Shelby 73 @ Lima Sr 69 Recap

In the final game of the Kewpee classic, Shelby stunned the host Lima Sr with a 73-69 victory. Shelby and Lima Sr played a tight first quarter, but Shelby took control in the second as Lima Sr really couldn’t find the bottom of the net very often. Fueled by efficient offense and grabbing defensive rebounds, Shelby controlled about a 15 point advantage throughout the entire third quarter. Thanks to 27 points from Juniors Brazure Roberts and Marshall Shepherd, the Whippets were able to maintain their scoring advantage. Lima Sr has a never quit attitude, and the Spartans stormed back in the fourth quarter. The Spartans were using their full-court press to create steals and on offense were doing a good job of scoring in transition as the Spartans struggled mightily from the outside and in the half-court. Lima Sr had a 3-point shot to try and tie the game with five seconds left that rattled off the rim and Shelby escaped with the win to improve to 3-0 on the young season and hand Lima Sr their first loss, dropping the Spartans to 4-1. Top performers from this contest found below. TJ PughTJPugh6'6" | SFShelby | 2021StateOH, 6’6 SF Shelby 2021: Pugh looked like a division I prospect in this one as the 6’6 jumbo initiator was dominant on Sunday evening. Pugh knocked down a couple early 3-pointers to help his team gain an early advantage, showing off his range. Pugh has the ball in his hands so often for this Whippets squad, so turnovers are bound to happen. Despite having a couple, I’m not worried about this because at the next level he won’t need to make the same reads every single possession like in high school. Think, James Harden leads the league in turnovers because the ball is in his hands so much, not because he’s a poor decision maker and Pugh isn’t even approaching his turnover numbers. At the end of the day, kids Pugh’s size and skill level are viewed as division I prospects so I don’t see any reason why low-mid major programs won’t eventually offer the Shelby product. Cody LantzCodyLantz6'3" | SGShelby | 2021StateOH, 6’4 SG Shelby 2021: Lantz impacts the game outside of scoring, which is something I really want to see from a clear sidekick. Lantz had a couple blocks, steals and assists for Shelby. He didn’t take a ton of shots, but knocked down a couple first half 3-pointers to extend the early lead Shelby built. Against a team with as much quickness and defensive aggressiveness as Lima Sr, I thought Lantz more than held his own and Rio Grande should be excited for what he’ll bring to their program. Anthony Mosley, 6’3 PF Lima Sr 2023: Whenever Lima Sr broke the press, it was typically Mosley finding himself under the basket ready to finish the layups created by his guards. It wasn’t a flashy performance, but Mosley finished the game with 18 points to lead his team and his team was better with him on the floor. Jareon MayoJareonMayo6'2" | SGLima Senior | 2022StateOH, 6’2 SG Lima Sr 2022: Mayo really got after it defensively for the Spartans, flying around in the fourth quarter to cause chaos for the Whippets offense. Mayo used this energy on offense to find timely cuts to the basket and finishing open layups in transition. Another player who isn’t the most skilled offensively but plays extremely hard and has solid physical tools to work with.