Shelbyville Lady Golden Bears Basketball

The fireworks were sure to fly when two state-ranked teams — not to mention county rivals — hooked up Tuesday. And when all was said and done, it was the bigger school — although the one rated lower in the most recent state polls — doing the celebrating. Class 3A No. 7-ranked Shelbyville used a 26-point third quarter to secure a 70-55 win over previously undefeated Class 2A No. 4-ranked Triton Central at Garrett Gymnasium in front of 2,100 enthusiastic fans for a girls’ varsity basketball game. The Golden Bears (14-2) looked tense early on as the crowd settled in. The Tigers (16-1) remained composed in the face of Shelbyville’s relentless full-court trapping defense and held a 15-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. A 10-foot jumper by Gretchen Haehl and a free throw by Gwen Haehl in the last minute of the second quarter gave the Golden Bears a 25-23 halftime lead. The Tigers surely felt comfortable trailing by just two on the road but the rough, up-and-down style of play featured in the first half was starting to take its toll. Triton Central did manage to tie the score twice in the third quarter but Shelbyville’s point guard was finding her groove. A 2-for-10 shooting performance in the first half hadn’t discouraged Gretchen Haehl. And with her team wearing down a Triton Central team that utilizes just seven players, Haehl was finding more room to operate in the third quarter. Haehl scored the Golden Bears first two points of the third quarter with an open 10-footer near the lane. Shelbyville’s lead increased to five after Haehl hit a baseline 3-pointer at the 6:15 mark. The Tigers kept the lead at three until another Haehl hit a 3-pointer. Gretchen Haehl’s twin sister, Gwen, found herself open at the top of the key and buried a momentum-gathering 3-pointer. Gretchen Haehl followed that with a baseline jumper to push the lead to eight points. The third freshman in the Golden Bears 11-player rotation, Haley Wise, grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to put the Tigers on life support after a 7-0 scoring run. Gretchen Haehl would hit a 17-footer late in the third quarter and a Susan Kolls baseline drive and score gave the Golden Bears an 11-point lead with eight minutes to go. “I know in the first half, Gretchen hardly touched the ball,” said Triton Central coach Larry Pringle. “In the second half, she’s touching the ball all the time and ripping the net. It was ‘Boom, Boom, Boom’ and it’s over.” Gretchen Haehl added seven fourth-quarter points — for a total of 16 in the second half — to finish with a team-high 22 points. Shelbyville coach John Fair wasn’t surprised to see his point guard have a fabulous game. “Gretchen is so competitive and takes such pride in her game,” said Fair. “When she has a poor game, the next one — she is on fire. She had a poor game against Mount Vernon and then had 23 at Jennings County. She had a poor game at Delta and she was on fire in the second half tonight. You could see her confidence.” Midway through the fourth quarter, Haehl and Triton Central’s top player, Jessie Scherer, started trading baskets. In a span of 51 seconds, both players scored in various ways showing why they may be the county’s top two players. Scherer would finish with 22 points — matching Haehl. The Triton Central junior also ripped down a game-high 11 rebounds. But the surrounding cast around Scherer spent a majority of its time concentrating on breaking the press and wasn’t as effective in the half-court offense. Senior Stephanie Brooks scored 10 points although she was 2-of-7 from behind the 3-point line. Junior Kristy Gates (12 points per game average) and sophomore Audra Blackford (9 points) combined to score just 12 points. Backing up Haehl was senior Sarah Laird, who had 13 points despite fighting the flu. Kolls came off the bench to score six points and grab a team-high seven rebounds. Gwen Haehl finished with 10 points. Senior Jenni Ross added eight points and six rebounds. Twelve Golden Bears played in the game — nine of whom scored. By contrast, only seven Tigers played — six of whom scored.