Seniors Jones and Mason honored
The Joaquin Rams earned an underdog victory over the Shelbyville Dragons earlier this season. In their second meeting, the Dragons were able to correct their mistakes of the past with a 5145 win at home.
Shelbyville kicked off the night by honoring their two seniors, Dakota Jones and Tim Mason. Their matchup with Joaquin marked the last home game of their final season with the Dragons.
Shelbyville maintained a lead throughout most of the contest. Dragon point guard D.J. Barnes was able to feed Weston Frick in the post. Frick capitalized with six points in the first quarter. Gauge Jordan of Joaquin was able to trim Shelbyville’s lead with a three-pointer just before the buzzer. Shelbyville ended the first quarter with a 15-8 advantage.
The Dragons extended their lead before the half to 29-19. Shelbyville played patiently and unselfishly. Their willingness to let plays develop and feed the open man made all the difference.
Joaquin returned from halftime with more of a spark. They were able to hang with the Dragons in the third quarter and actually ended up outscoring them 11-10.
With the score set at 39-30 headed into the final quarter, Joaquin pressed on the gas. The Rams scored 11 points unanswered to give them the lead for the first time in the ballgame. Shelbyville, sensing the danger, was forced to up their game. Barnes tied the game at 41, before the Dragons knocked down another basket for a 43-41 lead. Barnes then knocked down a big three-pointer to extend their lead. His 10 points in the fourth kept Shelbyville alive.
The Rams were unable to keep up the blazing pace they set early in the fourth quarter and would ultimately fall 51-45.
“Every time we play Joaquin, whether it’s football, basketball, baseball, track; it’s always a competitive rivalry game,” said Shelbyville Coach Augustus Moore. “Even though they snuck up on us and took the lead, our guys kept their poise. All year we’ve been talking about overcoming adversity. Going into the playoffs, it’s going to be playoff atmosphere games like that every night. Our district, 23-2A, is in my opinion the toughest 2A district in the state. Even with a team like we played tonight, they’re better than what their district record shows. If they were in any other district, they would either win the district or place inside the top four. Proud of our guys for winning that game for our seniors with this being their last game here in Dragon Gym.”
Barnes led the Dragons’ scoring with 18 points. Dylan Parker showed out with 14 points. Frick ended the game with a 10-point total.
For the Rams, Bennett Anglin scored 13 points with three buckets from beyond the three-point line. Malik Stotts was just behind Anglin with a 12-point total. Gauge Jordan also scored double digits with a 10-point finish.