Ashe Mountain Times

Ashe County's heralded defense was signaled early in its 62-54 loss to Shelby Wednesday night.

The Lions went to the rim offensively and applied pressure to every movement defensively. The N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 2-A second-round boys basketball clash spiraled toward the Lions' tactics midway through the second half with a 15-2 run that left Ashe trying to erase a 52-42 hole with less than three minutes to play.

“When you're that athletic, you've got to attack the basket,” said Andrew Lopp, one of three departing senior Huskies. “We did fairly well on defense. They were pressuring our guards hard (on offense). We tried to look for Zeb (Richardson) inside, but they'd have a hand in our face, and sometimes our passes wouldn't be secure.”

Eighth-seeded Shelby (19-6) bounded into a Western Regional quarterfinal matchup at fifth-seeded West Caldwell, which beat Lincolnton 52-50 in overtime. The Lions held the Huskies to 40.7-percent shooting, forced 16 turnovers and scored more points than any other Ashe opponent.

The Huskies (25-4) thwarted a front line that measured 6-foot-5, 6-4 and 6-4 with six blocks by senior Zeb Richardson and even implemented a 1-3-1 zone tactic that helped slow Shelby to 40-percent shooting from the floor.

An intense, emotion-filled matchup befitting a later round in the playoffs produced eight ties and 10 lead changes, keeping the “Dog Pound” student section highly engaged and leaving players and coaches exhausted.

“They were a good team, different than what we're used to,” Richardson said. “They have a different style, with their pace of the game and how they played defense against us.”

Richardson, the Mountain Valley Conference Player of the Year, said his defender attempted to front him while getting assistance backside to prevent lob passes. The result was only eight shots and five points. Richardson yanked a game-high 14 rebounds and blocked six shots.

But with misfires on offense, the Huskies couldn't expand a late first-half lead of five points and a late third-quarter lead of three points.

“I know we're a better team,” senior Sam Gammons added, “but it was the same as Wilkes Central. We couldn't make plays at the end.”

Gammons led the Huskies with 19 points, nailing a trio of 3-pointers. Junior point guard Nehemiah Stafford commanded the first half and finished with 11 points and six assists.

“We really played hard in the first half, and they did, too,” said Ashe 10th-year head coach Marc Payne, who was denied victory No. 575. “It took a while to get back going (in the second half).”

The Huskies, up 28-25 at the break, went the first two minutes without a field goal and fell back into a tie at 29. But while Shelby suffered through a 4-for-15 shooting slump in the third quarter, Ashe never led by more than 38-33 following junior Anthony Federico's putback with 1:54 to go.

Junior Donte Falls converted a three-point play from a spread offense, giving Shelby the largest lead for either team, 49-42. Antonio Washington's bucket with 2:24 to play made it 52-42, forcing the Huskies into a foul to catch up mode.

Shelby, which made 13 of 20 from the foul line in the quarter, drained 10 of its next 12.

“We couldn't make our opportunities and the three-point play gave them confidence,” Payne said.

Shelby, which finished third in the South Mountain Athletic Conference, was led by Falls with 20 points. Falls hit all seven free throws in the final period and 10 of 11 in the game. Senior Daylan Fuller scored 13 points, and 6-foot-3 sophomore Gabe DeVoe had eight points and nine rebounds.

Richardson's half dozen blocks gave him 136 for the season, extending his school record. His 209 for his career left him one shy of Tommy Spagnolo's career mark, but his average of 3.7 per game is a new standard.

The Huskies concluded with championships in the Mountain Valley Conference regular season and the Colvard Oil Holiday Classic, and were ranked in the top 10 of the state all season. Ashe held 14 foes below 40 points, never lost back-to-back games and produced winning streaks of 14 and 10 games.

And Gammons said they took away a lot more than that.

“I'll remember our team, the way we bonded, and the memories,” Gammons said. “We know how life is more important than basketball. Our coaching staff cared more about us as people than basketball players.”

“Our three seniors, they've just been outstanding,” Payne said of his 37th prep team. “They are outstanding young men, they have led by example and work ethic.

“If you had seniors, and you got a blueprint … these seniors really brought this team together. They were all, the whole team, a great bunch of players. It's been a great team to coach.”

 

NCHSAA 2-A PLAYOFFS

First Round

 

SHELBY 62, ASHE 54

Shelby (62) — Donte Falls 20, Daylan Fuller 13, Gabe DeVoe 8, Spencer Clark 6, Wesley Hillman 5, Antonio Washington 4, Chris Wray 4, Antwan Burris 2.

Ashe County (54) — Sam Gammons 19, Nehemiah Stafford 11, Andrew Lopp 6, Eli Gambill 6, Zeb Richardson 5, Anthony Federico 5, Anderson Moore 2.

Shelby                     13            12            15            22—62

Ashe County            14            14            12            14—54