JOHN CURTIS - Daily Union Sports Editor
It was like a day at the spa for Shelbyville as they bathed in the luxury of an easy win on opening night, 58-46, despite taking on an improved Okaw Valley team.
The score wasn’t a Shelbyville blowout like last year’s opener between these same two schools, but it was a much easier ride for the Rams this time who had the luxury of a deep bench.
The Rams got the lead and took a run from Okaw. Once the game settled into a 7 to 9 point game, the Rams showed no sign of panic when they made a mistake and paid for it with an Okaw fast break by Sam Inman (game-high 19 points). Shelby had the luxury of a solid, deep bench and the knowledge that their well-rested starters could handle any threat.
Coach Ashley Florey might have had a bigger bench when she first came to Shelbyville, but once some of the girls found out she meant business (hard work), they started to defect.
Last year, the Rams had to cancel their JV games due to injuries and a very short bench. The varsity girls had to play with an innate sense of measured intensity so they could go four quarters without keeling over or suffering injuries themselves. As it was, starting guard Paige Biehler still suffered a concussion and had to sit out the end of the season.
However, on opening night, the Rams had a crop of middle school roundballers, who had come of age. These freshmen started out in the 7th grade ahead of the curve and built on that in middle school. Now they are providing a luxury for a group of senior starters who are poised for their best season in recent school history.
The well-balanced JV Ram team had size, talented guards and a downhill approach that was too much for their Okaw Valley JV foes on Monday night. The Lady Rams took the prelim, 33-12, and it wasn’t that close. Center Amanda Finley was too strong inside and led the Rams with a game-high 14 points, more than the entire Okaw JV team.
The rest of the team, led by veteran downhill guard Stefanie Shanks, who was hurt much of last year, had balanced scoring as the Rams took a double-digit lead in the first period, then flipped on the cruise control and still pulled away. As the game wore on, those freshmen players got their feet wet at the high school ranks, gained confidence and were all warmed up to help the varsity in prime-time.
contest.
The Rams got the opening tip, but a trap caught them by surprise and Inman stole the ball and went the other way to draw first blood. After a couple of misses at each end, senior guard Sydney Hawkins got a backside rebound and put it in to tie the score, 2-2. Okaw missed and senior forward Staci Navis, who had a game-high 13 rebounds, grabbed the board and got it in transition to senior center Ann Nottingham for the lay-up and the lead.
At the Okaw end Nottingham tipped the ball away and Paige Biehler took it and then dished it back to Nottingham at the Shelby bucket. She was fouled and made 1-of-2 shots. Amanda Hyett did the same thing oat the Okaw end, splitting a pair. Inman then picked up a loose ball and whoosh! She was gone. She was fouled but sank both free throws to tie the game, 5-5.
Two possessions later, Nottingham hit a baby hook for a 7-5 lead. Inman answered with a stop and pop for Okaw, 7-7. Nottingham got the ball on the block on the next Ram possession and stepped through at the baseline for a soft two and a 9-7 lead. There was 3:10 left in the first period and the Rams never trailed again.
Taylor Brachbill, who was riding a 24-game, 3-point streak (2nd longest in conference history), missed the broad side of a barn in her first offering and didn’t seem to be in the flow. After a couple of fouls she had to sit. Inman had another steal, but dished off and there was no score. Nottingham drove the lane in transition for two, 11-7.
Nott stole the ball at the Okaw end and Biehler got a put back two for a 13-7 lead. Okaw’s coach Jim Underwood, back for another stint at the helm, called time-out at the 2:11 mark. Out of the time-out, Nottingham stole the ball and went coast to coast. She missed, but freshmen Katelyn Coleman go the put back, 15-7. Ariel Rothrock split a pair at the line for Okaw and capped the first period score at 15-8.
The second quarter started the way the first did. Inman took off on a fast break for two and the foul. She converted the 3-point play and Okaw was just down four. After another 3 miss by Shelby, Inman was fouled going to the hole and split a pair, 15-12. Okaw was within one possession in the second period, but the Rams flexed their muscle for a 6-0 run.
Nott was fouled twice at her end, then drained both ends of a 1-and-bonus, 17-12. After alternating trey misses, Biehler hit a post bank shot, 19-12. Inman stole the ball again, but dished off and there was no score. At the 3:50 mark of the second, Navis blocked an Okaw shot and was fouled on the loose ball. She sank both ends of the 1-and-1, 21-12.
After a minute and a half of Inman drove for two, but Nottingham answered on a back door play from Coleman, 23-14. Inman stole the ball again for two, with a minute left, 23-16. Jasmine Pierce then came up big for Okaw hitting a trey with time winding down before half, 23-19.
Okaw scored first in the second half and cut the Ram lead to just two points, 23-21. But, Shelbyville rose to occasion again. Brachbill lined up another trey attempt and knocked it down. Inman stopped and popped for two, but Brachbill lined up another one and kaboom! Okaw didn’t call time out soon enough and the Rams got the ball back. Hawkins got it to Nott and she got it to freshmen Amanda Finley for a 2-point jumper. Okaw called time, stopping the 8-2 Ram run at 31-22.
Rachel Marshall gave Okaw hope hitting a trey out of the time-out, but Biehler answered with a jumper. Okaw missed and Biehler rebounded it and took it coast to coast for two, 35-26. Okaw missed and Biehler drove on Inman at the Shelby end. They banged knees and Inman went down, while Biehler hit the stop and pop, 37-26. Inman had to sit for awhile.
Ariel Rothrock canned an Okaw trey to keep them close. But, Biehler dished to Finley again and made two to reclaim a 10-point lead. Lauren Snearly split a pair for Okaw, but once again, Biehler drove and dished to Finley who scored with two players draped all over her, 41-30.
Jessica Brewer drove for Okaw and was fouled. She sank both shots. Okaw then turned up the “D” and turned the Rams away. Rothrock sank 1-of-2 free throws and got the deficit down to 8 points. Brachbill missed a trey, but Shanks stole the ball right back and fed her again. This time Brachbill splashed the trifecta for the trey hat trick and Shelby was up again by double-digits. Hyett got a put back score for Okaw and the teams headed into the final frame divided by nine points, 44-35.
Brewer drove for two to start the 4th and got the game down to seven, 44-37. Navis got a put back, 46-37. After alternating misses at each end, Brachbill faked a long shot, then put the ball on the floor and rove the baseline for two, 48-37. Brewer made the first of two free throws, 48-38 with 4:50 to play.
After a time-out, Nottingham blocked a shot and fought for the board. She got it in transition to Biehler for a post bank two and Okaw had to call time, 50-38. It didn’t help. Biehler stole the ball and after three shots for a quarter at the Shelby end, Hawkins connected for two, 52-38.
Hyett split a pair at the stripe and nobody scored for a minute. Inman split a pair, but then Brachbill got a steal and dished to Nottingham, who scored and got the foul. She converted for the largest lead of the game, 55-40.
Brewer scored in the post and then Inman had a fast break two and Okaw fans were raising the roof with two minutes to go, hoping for a late surge. Coach Florey called time to tell the Rams to stay calm despite all the hoopla. Nottingham split a pair of throws to put the lead back to 12. After a minute of up and down, Inman had another fast break, but couldn’t convert the 3-point play.
Shelby answered as Nottingham dished inside to Navis for two, 58-46 with 30 seconds left, capping the scoring.
Shelbyville (1-0) hosts Brownstown on Thursday with JV action beginning at 6:15 p.m., while it doesn’t get easier for Okaw Valley (0-1) which travels to Sullivan on Thursday.
Varsity
Shelby 15-8-21-14—58
Okaw 8-11-16-11—46
Ram stats: Ann Nottingham 17 (6 FGs, 5/7 FTs), 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 7 steals; Paige Biehler 12 (6 FGs), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals; Taylor Brachbill 11 (1-2, 3-3 pt FGs), 4 rebounds; Staci Navis 6 (2 FGs, 2/2 FTs), 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal; Amanda Finley 6 (3 FGs), 4 rebounds, 1 steal; Sydney Hawkins 4 (2 FGs), 5 rebounds; Katelyn Coleman 2 (FG) 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals; Alexa Meyer 1 rebound, 1 steal. Team FGs 24 (3-3 pt). Team FTs 7-of-9. Rebounds 43. Steals 15. Assists 6. Turnovers 28.
Okaw stats: Sam Inman 19 (8 FGs, 3/7 FTs), Jessica Brewer 8 (2 FGs, 4/6 FTs), Ariel Rothrock 5 (1-3 pt FGs, 2/6 FTs), Lauren Snearly 4 (4/7 FTS), Amanda Hyett 4 (FG, 2/4 FTs), Jasmine Pierce 3 (FG), Rachel Marshall 3 (FG). Team FGs 14 (2-3 pt). Team FTs 15-of-30.
JV
Shelby 13-4-8-8—33
Okaw 2-3-2-5—12
Ram stats: Amanda Finley 14 (7 FGs, 0/1 FTs), 5 rebounds, 3 steals; Stefanie Shanks 6 (3 FGs), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals; Katelyn Duckett 4 (2 FGs), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals; Alexa Meyer 3 (3 FG, 1/4 FTs), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal; Ashley Bitting 2 (FG), 1 steal; Ali Pizzo 2 (FG); Madison Foor 2 (FG) 4 rebounds; Breanna Davis 1 rebound; 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals; Karli Robinson 1 rebound; Erin Yockey 1 steal. Team FGs 16. Team FTs 1-of-7. Rebounds 18. Steals 12. Turnovers 23.
Okaw stats: Sarah Burch 6 (FG, 4/4 FTs), Corine Wilcox 3 (FG, 1/2 FTs), Jasmine Pierce 2 (FG), Taylor Richardson 1 (1/2 FTs). Team FGs 3. Team FTs 6-of-8.
