South Shelby Boys Win; North vs. South Wednesday, Weather Permitting
North Shelby Cruises to Start 32nd Annual Tournament
By Troy Treasure
The North Shelby Raiders crushed Marion County 65-17 Monday, January 20 in first-round play at the North Shelby Tournament.
Earlier in the evening, the Lady Raiders handled La Plata with ease winning 62-35.
The second-seed Raiders (7-6) take on No. 3 South Shelby Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Cardinals defeated Schuyler County Monday 67-50.
The No. 3 Lady Raiders (8-5) play second-seed Schuyler County following the NS-SS boys’ matchup.
Monday’s Raiders’ game was over practically from the opening tip.
Utilizing full-court pressure, North Shelby snared a 5-0 lead 38 seconds into the game. Those five points were more than the Mustangs could muster the entire first half. NS led 40-4 at halftime.
Of the 14 Raiders suited up versus Marion County, 11 scored field goals during the game. J.D. Rich led the way with 14 points.
In the girls’ tilt, North Shelby out-scored La Plata 19-5 in the second quarter and entered the half-time break up 40-16.
Four players scored in double figures led by Caroline Linberger’s 17 points. Lilly Cook and Presley Stoneburner each had 13. Ceairra Kirby added 10. Pieper Wood and Jena Lene led the Lady Bulldogs with 11 points each.
The Raiders will be looking to avenge a 61-52 loss January 3 at South. In Monday’s win, the Cardinals’ Cole Mitchell exploded for 20 fourth-quarter points, 12 on four 3-point shots. He finished with a game-high 33 points. Guy Timbrook had 16.
“The Mitchell kid is the leader for sure. If he gets open, he may not hit all of them but he’s going to get hot. If he gets hot, he’s really good,” North Shelby coach Landon Daniel said. “The Timbrook kid is good, too. He’s a big boy. I thought they used him in the post better tonight than what they had before.
“It’s a game we’ve had circled for a long time,” Daniel continued. “We knew there was a chance we could play each other in the North Shelby Tournament. The guys are looking forward to it, for sure.
“We don’t need any extra motivation when we play that team.”
In the first game on opening night, the Schuyler County girls averted an upset holding off Marion County 40-39. Jacie Morris paced the Lady Rams with 16 points. MaKinley Aeschliman scored 13.
Delaney Strauss led Marion County with 16 points. Halle Keilholz added 10.
