Shooting woes cost Shelbyville sectional win over Indian Creek

RUSHVILLE – Shelbyville initially survived a slow start Friday in the Sectional 28 semifinal round game against Indian Creek. The Golden Bears erased an 11-3 deficit to take a 12-11 lead after one quarter.

The offense fell apart from there. Shelbyville scored just 18 points over the final three quarters on 5 of 37 shooting (14%) to fall, 38-30.

Indian Creek (12-13) will face Class 3A, No. 1 Indianapolis Roncalli (23-3) in tonight’s sectional championship game at Rushville.

The Golden Bears finished head coach Kylie Weichman’s first season at 12-10 – a fourth consecutive winning season for the program.

The performance Friday was eerily similar to the 2025 sectional loss to New Palestine, 35-27. The Golden Bears finished 7 of 54 from the field in that game.

Turnovers were rampant early in Shelbyville’s postseason debut at Rushville. The two teams combined for 13 turnovers in the opening quarter and added 15 more in the second.

Indian Creek, playing without leading scorer Ellie Oliver (14 ppg, 6 rpg) due to a shoulder injury, struggled to take care of the basketball in the first half. Shelbyville was never able to capitalize – often returning the turnover right back to the Braves.

Three different Indian Creek players scored in the first six minutes to get the Braves an early 8-point lead.

Jayla Ash produced back-to-back baskets to stop the run. Hannah Baker hit a pair of free throws then finished off a 3-point play in the quarter’s final seconds gave the Golden Bears the lead, 12-11.

Shelbyville twice got the lead to three points in the second quarter but could never extend thanks to a 2-for-14 shooting performance (1 of 8 from 3-point line).

The game was tied at 19-all at halftime.

Indian Creek took a 3-point lead on an offensive rebound and score from Alexa Sichting, but Baker sank a 3 to keep the game tied.

Sichting hit a 12-footer and Reagan Ferris scored off an offensive rebound to give the Braves a 28-24 advantage going to the fourth quarter.

Sichting drove to the basket and scored to start the fourth-quarter scoring and Shelbyville never regained the lead. The Golden Bears hit just 1 of 10 shots over the final eight minutes to finish 9 of 46 in the game, including 2 of 19 from beyond the arc.

Sichting led the Braves with 20 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Ferris, Reese Tunell and Gracie Werden each scored five.

Baker and Ash led the Golden Bears with 11 points apiece. Each had five rebounds as well.

The loss was the final game for Shelbyville seniors, Baker, Maddy Jones, Savannah Collins, Alivia Lee, Reese Fortune and Avery Keller. Much of that group helped produce 41 wins over the last three seasons.

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