SHELBY - Shelby went to the free throw line 20 times Friday night, and made 17.
Columbian went three times, and didn't make a foul shot.
"There was certainly a discrepancy, wasn't there?" Tornadoes coach Bill Beaston asked rhetorically after his team fell, 56-43, to the Whippets. "I think we worked hard to get calls. Unfortunately, we didn't, they did. I guess they earned free throws a little bit better than we did tonight."
Shelby led most of the way, grabbing an 18-13 lead after the first quarter and increasing its advantage at each stop. The Tornadoes made a bit of a run in the fourth quarter, cutting a 12-point deficit down to six on a Josh Flint 3-pointer with 4:50 left in regulation, but were unable to get closer.
Shelby coach Troy Schwemley said free throws were a big factor in his squad hanging on.
"We've shot a lot of free throws in the three games we've played," Schwemley said. "That was something we talked about: Getting to the rim, being aggressive. When you end up outscoring a team by that margin, that's the difference in the game right there. Definitely happy with the amount of free throws, and with the amount of how many we made."
Grant Fenner led the Whippets (2-1, 1-1 Northern Ohio League) with 18 points and nine rebounds. Fenner was especially strong in the first half, scoring 14 points and knocking down a 3 just before the first quarter buzzer.
Fenner was quieted in the second half, but teammate Austin Rohde stepped up to take his place, scoring 11 of his 17 points after the break.
"We probably didn't do a good enough job getting the ball to Grant in the second half," Schwemley said. "Grant was having a really nice first half; glad Austin made some shots, but Tiffin did a nice job of tightening up on Grant."
Beaston, who watched his team fall to 1-2, 0-1, was disappointed in TC's defense.
"I thought we lacked energy tonight, especially on the defensive end," he said. "If we lack energy defensively, we're not going to be very good. We have to be a team that defends first."
Columbian's leading scorers were Cody Daniel and Derek Dryfuse, who each registered 10 points. Schwemley said he was worried about defending TC's point guard, Bryce Lonsway, who scored eight.
"Their point guard, Bryce Lonsway, is so good at penetrating and creating for others," Schwemley said. "I don't think you want to be in a one possession game with him with the ball down the stretch. One of our keys was limiting his looks, because he does so much to get others open. He still did it throughout the game, but it never seemed like they were able to get it close enough."
