SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. – In Shane Young’s second season at the helm, the 2-seed Shelbyville Central Golden Eagles (13-14, 7-3) advanced to his first District 9-AAAA Championship game after taking down 3-seed Coffee County (13-16, 6-4) on Saturday, 55-39, inside of Rick Insell Gymnasium.

Defense was the story of the night for the Golden Eagles, forcing 14 Coffee County turnovers and holding the Raiders to just 10 points in the first half. 

Jevon Lee led Shelbyville with a team-high 15 points while Tae’Shawn Shelton chipped in with 12 points of his own. Jack Conditt was the next-closest Golden Eagle with nine points. In all, 10 different players scored at least two points for Shelbyville.

Cortland Farrar led the way for Coffee County with a team-high 15 points, but he was the only Raider to reach double-figures. Cayden Trail got close with nine points, but in the end it wasn’t quite enough to stay within striking distance.

To start off, Shelbyville methodically took a 9-6 lead by the end of the opening period. Farrar led all scorers with four points, including a three-pointer, but Billy Brown Jr. responded with a triple of his own for the Golden Eagles. 

In the second quarter, Shelbyville began to find a rhythm offensively, outscoring Coffee County, 10-4 to take a 19-10 lead going into the halftime locker room. Conditt connected on his only three-pointer of the night while Lee and Shelton each got on the board with a two-point field goal. 

Coming out for the second half, Shelton and Lee used their seal-breaking buckets as a catalyst for six points apiece in the third quarter. Shelbyville outscored the Raiders, 14-10, to take a 33-20 lead going into the final frame.

In the fourth quarter, Shelbyville exploded for 22 points, shooting 88% (15-17) from the free throw line as a team in the process. Shelton connected on a pair of two-point field goals while Idris Gray punctuated the dominant team win with a late-game triple for his only points of the game. Lee led Shelbyville with seven points in the period, and the Golden Eagles clinched their spot in the District 9-AAAA Championship game for the first time since the 2021-22 season. 

Shelbyville advances to play the top-seeded Warren County Pioneers on Tuesday night at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday night, LIVE on WLIJ 98.7 and AM 1580.