State Championship game is underway and tight at the half

April 14, 2010

Road to Rupp | PNC | KHSAA Sweet 16


The State Championship game got underway tonight, with much fanfare. The Bruins of Ballard County and the Wildcats of Shelby Valley would battle for the title of State Champions.

Shelby Valley would be the first to score, on a lay-up by Taylor Newsome. Ballard had a quick answer for it, when senior Keisten Jones had a huge dunk in the first two minutes of play. An 8-2 run against the Bruins would put the Wildcats up by four with three left to play in the quarter. With 30 seconds left on the clock, Jones would come through for the Bruins again, this time with a three pointer, Ballard pulled to within two. Shelby Valley would score a quick basket, and the quarter ended Shelby Valley 20, Ballard 16.

A three point shot would get Shelby Valley started on a 6-0 streak that put them up by 12 in the first two minutes of the second quarter. Helped by a three from Jones, the Bruins went on a 6-0 streak of their own, and with under three minutes left to play in the half Ballard had cut Shelby Valley’s lead back to six. A tip-in by Ballard’s Keisten Jones would bring them to within four as the half ended. The score was Shelby Valley 36, Ballard 32.

The top two scorers of the tournament, Ballard’s Ian Chiles and Shelby Valley’s Elisha Justice seemed to be silenced in the first half as they were both held to single digit points. Chiles with eight and Justice with seven. For Ballard, senior Keisten Jones led the team, and had 14 points this half. Taylor Newsome led for Shelby Valley with eleven. The teams each had three three point shots.