Golden Bears enter Wettig Tournament as one of top teams in state

Shelbyville arrived at the Bob Wettig Tournament in Richmond last season with little momentum. After a 5-0 start, the Golden Bears gave up late leads in losses to Greenwood and Mt. Vernon and stumbled to a redeeming win over Yorktown.

Then came an early morning win at Earlham College in Richmond over North Decatur. The Golden Bears moved over to the Tiernan Center at Richmond High School and defeated Indianapolis Shortridge to reach the semifinal round.

Shelbyville began day two of the tournament with a win over Richmond that set up a championship game showdown with Ben Davis. The powerhouse Giants held off the Golden Bears for a 51-43 win, but Shelbyville gained more than runner-up kudos.

“It was big for us last year because we told the guys to treat it as a mini sectional … to survive and advance,” said Shelbyville head coach John Hartnett. “And obviously in this tournament if you lose you still get to play some consolation games. Our expectations were to go in and win it. I felt like it kept us rolling through the second half of the season.”

Shelbyville won four straight in January following the Wettig Tournament and finished 18-7 – the program’s most wins since 2017.

Shelbyville was relatively unknown entering the tournament last season. When the Golden Bears take the floor at the Tiernan Center Monday morning, they will be the only state-ranked team in the field.

“I think we are even more prepared heading into this tournament because we know what it is,” said Shelbyville senior guard Caden Claxton (photo). “Last year was our first time playing in it. We know the teams. We know which ones we will have to beat to win the tournament.”

Shelbyville (6-1) opens the Wettig Tournament Monday at 9 a.m. against Indianapolis Homeschool (6-2). The Golden Bears are paired in the top quarter of the bracket with KIPP Indy Legacy (0-4) and Fort Wayne North (0-4).

The winners and losers of those two morning games will play Monday at 3 p.m.

The other first-round games of the top half of the bracket are Greensburg (2-4) against Phalen Academy (2-2) and North Decatur (2-4) battling Indianapolis Washington (2-2). One of those four teams will be Shelbyville’s first opponent on Tuesday.

“Honestly, we are ready to compete,” said Claxton. “We are having good practices. The intensity is high. We just want good energy heading into this tournament.”

Shelbyville, ranked No. 7 in Class 3A, is a different team entering this year’s Wetting Tournament. Senior dominated, confident and coming off a 2-1 week against the same opponents as last year, with the only loss coming at 4A No. 7 Mt. Vernon, 60-57.

“We just hung around with one of the top teams in the state in Mt. Vernon and had a chance to pull that one off,” said Hartnett (photo). “The level of confidence you have to play with when you are labeled one of the top teams in your class, you have to have some confidence all the way around and be able to think you can beat every single team you step on the floor and play.”

Shelbyville feels like it did not finish the job last year with a loss to then 4A No. 13 Ben Davis. Eight first-quarter turnovers led to a 16-4 deficit that could not be overcome.

One year later, Shelbyville could get another opportunity to square off with the Giants.

The opening round games in the bottom half of the bracket are:

• NorthWood (3-4) vs. Purdue Englewood (3-4)
• Valparaiso (4-3) vs. Buckeye (Ohio) (2-2)
• Richmond (2-5) vs. Fort Wayne Snider (2-4)
• Beech Grove (4-3) vs. Ben Davis (2-2)

“The challenge last year was playing those first three games then hanging around all day until 8 p.m. for the championship,” said Hartnett. “It’s fun for our group to tune up and play some of these games. I thought the best part about last year was advancing and getting to play a team like Ben Davis in the championship.

“It’s a no pressure thing because your season still continues if you lose. Keep going and knock off one of the top-ranked teams in the state. I am really looking forward to it and having a repeat as last year and getting another shot at Ben Davis in the championship game.”

Shelbyville’s opening opponent, Indianapolis Homeschool, finished 1-3 in last year’s Wettig Tournament. The Wildcats lost to Richmond (58-57) and Seton Catholic (73-66) before defeating Phalen Academy (67-60) and closing out the event with a 59-26 loss to Purdue Polytechnic.

The Wildcats are 6-2 this season with losses at Bloomington South (66-47) and Culver Academies (67-57).

“I have watched a couple of tapes against them already,” said Hartnett. “We will have to play well to advance out of this game. They have guys that can shoot and guys that can score.

“There are things we have to do well to win the game and advance to the next round. Every time we play these guys in the summer or the offseason, they are always very competitive and play hard. We have to be ready.”

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