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(T-G Photo by Gary Johnson)
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Shelbyville hit the road for a huge District 8-AAA contest at Columbia and returned home with a 60-52 win on Tuesday.
It was the Lions' (13-7, 6-1 8-AAA) first district loss. The Eagles (12-8, 6-2) are now just one game behind after splitting with Columbia and Franklin County.
"We've really been focusing and working hard on getting better and I think we're all starting to see that come to light right here towards the end of the regular season," Shelbyville coach Kevin Thomas said. "I'm very proud of how we played tonight. We fell behind early in this game but we all kept our composure and I think we're really starting to play like a team. We're making better decisions on the floor as well."
Columbia took an 18-9 advantage late in the first quarter but Eagle point guard Isiah Washington converted a 3-point play after a basket, then Emmanuel Andrews drilled home a trey at the buzzer to cut the lead to 18-15 at the end of the opening frame.
The score remained close throughout the second stanza with Shelbyville scoring four unanswered points late to go up 31-28 at the break.
"I thought we played some of our best basketball of the season in the second quarter," Thomas said. "We battled on the boards, played hard on defense and did a good job on offense."
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Shelbyville took the lead for good off a 3-point play by post Bobby Wilson with 3:06 left. The Eagles hit 9-of-10 free throws from that point to secure the win.
Free throws played a major role in the final outcome as Shelbyville cashed in on 22-of-24, while the Lions went 0-for-6.
"We really haven't been shooting the ball well at the foul line but we've done some extra work there and it paid off in this game," Thomas said.
Andrews finished with a game-high 23 points, including 12-of-14 at the charity stripe. Wilson added 18 points.
Quantez Christmon paced Columbia with 20 points. Davante' Hamlett added a dozen.
Columbia held a 34-31 edge in rebounds with 15 off the offensive glass.
The Eagles host Lawrence County for homecoming on Friday night.