Golden Bears overwhelm New Castle in final HHC opener

Class 3A, No. 13 Shelbyville showed off its full arsenal Friday night at Garrett Gymnasium in its final Hoosier Heritage Conference opener.

The Golden Bears hit six of their first eight three-point attempts, pushed the pace at every chance and locked down New Castle with a variety of defensive looks that resulted in a 62-38 victory and a 4-0 start to the season.

“With the length we have this year, it’s easier to switch up and these guys are smart enough to know the coverages and what we are looking for out of each defense,” said Shelbyville head coach John Hartnett, who has the Golden Bears off to a 4-0 start for the second consecutive season. “Even in man-to-man we have length everywhere; we’ve got speed and guys that are aggressive and try to get deflections and steals.

“Tonight, I thought they did an excellent job switching on the fly when we went from our 1-3-1 and went back to man-to-man. They did a great job of listening and getting to their spots and coverages.”

Four of the five Shelbyville starters scored in the opening quarter to build a 17-9 lead.

New Castle (2-3, 0-1 HHC) scored the first five points of the second quarter to cut the lead to 17-14, but that was as close as the Trojans got to a lead.

The Golden Bears went on a 12-2 run capped off by a Gavin Reed 3-pointer. Caden Claxton (photo) added another 3 just over a minute later and the Golden Bears got to halftime with a 32-21 advantage.

“We knew from watching film, transition would be a key part of our game,” said Hartnett. “We did an excellent job of getting it out and going. … Obviously, transition and pushing the ball is our strength and you add that aggressive and tough defense we are playing, you will win a lot of ballgames that way.”

An 8-0 run in the third quarter extended the lead to 40-23 and the Trojans found nothing easy on the offensive end of the floor.

Shelbyville limited New Castle to 13-of-33 shooting (39%) and a 4 for 16 night from beyond the arc.

On the other end, Shelbyville shot 56% from the field and added an 8-for-9 performance from the free-throw line to seal the win.

Braylen Bennett led New Castle with 13 points (eight in the final quarter). Mason Miller had 12 points and four assists. Elijah Turner finished with eight points and six rebounds.

Claxton hit a trio of three-pointers in the win and faced little resistance when he chose to attack the lane. The senior finished with a game-high 22 points and six rebounds.

Mar Nicholson (photo) totaled 14 points, four rebounds and four assists. Cooper Thoman and Camden Thoman combined for seven points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in the fourth quarter.

Shelbyville’s game Saturday night at Whiteland has been postponed due to inclement weather expected to hit central Indiana.

The Golden Bears return to Garrett Gymnasium Tuesday to host potential Sectional 28 foe Greenwood (4-1).

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