SHELBY – A few costly turnovers and poor shooting proved to be too much for Shelby’s boys basketball team to overcome Monday, Feb. 24. The Tigers fell 53-43 to White Cloud in the district quarterfinals, ending their season in the first round of the postseason.
The Tigers struggled in the early moments of the game with the Indians, allowing the athleticism of White Cloud’s guards to get the better of them. On multiple occasions, the Indians drove past Shelby’s defense, finding lanes to the hoop. That led to a 9-2 advantage for White Cloud.
Shelby found their offense late in the opening quarter, with a three point make from Eli Kelley keeping them within reach with a 13-9 deficit after eight minutes.
White Cloud built on that lead in a low-scoring second quarter. Despite the Tigers’ best efforts, the Indians found a deep connection at the end of the half, pushing their lead out to seven points.
“We missed too many shots early,” Shelby Head Coach Rick Zoulek said. “We had some chances, but we got down by seven early and just played them even the rest of the way. In tournament time especially, you’ve got to make shots. We got good looks, we just couldn’t convert.”
The second half started with a bang as each team attempted to snag momentum. In the early minutes of the third quarter, there were four straight three pointers made – two for each team in alternating order.
White Cloud appeared to have extended their lead into double-digits, but a late connection from beyond the arc by Shelby’s Nathan Miller kept the lead at seven.
In desperate need of an offensive run, Shelby started the fourth quarter with two points from Miller. Unfortunately, White Cloud answered with a three and began stalling with five minutes left in the game.
Shelby was forced to intentionally foul, putting the game’s fate at the free throw line. The Indians went 13-for-18 from the charity stripe in the final quarter, sealing the win and ending Shelby’s season.
Miller led Shelby in scoring with 12 points, making it a double-double performance with 11 rebounds. Kelley added nine points while Leighton Belasco had seven.
Shelby finished the year at 3-20 overall with a 3-9 record in the WMC Rivers. The Tigers will lose just two seniors as Miller and Griffin Olmstead will graduate in the spring. That leaves a bevy of players that will return to the team for another year, something Zoulek is excited about.
“Coming into this year, we didn’t know for sure if Leighton (Belasco) or Zaiden (Harris) were coming to Shelby,” Zoulek said. “Now they’re two of our top six guys. It’s exciting to think of the possibilities. Those two with Eli Kelley and the JV players coming up, we’re going to have a lot of quickness.”
