FORTVILLE — Clinging to a one-point lead with 5.4 seconds left, Anderson’s Tyra Ford grabbed a rebound off a missed free throw and sprinted up the court.
All Mt. Vernon could do was stay close, not foul and hope Ford couldn’t get a good look before the buzzer.
She did. Ford managed a desperation 3-pointer from a decent spot as the buzzer sounded. Her shot, though, hit the rim and bounced out.
The host Marauders (9-1) emerged victorious in a back-and-forth battle, topping the Indians (2-8) by a final score of 64-63.
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Click here to purchase photos from this gallery“Happy to get out of there with a win,” Mt. Vernon coach Julie Shelton said. “I thought Anderson played really, really well, and hard. Their aggressiveness bothered us. They got way too many rebounds. We really had been really good all year at defensive rebounding, and we struggled in that area tonight. We hung in there, and battled and got the win. I was proud of the kids for that.”
The game quickly turned into a battle of standout sophomores, as Mt. Vernon’s Lexi Shelton and Anderson’s Ford went almost point-for-point for much of the game.
Shelton came into the game averaging 14.9 points per contest, leading the Marauders. Ford was averaging 20.5 points per game.
Both far exceeded their season averages.
Lexi Shelton had a huge first half, scoring 22 points and nabbing nine rebounds on 8-of-13 shooting. She was 5-of-7 shooting in the second half, making all seven of her free throw attempts and finishing with 37 points and 13 rebounds.
The hosts needed every one of those points. Ford nearly matched the Marauders sophomore, scoring 32 points and trying to will her team to a victory.
“She’s our strongest and most aggressive kid, and in this game, we really needed that,” Julie Shelton said of Lexi Shelton. “Once it got rolling, I told her, ‘You’re bigger and stronger than most of their kids. You’re going to have to be a scorer tonight and help us.’ I thought she did a good job.”
The leading scorer for the Marauders took that coaching to heart, doing her best to lift her team up and lead them to a win.
“Our team was struggling a little bit attacking at the beginning,” Lexi Shelton said. “I just thought that if I attacked and brought some energy, our team would follow along in my footsteps.”
The Marauders, ranked No. 20 in the state and No. 14 in Class 4A, came into the game riding the momentum of a huge Hoosier Heritage Conference win against Pendleton Heights.
They might have been caught off guard a bit by two-win Anderson and by the aggressiveness the Indians played with. But Mt. Vernon buckled down, stayed composed and picked up their ninth win of the year.
“I think that we had a lot of confidence coming out of Pendleton, but we have a big target on our back with how we’ve been performing lately,” Lexi Shelton said. “I think that was a great learning experience for us.”
Outside of Shelton, the Marauders struggled shooting the ball, in part due to how hard the Indians contested many of their shots. While Shelton finished 13 of 20 from the floor, her teammates combined to shoot 10 of 33.
Four Marauders each scored five points — Abby Worley, Sydnee Perry, Shay Shipley and Maddie Swingle. Tessa Freeman had three, and Olivia Yeley and Lindsay Hartl each added two.
Swingle finished behind Shelton in rebounds, with eight. Freeman added seven.
Mt. Vernon will go for its 10th win this Saturday in an HHC contest at Yorktown.
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Mt. Vernon 64, Anderson 63
Anderson;14;18;12;19;—;63
Mt. Vernon;16;18;16;14;—;64
Anderson (2-8): Tyra Ford 11 7-9 32, Staisha Hamilton 5 2-3 15, Erin Martin 2 0-0 5, Lakevya Wills 1 0-0 2, Karlee Goodwin 2 0-0 5, Makyra Dixon 1 2-2 4, Kiersten Widup 0 0-0 0. Totals: 22 11-19 63.
Mt. Vernon (9-1): Lexi Shelton 13 7-7 37, Sydnee Perry 2 0-0 5, Abby Worley 2 0-0 5, Maddie Swingle 2 1-2 5, Shay Shipley 1 2-2 5, Tessa Freeman 1 1-4 3, Lindsay Hartl 1 0-0 2, Olivia Yeley 1 0-0 2. Totals: 23 11-15 64.
3-point goals: Anderson 8 (Ford 3, Hamilton 3, Martin, Goodwin), Mt. Vernon 7 (Shelton 4, Worley, Perry, Shipley).
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While the Marauders defended their home with a one-point win, New Palestine and Eastern Hancock were both on the road Tuesday night.
New Palestine 85, Shelbyville 49
Leah Seib led the Dragons with 24 points in an HHC victory.
North Decatur 55, Eastern Hancock 51
The Royals fell on the road despite 15 points each from Jenna Smith and Jocelyn Duncan.
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