Shelby beats Willard in rivalry game, clinches program record for most regular-season wins

WILLARD — Alex Bruskotter didn't need to be reminded just how big of a rivalry Shelby vs. Willard is in boys basketball.

But the Whippet senior got his memory jogged all day Friday from the time he arrived to school at 7 a.m. to the time he stepped off the bus for the big showdown. His classmates made sure to grill him about beating Willard as soon as the sun came up and continued it as some members of the student section completed the annual Walk to Willard, pumping up the bus as it drove by.

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It worked as Bruskotter led the AP Division II No. 2 Whippets to an impressive 89-67 over the AP Division II No. 9 Flashes in the regular-season finale. Bruskotter had 26 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for a near triple-double. After being held scoreless in the first quarter, Bruskotter broke a 17-17 tie after one with 15 points in the second to give the Whippets a comfortable 43-31 lead at the half.

"The first quarter, I started off and my first shot was short, my second was long and my third was all backboard," Bruskotter said. "That wasn't the start I was hoping for, but I have shot too many shots in my life to stop shooting, so I locked back in and found my rhythm."

And so did the Whippets.

After that first quarter, Shelby outscored Willard 72-50 the rest of the way. The Whippets received a balanced effort with Brayden DeVito adding 17 points on five made 3-pointers while Casey Lantz added 14 and Issaiah Ramsey and Karsen Homan added 11 apiece. Lantz also added eight points and eight assists for a near triple-double.

"We have five guys who can make plays when they are on the court so it comes down to trusting each other and finding the open man," Shelby coach Greg Gallaway said. "Offensively, we made that extra pass and made the defense collapse, which led to good shots. We didn't force any shots tonight."

Shelby shot 11 for 23 from 3 and 33 for 56 from the field and dominated the glass 34-23 and had 25 assists as a team. And it was role players that really stood out despite the usual suspects doing most of the damage.

"Homan brings so much energy to this team along with Tanner (Hartz)," Gallaway said. "They go in and know their roles extremely well and whenever they come in, we usually don't miss a beat. It is a credit to them for accepting those roles."

The Flashes started the game off hot, breaking out to a 10-4 lead when senior Cam Robinson converted on a layup to give him 1,000 career points, becoming the 11th player in Willard history to reach that milestone. But Willard just couldn't keep up in the end.

"I thought our kids played pretty well until the middle of the second quarter and then they came out and made some quick 3s and kind of opened it up," Willard coach Joe Bedingfield said. "That is what they can do with all of their athletes on the floor. Early on, our kids did what we needed them to do to make us successful but when we got down, we got scattered and tried to do too much early on. Hopefully this is something we can learn from heading into a very tough district tournament."

Max Dawson led Willard with 36 points while Robinson added 17 and Isaac Robinson had 10. No other player had more than two for the Flashes (18-4) as they now turn their focus to the postseason. Bedingfield knows with Dawson on his side, the Flashes can compete with anyone they will see in a loaded Division II district.

"We have to now worry about the winner of Tiffin Columbian and Sandusky Perkins," Bedingfield said. "We have to take a different mindset into the tournament. Max is a special player that everyone knows makes us go. We need other guys to step up and do the things we need them to do. It is nice to have Max on the floor to get us a bucket."

Gallaway had to tip his cap to Dawson who exploded in the second half with 21 points over the final two quarters.

"He is really good," Gallaway said. "We wanted to make things tough for him and I thought Ramsey did a good job working on him. We knew he was going to make shots but we wanted to make him earn them and a majority of those 36, he had to earn. It is a credit to him because he is a great basketball player."

Ultimately, it came down to Shelby wanting to leave a lasting mark on an incredible rivalry.

"There was a good amount of discussion," Bruskotter said. "We know how big of a rivalry it is even though it has died down over the years, but this year was big with both teams being state-ranked. I came out and played with a chip on my shoulder to play a better all-around game and make winning plays."

And the Whippets made enough of them.

"This rivalry is special and even more special when both teams are playing good basketball," Gallaway said. "Anyone who was in this gym tonight could feel the atmosphere and it was so special to be a part of that, and we wanted our guys to know the meaning behind this game and that they should soak it all in."

Shelby (20-2) set the program record for most regular-season wins and will take on Vermilion in the Division II sectional championship game on March 1.

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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Shelby Whippets beat Willard Flashes in boys basketball's biggest rivalry