Alex Bruskotter leads Shelby past Mansfield Senior in Richland County showdown
SHELBY — When Shelby junior Alex Bruskotter received a pass off a back-door cut, Whippets coach Greg Gallaway was expecting an easy layup for two points and for his team to sprint back on defense.
Instead, his jaw nearly hit the floor as the 6-foot-7 guard flew through the air and slammed home a one-handed dunk early in the third quarter Wednesday night to ignite the crowd at Shelby High School. It was the momentum turning point in the Whippets' 86-73 win over Mansfield Senior in a fun Richland County showdown.
On the very next offensive possession, Bruskotter buried a long 3-pointer to go on a personal 5-0 run and push the lead out to 50-39. The Whippets put it in cruise control from there.
"I got a backdoor off of a broken play and I jumped and I didn't know I would be up that high so I threw it down," Bruskotter said. "On the next possession, that was the most space I had all night, so I knew I had to take advantage of that opportunity. It was nice to see that go in because I didn't shoot many in the first half, so it was nice to see that go through."
Gallaway knew that moment was a game-changer and he was right.
"That shocked me," Gallaway said with a smile. "I've seen him jump a little bit, but I wasn't expecting that. We always make fun of him for walking around like an old man, and then he will do something like that and it catches you off guard. That dunk and then the 3, that 5-0 run got us going.
"He is just a great kid and he works so hard in everything he does. First in the gym and the last one to leave, and everything he has is all earned."
Bruskotter finished the game with 35 points, 11 rebounds and four assists while going 14 of 18 at the free-throw line and 10 of 16 from the field. The junior faced a fierce defensive effort from the Tygers, who decided to face-guard him with multiple different players and initiate a physicality that would throw anyone off his game. Obviously, it didn't rattle Bruskotter, who drew 14 fouls in the game.
"I would be dumb to think they wouldn't be physical with me and do some talking," Bruskotter said. "I figured it would happen. I play dudes like these guys all the time in AAU so it was all about keeping my composure and keep leading my team."
The Whippets' composure was tested from the very beginning. Near halftime of the junior varsity game, junior Issaiah Ramsey started feeling sick, and by the end of the second quarter of the varsity game he had to go home and didn't play a single minute. It was a huge blow from the jump as Ramsey's athleticism would have helped the Whippets against a very quick and athletic Tygers team.
"It was unexpected with one of our go-to guys and one of our two returning starters going down before the game, but give credit to our guys for taking the next-man-up mentality," Gallaway said. "We had so many guys step up tonight. Brayden (DeVito) started and has had a great year for us. Both Carsons — Brubaker I thought played great on both sides of the ball, Garrett gave us some great minutes — and even Karsen Homan scored some key buckets down the stretch. It was next-man-up and I am very proud of all of the contributions tonight from everyone."
To win without Ramsey, the Whippets' second-leading scorer, was huge for Bruskotter and the rest of the team.
"It is a huge win, especially with Ramsey out," Bruskotter said. "He is arguably one of the best players around here and definitely one of the best athletes, so it was great to see other people step up. Brayden DeVito came in and got the start as a freshman and stepped up big for us tonight. It was a great game to get some people in and get some valuable experience."
Bryson Baker and Carson Brubaker had eight points apiece while DeVito had seven in the first start of his career. Homan had four as well. But it was Max Hess and Casey Lantz who stepped up even bigger for the Whippets. Hess scored 13 points while Lantz added 11 points and 10 rebounds for a huge double-double.
"Max has played extremely well the last three games and is starting to excel in his role, especially on defense," Bruskotter said. "He is going to be the key for us. He will be our X-factor as we go down the stretch as we look for a league championship and into the tournament. When he plays well, I like our odds."
Gallaway agreed.
"Max has had a great year for us, and for a guy who came off the bench and didn't play a ton of minutes for us last year he is starting to come into his own and owns an attacking mindset from game one," Gallaway said. "He is doing a great job as our senior leader, and I am proud of the way he has stepped up through this first half of the season."
With the Whippets leading 41-34 at the half, Mansfield Senior came out in the third quarter and cut the lead to six right before Bruskotter's highlight-reel 5-0 run. They couldn't get closer by the end of the third and trailed 63-54 heading into the fourth.
The Tygers started the final eight minutes off on a 5-0 run to make it 63-59, but never got closer the rest of the way as Bruskotter scored 14 points in the fourth quarter alone to put the game on ice.
The Whippets shot 20 of 27 from the free-throw line and drew 22 fouls.
"We played terrible defense tonight," Mansfield Senior coach Marquis Sykes said. "We gave up 80-plus points and I was really disappointed in our defensive execution. We played hard, but we got caught up in the moment and the intense environment. We lost all of our fundamentals and all of the things we have been working on."
In a game that was called consistently throughout the night as one that was not going to get out of hand, Sykes admitted his team didn't adjust its defensive style, which led to all of the fouling.
"We have to make the adjustment," Sykes said. "We have to adjust to the way the games are called whether it is tight or let us play. We have to make the adjustment, and we didn't. We continued to foul and foul and foul. When we give up 20 points from the free-throw line, it is hard to win a game. Part of our scouting report was to defend without fouling, and we didn't do that."
Still, the Tygers received some great play by a number of players as Nathaniel Haney led four in double figures with 17 points, followed by Kyevi Roane (16), Elias Owens (15) and Karion Lindsay (10). Roane added 12 boards for a solid double-double.
The Tygers (6-2) played in their second game in as many nights after beating Toledo Scott 48-43 on Tuesday. They have to turn around and travel to Madison on Friday, and for the rest of the season the Tygers have just two weeks in which they will play just one game. Fatigue may have played a factor in Wednesday night's loss after a late start to the season thanks to a long football run, but Sykes isn't letting any of his players use that excuse.
"It plays in some, but I have no sympathy for these teenagers," Sykes said with a laugh. "These guys are great athletes and we pride ourselves in being in tip-top condition and we still aren't there yet because of a long football season, but no excuses. We will get there. We are about a couple weeks away, and once we get there we hope our execution on defense will be there, too."
It was a perfect atmosphere for a highly anticipated Richland County matchup. It definitely brought a late February, or early March tournament, feel to a late December game.
"It is why we schedule these games," Sykes said. "We want to make sure we get a tournament-style environment early in the season, and that is exactly what we got tonight. Coaches and players will learn a lot from this. My guess is this won't be the last time we see these guys."
The Whippets (8-1) are on an eight-game winning streak heading into the New Year's break. They will travel to Clear Fork on Jan. 5. So, they will use the win over a Richland County rival as an early kickoff to the New Year's Eve party.
"Our guys are always excited to play these games," Gallaway said. "It is nice to have a neighboring conference like the OCC so close where you can build some Richland County rivalry. Our guys were excited and had energy right from the tip and a great atmosphere. Our guys did a great job."
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Alex Bruskotter leads Shelby over Mansfield Senior in boys basketball
