit a 3-pointer to open the fourth frame and give the Falcons a slim lead.
That lead held through much of the fourth frame, until tournament MVP Jevon Lee came through in the clutch with a 3-point play to put the Eagles up 58-56 with 31 seconds left.
With a narrow lead in hand, the Eagles made a handful of clutch plays in the closing minute to secure the comeback win and lock down the district championship with the 60-54 win.
It certainly wasn’t the cleanest game, with both Lincoln County and Shelbyville Central enduring several streaks of cold shooting when the ball just wouldn’t fall, followed by spurts of quick scores and key plays.
Lee got the scoring started with the first basket of the game less than 30 seconds into the first, but Parks hit his first 3-pointer of the night to put the Falcons up 3-2.
After going up 8-4, the Eagle defense held Lincoln County scoreless over the final 4:58 of regulation and closed the first quarter on an 8-2 run to take a 12-10 lead.
Although it remained a one-possession game into the second quarter, the Eagles controlled the second-chance looks by the Falcons by controlling the glass.
With 3:19 le
Zyon Bonner floats in a basket for the Eagles. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
ft, Malek Johnson drew a foul and was sent to the line where he knocked down both shots to put Shelbyville up 23-15.
But with the ebbs and flows of the game, Lincoln County stormed back on a 10-2 run to deadlock the game at 25 by halftime.
Although he was held to six points in the first half, Lee erupted for nine in the third quarter to lead a 16-point Golden Eagle third, but Lincoln County just wouldn’t go away.
Lincoln County hung around and kept it a one-score game until the fourth-quarter drama unfolded.
In the fourth, the Falcons seemingly answered every run the Eagles mustered up and eventually stretched their lead to five points at two different points.
Following another 3-pointer by Parks, Jack Conditt appeared to give the Eagles a much-nee
Tommie Cannon pulls up for a baseline jumper in the first quarter. He had a big first half for the Eagles and scored nine points through the first two quarters. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
ded shot in the arm when he picked off a pass, stormed to the basket and hit the shot, only to be assessed a charge to negate the score.
All told, the Falcons connected on three treys in the quarter, but it was the play with 39 seconds left by Lee that proved to be the biggest one of the game.
Following Lee’s basket, which he drew the foul and connected on the ensuing free throw, Lincoln County’s Reese Smith rushed a 3-point shot that caught the iron and fell into the Eagles’ hands, sending Idris Gray to the line following another Lincoln County foul.
Although he missed the first shot, he knocked down the back end of the two attempts and bumped the Eagles’ lead to three points with 21 seconds left.
Again, the Fal
Jack Conditt swipes the ball away from Lincoln County to create an extra possession for the Eagles in the first half. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
cons pressed the ball into the front court and took an off-balance 3-pointer, again allowing Shelbyville to come up with a rebound, this time falling into the hands of Zyon Bonner, who was also sent to the line for a pair of free throws.
Despite missing the front end, Bonner hit the second attempt to make it a four-point game, ensuring the Eagles’ championship win.
Lee led all scorers with 20 points and earned tournament MVP honors in the process, while Tae’Shawn Shelton caught fire in the second half and scored eight of his total 16 points in the fourth period, despite drawing heavy defensive pressure off the low post.
Tommie Cannon also had a big first half for the Eagles and scored all nine of his points in the first two periods.
For the Falcons, Smith scored a team-best 17 points.
With the championship in hand, the Golden Eagles will be back in Rick Insell Gymnasium on Saturday night at 6 p.m. for the opening round of the Region 4-4A tournament.
Lincoln Co. 10 15 14 17 — 56
Shelbyville 12 13 16 19 — 60
Lincoln Co.: Reese Smith 17, Maddox Franklin 16, Elijah Parks 10, Carson Thompson 8, Ridge Jones 3, Diesen Ogle 2.
Shelbyville: Jevon Lee 20, Tae’Shawn Shelton 16, Tommie Cannon 9, Malek Johnson 6, Idris Gray 4, Zyon Bonner 3, Jasiah Taylor 2.
3-Point goals: Lincoln Co. (8): Franklin 3, Parks 2, Smith, Thompson, Jones; Shelbyville (1): Cannon.
Halftime score: Shelbyville 25, Lincoln Co. 25.
