Golden Bears win conference opener at Class 3A, No. 10 New Palestine

NEW PALESTINE – A strong first-half performance allowed Shelbyville to overcome a shaky fourth quarter and defeat Class 3A, No. 10 New Palestine, 47-33, Tuesday in its final Hoosier Heritage Conference opener.

The Golden Bears (5-3) made all four of their three-point attempts in the second quarter and limited the Dragons (9-2, 2-1 HHC) to just one field goal to take a 27-18 advantage at halftime.

“I am incredibly proud of our team and the way they executed tonight,” said Shelbyville head coach Kylie Weichman. “We talked a lot about patience, and I thought the first half of the game, we dominated time of possession like we talked about. We got really good open looks. I think we wore them down a little bit and got them frustrated and got them in some early foul trouble which helped us in the long run.”

The Dragons hit a trio of 3-pointers in the opening quarter, but Maddy Jones splashed a pair of her own to get the conference clash to the end of the first quarter tied at 11.

New Palestine’s offense went silent from there. Over the final three quarters, the Dragons hit just 5-of-29 (17%) shots and missed their final 10 3-point attempts.

Shelbyville shot 60% from the field in the second quarter and continued to match the physical Dragons rebound for rebound. Getting to the free throw line was a priority and Shelbyville succeeded in that point.

The Golden Bears made just two field goals in the second half – both in the third quarter – but converted on 16 of 26 free throws.

“In the second half, New Pal really tightened up their pressure and sped us up a little more than we wanted to be,” said Weichman. “I was really proud of the girls because in the end, we have to do a better job hitting free throws, but the overall game plan they almost ran to a ‘T.’”

Shelbyville led 34-22 after three quarters then struggled with the Dragons’ frenetic pressure. Nine turnovers in the final quarter kept New Palestine’s comeback hopes alive – as did missing nine free throws.

A 5-1 run for New Palestine capped by Allyson White’s short jumper in the lane got the lead down to 10, 37-27, with just over two minutes to go, but the lead never fell below double digits.

Four made free throws by Jayla Ash and Jones quickly pushed the lead back to 14 and four of the five New Palestine starters fouled out.

“We talked about controlling the tempo and making them work defensively, taking away what they wanted to do. Don’t allow them to speed us up and get them in a position where they are scrambling a little bit, which is what we did on the offensive end,” said Weichman. “We really had them scrambling.”

Jones led the Golden Bears with 14 points and six rebounds. Ash followed with 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Hannah Baker finished with 10 points, five rebounds and three assists. Savannah Collins had seven points, six rebounds and two assists.

Sadey Hughbanks led New Palestine with 11 points, three rebounds and two steals.

New Palestine won the junior varsity game, 46-41. Brylie Kirstein and Tessa Mohr each scored 12 points.

Melia Cartwright led Shelbyville (4-4) with 12 points. Chloe Higdon finished with nine points and Nevaeh Cole had eight.

Shelbyville hosts New Castle (3-5, 0-3 HHC) Friday at Garrett Gymnasium in a varsity-only contest. The Shelbyville and New Castle boys programs follow the conclusion of the girls game.

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