The Rising Sun boys varsity basketball team picked up a solid win on Saturday night, February 3rd, with a 62-61 nail-biter over Southwestern Shelby.
The game was close throughout, with the first period ending in a 15-15 tie. The Shiners then had a big offensive stretch in the second quarter, outscoring their guest 15-8 over the stretch to send the teams to the halftime break with Rising Sun in front, 30-23.
Coming out of the break, Southwestern Shelby posted 18 points in the third stanza, but the Shiners stayed right there, scoring 17 points to hold onto a six-point lead with just eight minutes to play.
That final quarter was also high scoring, as the Spartans continued their hot second half, accounting for 20 points; but Coach Chris Jones’s Shiners wouldn’t let Southwestern Shelby get close, as Rising Sun posted 15 points in the final quarter to hold on for the one point win, 62-61.
Nick Koons continued his outstanding season, finishing with 19 points to lead the Shiners; while Brent Turner had another outstanding night both inside and outside, recording 14 points. Noah Pflum made it three Shiners in double figures, finishing with 10 points.
The offensive balance continued for Rising Sun, was Jason McClellan had nine points on the night; while Trenton Gridley added eight points and Wesley Rider chipped in two.
Koons and Pflum each had a three-pointer in the game; while Koons was also a perfect 6-for-6 from the freethrow line. Gridley was also perfect in multiple attempts from the charity stripe, going 4-for-4.
Turner had nine rebounds in the game; while Gridley added five and Rider and Pflum each had four.
The win levels the Rising Sun record at 8-8 on the season, and the Shiners now head into a critical portion of its season in terms of conference standings; as Rising Sun travels to Southwestern (18-1) tomorrow (Friday) night; and then goes out of conference on Saturday with a home game versus Lawrenceburg (11-5).
It’s three straight road games after that for Rising Sun: at Jac-Cen-Del (7-11) on Tuesday, February 13th; then to South Ripley (6-12) on Friday, February 16th; and then at Milan (9-8) on Saturday, February 17th. With four of the next five being ORVC opponents, the Shiners can set themselves up for a run at the conference title with a good showing.
The regular season ends on Friday, February 23rd, with a home game against Trinity Lutheran (6-12).
Currently, Southwestern leads the conference with a record of 4-0; with South Ripley standing at 3-1; Rising Sun at 2-1; Jac-Cen-Del at 1-1; Milan at 1-2; Switzerland County at 1-3; and Shawe Memorial is 0-4.