GARY JOHNSON
Sports Writer
It wasn’t the start Shelbyville Central had envisioned in a number of ways as the Golden Eagles dropped a 77-51 decision to Class 4A 5th ranked Walker Valley in the semifinals of the Region 3 AAAA tournament Tuesday hosted by Warren County.
Shelbyville Central head coach Shane Young had a family emergency as the team was preparing to leave for the game and was unable to make the trip and coach.
“Last night was hard not being there with guys.” Young said.
The Mustangs (25-3) lived up to their rankings, scoring both inside and outside the paint while applying a pressure defense that caused the Golden Eagle to commit 15 turnovers.
Walker Valley took control of the contest from the start and never looked back, posting a 23-11 lead at the end of the first quarter before holding a 40-19 advantage at halftime.
The Golden Eagles (20-13) regrouped during the half and outscored the Mustangs 19-14 in the third period to cut the lead to 54-38 going into the fourth stanza where the winners regained control.
Turner Clayton led Walker Valley with 21 points while Zach Davis contributed 18.
Shelbyville Central’s Jordan Taylor pitched in 19 points with Tommie Clanton adding 15.
Coach Young has nothing but praise when asked about his senior players.
“I truly love this group of seniors, they have been such a blessing to coach on and off the court. They are truly a special group. When I took the job they were 10th graders and I knew they would do some special things even though we came up short of our goal they had definitely put Shelbyville Central back on the map,” Young said. “They won a district championship tournament, regular season championship and district runner up with a regional semi appearance and first 20 win season since 2009 they have accomplished a lot and I couldn’t be more proud of a group of boys and can’t wait for what they are about to do in the future.”
Shelbyville Central 11 8 19 13 – 51
Walker Valley 23 17 14 23 – 77
Shelbyville Central (51) – Jordan Taylor 19, Tommie Cannon 15, Tae’ Shawn Shelton 9, Jevon Lee 4, Malek Johnson 2, Ladarious Sparrow 2.
Walker Valley (77) – Turner Clayton 21, Zac Davis 18, Isaac Sausville 9, Cale Coates 8, Ashton Davis 6, Michael Wood 6, Wyatt Keaton 5, Grayson Evans 2, Harrison Yost 2.
3-point goals – Walker Valley (4): Sausville 2, Clayton, Davis; Shelbyville Central (3): Cannon 3, Jordan.
Halftime – Walker Valley 40, Shelbyville Central 19.
Shelbyville Central’s Jordan Taylor led the Golden Eagles in scoring on Tuesday night in the region tournament semifinals. with 19 points.
Tae’ Shawn Shelton goes up strong for a basket in region tournament action against state ranked Walker Valley.
Post photos by Gary Johnson