By Adam Rouse
Staff Writer
SHELBYVILLE â??? For the first time in eight games, Shelbyville was able to put together consecutive wins as the Bears defeated Roncalli, 54-48, in the opening round of the girls Rush-Shelby Shootout.
After starting the season with two straight victories, the Bears (7-4) had alternated wins and losses in each of the last eight contests.
Senior forward LeAnn Douglas, who had seven first-half points but was held scoreless as the Rebels (4-4) took a 40-37 lead into the final period, was the main cog in a decisive fourth quarter. The 5â??10â? senior reasserted herself in crunch time by scoring seven fourth-quarter points, including a big three-point play that helped the Bears take a 44-40 lead with 6:16 left to go.
Roncalli was able to cut its deficit to 46-44 on back-to-back possessions but surrendered six straight points to the Bears to give the host team a 52-44 advantage with 2:06 remaining in the game.
Defensively, Shelbyville was able to put the clamps on the Rebelsâ?? offense, holding them to just seven points in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter.
â??Our kids did a great job of talking defensively,â? said Shelbyville coach Michael Gaines. â??We were switching defenses up pretty consistently, and we did a nice job of just executing the types of defenses we work on.â?
The contest was tight throughout as neither team held more than a six-point lead until Shelbyville took control late in the fourth.
Roncalli led by one after both the first and second quarters, then by three heading into the fourth.
Douglas tallied a team-high 14 points and was joined in double figures by juniors Ashley Ayres (12) and Dana Gardner (11).
Senior Amanda Allen had 15 second-half points in leading the Rebels with a game-high 24. Junior Laura Garrett, who chipped in 10 points, was the only other player to reach double digits for Roncalli.
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