Claxton leads Class 3A, No. 6 Shelbyville to run away win at Beech Grove

BEECH GROVE – If Beech Grove wants any shot at defeating Shelbyville in the postseason, it will need to figure out how to slow down Caden Claxton.

The Shelbyville senior poured in 19 points in the third quarter Saturday night to turn a 9-point halftime lead into a 21-point advantage that led to the Golden Bears sixth-straight win.

Claxton (photo) scored a game-high 32 points which moved him into third place on Shelbyville’s career scoring list, passing Wes Miller (1,244 points) and Tim Ash (1,246). And he moved up to 16^th in Shelby County history, now at 1,262 points.

“(Caden) got out here and shot it well and attacked the basket well,” said Shelbyville head coach John Hartnett. “A guy like Caden just needed some confidence and he did a great job tonight.”

Shelbyville used a 9-0 run to get an early lead on its second consecutive potential Sectional 28 opponent. The Golden Bears hit 7 of 11 shots in the second quarter to push the advantage to 31-22 at halftime.

An 8-0 start capped off by a Claxton 3 quickly opened the lead to 17 points in the third quarter. He added two more 3s and continued to attack the rim to leave the Hornets frustrated.

“Our guys came alive in the second half and scored 25 points in that third quarter … extending (the lead) for us,” said Hartnett.

Mar Nicholson had six of his 12 points in the fourth quarter and added three rebounds to finish out Class 3A, No. 6 Shelbyville’s 17^th win of the season. The senior also had five rebounds and two assists.

Gavin Reed had eight points while Brody Runnebohm and Camden Thoman each had seven points.

Nate Ruth led Beech Grove (8-12) with 11 points. Adreus Armstrong, Bishop Moore and Ibby Musa each had seven points.

Shelbyville shot 62% from the field in the win and 62% (8 of 13) from the arc.

The Golden Bears (17-4) improved to 4-0 against potential sectional opponents this season and are 11-0 against Class 3A foes.

“We are trying to make statements that if you see the Golden Bears in the sectional draw, you don’t want to play us early,” said Hartnett. “Each game going down the stretch is a statement game for us.”

Shelbyville’s junior varsity dropped to 7-10 with a 50-44 loss at Beech Grove. Jasper Hahn led the Golden Bears with 15 points. Austin Martzall had 10.

Shelbyville’s final road game of the regular season and final Hoosier Heritage Conference contest is Friday at Delta (11-8, 1-4 HHC). The JV game is scheduled to tip at 6:30 p.m.

“One of our goals was to finish first or second in the conference,” said Hartnett. “Mt. Vernon has the first spot, but we will finish as high as we can. The goal is to go get that win Friday and stay in that second-place spot and go out with a bang in the HHC.”

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