Waldron proud host of 100th Shelby County Boys Basketball Tournament

Waldron winning the 100^th Shelby County Boys Basketball Tournament on its home floor would touch a sentimental note.

The Mohawks’ coaching staff features two former county tournament Most Valuable Players and a sum total of five tournament championships.

Waldron head coach Jeb Stewart, a former co-MVP and tournament champion, laments none of those guys, including himself, will be suiting up Friday night for a semifinal clash against Class 2A, No. 10 Triton Central.

The Mohawks (6-3) and Tigers (7-2) are the opener for the milestone event Friday night. The second semifinal pits Morristown (6-3) against Southwestern (1-6).

The tournament championship is set for approximately 8 p.m. Saturday following the conclusion of the 50^th Shelby County Girls Basketball Tournament.

Stewart’s roster is the same as the one that took the floor on Dec. 5 and suffered a 63-27 loss to the Tigers. He knows Waldron is the underdog in its county tourney opener.

“We have nothing to lose. We need to keep that mentality and compete,” said Stewart, who noted Waldron had 22 turnovers and shot 27% from the field in that loss.

Waldron has won three straight and four of its last five entering the tournament.

“We have improved," said Stewart. “For us, we have to go out with a lot of energy and defend our home floor.”

Triton Central is coming off a 52-43 win Friday at Class 3A, No. 3 Roncalli, dealing the Royals their first loss of the season. And it played the last 12 minutes without leading scorer Eli Sego (photo) on the floor.

The senior, the third all-time leading scorer at Triton Central, received a technical foul midway through the third quarter and head coach Mark James held him out the rest of the game.

The Tigers dug in and outscored Roncalli 15-7 over the final eight minutes for their biggest win of the season.

Sego, averaging 20.2 ppg this season, needs just seven points to surpass Mike Wells (1,281 points) and ascend to No. 2 on the Tigers’ career scoring list.

No other Tiger is averaging double digits but there are five players netting between 4.7 ppg and 9 ppg.

Jackson Faust is getting 9 ppg and 3.3 rpg. Brody Hartman follows at 8.1 ppg with Grant Long (5.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg), Henry Kemper (5.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Brayden Hoover (4.7 ppg) helping push Triton Central’s offensive output to 59 ppg.

An athletic group that creates tremendous pressure, the Tigers are allowing just 38.8 ppg.

“Triton Central is very good. I am kind of in awe of them,” said Stewart. “I am looking forward to seeing how we handle their press defense. And can we score on them.”

Waldron is led offensively by junior Ethan Moody (13.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and sophomore Eli Stewart (12.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg).

Scoring balance is key to the Mohawks’ success. Junior Luke Myers (8 ppg, 3.4 rpg), freshman Caige Sheaffer (6 ppg) and junior Matt Campbell (4.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg) can provide that much needed support against Triton Central.

Morristown and Southwestern have not met on the hardwood this season. The Yellow Jackets have won five of their last six after starting the season 1-2, including a 70-33 season-opening loss to Triton Central.

Head coach Cory Kreiger has built this year’s team around three returning players and three transfers. Seniors Owen Rinzel (6.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and Dalton McMichael (7 ppg) and junior Kellen Crim (12.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.9 apg, 3.1 spg) are the known quantities.

New to the roster this year are juniors Brayden Anderson (12.9 ppg), Brody Smith (7.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and Jake Miesse (3.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg).

“We open with Triton Central every year and we talked after that night. We weren’t great to start,” said Kreiger, in his fourth season at Morristown. “We talked in the lockerroom. It’s a marathon and not a sprint. Our goal going in (to the opener) is see how we start the season and hopefully see (Triton Central) again in the (county tournament) … and see them for a championship. See where we stack up then.

“Underdogs, whatever you want to call it. Triton Central is a great team that is well coached. They do a lot of good things. I think everybody in our county is trying to give them our best shot.”

Kreiger’s response came when asked how much his team has grown and what a rematch with Triton Central would look like. For the Yellow Jackets to earn a return trip to Waldron Saturday, the Yellow Jackets have to deal with a dangerous Southwestern squad coming off its first victory of the season, a 59-53 overtime win over Mooresville Christian in which it hit 11 three-pointers.

Southwestern head coach Chris Ingels and Kreiger took over their respective programs in the same year. The Spartans have suffered a string of early season losses in each of Ingels’ four seasons.

This year’s team struggles offensively, averaging 42 ppg, but Ingels has been steadfast that players like senior Cecil Newton, juniors Landon Drake and Mitchell Clements and sophomores Jay Utley and Dusty Stevens would find their groove.

Some of that faith in his squad showed up Saturday and produced a confidence-building victory.

Kreiger, who grew up in northern Indiana and was an assistant coach at Brownsburg before his hiring at Morristown, admits he has a profound appreciation for the Shelby County Tournament.

“It’s almost kind of like there is a dying appreciation for (county tournaments) around the state,” said Kreiger. “It is cool that ours still means so much to the people and the teams. It’s four teams and a small little tournament but it has a big meaning behind it.

“It’s been cool every year to kind of dive more into it and learn more about it. For it to be the 100^th year, it is something that is cool to be a part of.”

Waldron has been deep in planning for the 100^th county tournament. The Victory Bell, with pennants of past winners dating back to at least 1940 (main photo), will be available to see at this year’s tournament. Its normal residence is at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in New Castle.

“It’s a lot of history,” said Stewart. “I saw my name. I saw my assistant coaches. That helped bring back a lot of memories.”

As much as anyone at the tournament, Stewart recognizes how important it is to reach a full century of competition.

“We think it’s pretty special,” said Stewart. “It’s an honor to represent our school. Former players are coming back. They may not come to a game, but they come to the county tournament.”

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