Strong start carries Roncalli to sectional win over Shelbyville

Four different Royals scored in double figures as Shelbyville’s defense struggled to produce stops which allowed Roncalli to roll to a 69-54 sectional victory Wednesday at William L. Garrett Gymnasium.

The Royals built a double-digit lead early in the second quarter off strong dribble drives that resulted in open looks – especially from the three-point line. The Golden Bears never got closer than 11 points the rest of the contest.

“We got off to a slow start. Our defense was pretty lackadaisical to start the game,” said Shelbyville head coach John Hartnett. “They hit some big shots early that we weren’t ready for, and I don’t think we were ready for how physical the game was going to be and how intense it was going to be.”

Roncalli sophomore point guard Will Hegwood had six first-half assists and six points to get the Royals going. Six-foot-eight junior forward Joe Taylor scored 12 points in the half and four more Royals hit 3s for a 37-23 lead at halftime.

Shelbyville junior forward Mar Nicholson (photo) was outstanding but no other Golden Bear made more than a field goal in the first 16 minutes. Nicholson hit a pair of 3s in the first half and scored 16 of Shelbyville’s first 23 points.

“Mar has been working on shooting the ball. Tonight, he had that different sort of confidence to shoot the ball from 3,” said Hartnett. “The more he develops that 3-point shot, he is going to be very dangerous and very hard to guard because if you leave him open he can hit the 3 if he is confident enough to shoot it. If not, he will size you up and go around you.”

The Golden Bears (18-7) fought hard in the second half to cut into the lead but when the opportunities presented themselves, shots were missed. And, Roncalli never had an offensive lull.

The Royals shot 11 of 16 from the field in the second half and hit 67% of their shots in the game. And entering the sectional as a team that hit just 62% of its free throws, the Royals converted 14 of 18 (78%) in the win.

Noah Schmaltz finished with a team-high 18 points for Roncalli (15-8). Taylor had 16 points and five rebounds. Hegwood racked up 12 points, eight assists and five rebounds. And Luke Baker hit two 3s on the way to 10 points.

Nicholson’s final game of his junior season as a Golden Bear was one of his best. He hit 12-of-15 shots, including three 3s, to score a game-high 29 points.

Brody Runnebohm scored seven of his 12 points in the fourth quarter to finish with 12.

Shelbyville’s leading scorer Caden Claxton (photo, left) had four points and fouled out early in the fourth quarter.

“(Roncalli) has watched our last five or six games to where teams are going to hold on to Caden and try not to let him touch the ball,” said Hartnett. “Caden (a junior) has one more year of this. We have to figure out ways next year to break him free and get him off the ball a little bit so he can run off some different screens and get some back screens to get open.

“I thought tonight Roncalli did an excellent job taking away our No. 1 threat. That showed early in the game.”

The sectional loss brought an end to the basketball careers of seniors Damon Badgley and Kenny Owens.

“Kenny and Damon are a huge part of this team. They are part of the reasons why we got to where we got this year,” said Hartnett.

Shelbyville’s 18 wins is the most in the Hartnett era and the most for the program since 2017. Hartnett’s seventh season will start with great expectations with rising seniors Claxton (15.6 ppg), Nicholson (13.9 ppg), Runnebohm (6.4 ppg), Gavin Reed (7.7 ppg) and Cole Schene (4.3 ppg) likely to comprise the starting lineup. The Golden Bears will need depth on the bench which will be very inexperienced at the varsity level.

“For our younger guys, it was a lesson that we racked up some wins but how are we going to react and start doing some damage in the tournament,” said Hartnett. “Our junior class has one more year to figure that out. We have to go into overdrive and work as hard as we can for next season.”

The Shelbyville Sectional continues Friday with two semifinal games. At 6 p.m., New Palestine (22-3) takes on Beech Grove (8-16) with Roncalli (15-8) battling Greenwood (14-10) in the nightcap.

The sectional championship game is Saturday night at Garrett Gymnasium.

Steve Bush photos

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