Raiders Lose to South Shelby

By Marlana Smith

  The North Shelby Raiders traveled to South Shelby to take on the Cardinals on Friday, January 3. With a slow start, the Raiders lost 61-52.

  North Shelby head coach Landon Daniel said, “Frustrating and disappointing loss for our guys. We just never really had the right kind of energy all night long and that led to us never being able to really get into any rhythm on either side of the floor.”

  South Shelby came out explosive as Karson Mann put in a three-pointer within a minute into the game. South Shelby’s Cole Mitchell was fouled and was two-for-two from the line giving SS a 5-0 lead. 

  North Shelby’s Elijah Greenwell put in four points within 30 seconds apart. Mitchell fired back with a three-pointer giving SS a 7-4 lead. 

  North Shelby’s Silas Presson was unsuccessful at the line, however, his teammate Kyle Smith was there for the rebound and put in a bucket allowing NS to only trail by one, 7-6. Mitchell went to the line with 2:49 on the clock and was two-for-two. 

  “Foul trouble hurt us all night long in the fact that it got South to the free throw line where they converted those opportunities into points and we did not.

   “Every time it seemed that we would start to put on a small run, all our momentum would die because of fouls that caused South to get to the line,” said Daniel

  North Shelby’s Robert Uhlmeyer put a in a bucket, but with a little under two minutes left in the quarter, Riley Pfannenstiel put in a three-pointer giving the Cardinals at 12-8 lead.

  In the second quarter, both teams were putting in buckets but the Cardinals still led until North Shelby’s Gus Williams put in a three-pointer tying the game 18-18.

  SS took back the lead after Mitchell again was successful at the line and then later would go back but was only one-for-two. Uhlmeyer hit a three-pointer giving NS its first lead of the game 22-21.

  Daniel said, “On the defensive side of the ball, we again didn’t have the right kind of energy to make our presses and 1-3-1 work the way they are supposed to. We missed assignments all night long and allowed them to convert easy baskets or kick-out 3s that they knocked down.”

  Mitchell would end the first half with a bang from the outside giving SS the lead back, 24-22.

  To start the second half, South Shelby’s Guy Timbrook would go to the line three times and he was four-for-six and then teammate Shaun Wilkerson put in a three-pointer giving the Cardinals a 32-25 lead.

  Despite the Raiders putting 13 more points on the board in the quarter, SS was able to hold its lead 42-38.

  In the fourth quarter, there was a total of 32 free throw attempts and out of those, 17 were made. SS had nine and the Raiders put in eight which allowed the Cardinals to maintain their lead and win the game.

    “We have to come out more focused as a team and have the right kind of energy levels if we want to keep getting better and win games like this that we should have won,” said Daniel.

  Smith was leading scorer for NS with 10 points.