Margaretta edges Shelby despite DeVito's 33 points

CASTALIA — Brayden DeVito had Margaretta's full attention. The Mr. Football finalist for Shelby was scorching hot from 3-point land Tuesday, but the Polar Bears made it a little tougher in the fourth quarter. Division V No. 5 Margaretta limited the Whippets' deep shooting over the final eight minutes, pulling out a 70-64 non-league win on Senior Night. "First and foremost, that was an excellent high school basketball game," Margaretta coach Steve Keller said. "DeVito is an excellent two-sport kid. He came to play and shot it well. They were there to compete. That was great for us heading into Willard on Friday." The game was the last for six Margaretta seniors in the regular season at The Iceberg. The Polar Bears honored Jake Bouy, Ayden Miller, Keiygan Morris, Julian Washington, Judah Keller, Rob Cox and student assistant Hunter Grahl before the varsity contest. "People just don't realize the time and commitment it takes," coach Keller said. "We have many dual- and tri-sport kids and I'm just very thankful. I'm thankful to our six seniors and thankful to Hunter Grahl as a student assistant. They've all worked hard all along. It's sad to see them go, but I'm glad they went out with a win at home." DeVito, who will play college football at Air Force next season, finished with nine triples and a game-high 33 points. "Think about that," Keller said. "We had Julian guarding him and Julian has length. DeVito was still making shots. I thought all in all defensively, except for a career night for DeVito, we were really solid. We have to rebound the basketball and that hurt us tonight." Margaretta (17-3) withstood the Shelby (11-6) barrage in the third quarter for the most part, taking a 52-49 lead into the final eight minutes. The game was tied at 49 before Keller ended the third-quarter scoring with a three-point play. The Polar Bears carried that momentum into the fourth as Shelby committed a turnover early. That led to Kale Bailey finding Keller for a score. After an empty possession by the Whippets, Washington scored on an out of bounds play. Bailey then split two free throws to put Margaretta up 57-49 with 6:16 remaining. Shelby didn't go quietly. Kayden Paz tallied a three-point play out of a timeout before DeVito hit his ninth and final 3-pointer of the evening. Ahead just 57-55, Margaretta got two free throws from Washington. After a Shelby turnover, he scored again to make it 61-55 with 3:02 to play. Shelby had one more run, but the Polar Bears were there to fight back. Michael Shepherd converted a three-point play to bring the Whippets within 62-60 with 1:31 left. Washington scored on the other end for Margaretta. DeVito then scored on a driving layup, but the Polar Bears put the game away at the free throw line. Morris knocked down four free throws before Washington added two more to seal the win for Margaretta. Washington scored 17 of his team-high 24 points in the second half. He added eight rebounds for the Polar Bears. "We wanted to take advantage of the paint a little bit," Keller said. "They stayed man and we were able to get touches on the block and move Julian around. He got a few steals and that gets you going when you get out in transition. He really stepped it up." All 21 points the Whippets scored in the third quarter came from the long ball. After making 4 of 13 3-pointers in the first half, Shelby was 7 of 9 in the third quarter, making all seven in a row. DeVito hit five of the nine, including three straight, to erase a 49-40 Margaretta lead. His last tied the game at 49 with 56 seconds left in the third quarter. "I thought we made timely plays in response to them making runs," Keller said. "I was real pleased with how we stepped it up and competed. Kudos to them for being ready to go. I was proud of how we responded." Kale Bailey was big in the first half for Margaretta. He scored the game's first five points and his bucket gave the Polar Bears a 17-12 lead. In the second quarter, he knocked down a jumper to push Margaretta back ahead 25-24. After Keller scored, Bailey tallied a bucket and hit a 3-pointer to push the Polar Bears' advantage to 32-24. "He was big. Kale can play," coach Keller said. "We've been working on Kale's mental elite mindset and he's a very talented young man. He showed that tonight. He got a little tired late because with Tyson (Bailey's) foul trouble, we had to ask him to guard Shelby's 6-foot-5 kid. At the end of the day, he competed all night." Shepherd added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Division IV Whippets. Kale Bailey finished with 17 points while Keller scored 14 points. The Polar Bears (9-0 Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division) hit the road to take on Willard (17-2, 8-1) in a massive league game Friday. "Shelby got loose a little bit in the third," Keller said. "They made some tough 3s. I thought in the fourth, we really sat down and guarded. I think ultimately, that's what you have to do come tournament time. You have to get stops in the half-court." SHELBY (11-6) Landon Foltz 2 0-0 5, Brayden DeVito 12 0-0 33, Michael Shepherd 8 1-5 17, Kayden Paz 3 1-3 9, Braxton Dawson 0 0-2 0. TOTALS 25 2-10 64 MARGARETTA (17-3) Kale Bailey 7 1-2 17, Keiygan Morris 1 4-4 6, Julian Washington 8 7-7 24, Judah Keller 6 2-5 14, Tyson Bailey 4 1-2 9. TOTALS 26 15-20 70 Shelby 14 14 21 15 — 64 Margaretta 17 15 20 18 — 70 Three-point goals: Shelby 12 (DeVito 9, Paz 2, Foltz); Margaretta 3 (K. Bailey 2, Washington)