SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. – When the Shelbyville Central Golden Eagles (6-3) went down by 14 points early in the fourth quarter against rival Tullahoma (5-0) on Tuesday night, it looked like the Wildcats would coast to an easy road win. Instead, the Golden Eagles came soaring back to force overtime before ultimately coming up just short, 74-67.

Once the Wildcats’ lead ballooned to 47-33 with just over six minutes left, Shelbyville finally managed to find the range from downtown, sparking a 19-2 run over nearly four minutes to take a 52-49 lead. First, Tae’Shawn Shelton nailed a three from the top of the key, Malek Johnson hit a three followed by splitting a pair of free throws, then Tommie Cannon connected on a three to cut the lead to just four points, 47-43, prompting a timeout from the Wildcats. 

Malek Johnson (5) scored 10 points on Tuesday.

T-G Staff Photo - Noah Maddox

Tullahoma was able to stem the tide momentarily before Shelbyville’s defensive intensity forced yet another turnover that led to layups on the other end. Finally, Ladarious Sparrow connected on a go-ahead three-pointer – his only field goal of the night – with three minutes to go to put Shelbyville in front for the first time since the opening period, 50-49.

Even after Jasiah Berry’s layup to extend the lead to three points, Tullahoma settled back in, earning a pair of free throws on back-to-back possessions to retake the lead until the very last possession of regulation. Up by one point with 14.5 seconds remaining, Alex Bobo split a pair of free throws to leave the door cracked for Shelbyville, and Jordan Taylor came bursting through that door with a buzzer-beating, game-tying fingerroll layup to send the game into overtime tied at 59.

Despite both teams feeling like a win had slipped through their grasp, ultimately it was Tullahoma who pulled away in the extra session with their prolific free throw shooting. The Wildcats shot a near-perfect 11/13 from the line in overtime, and finished 31/41 for the game. 

Tae'Shawn Shelton (3) scored 14 points in Tuesday's loss to Tullahoma.

T-G Staff Photo - Noah Maddox

Conversely, Shelbyville finished a putrid 11/26 from the charity stripe, including a shocking 4/15 tally in the first half alone. This led to the usually high-flying Golden Eagles being grounded for much of the night, heading into the halftime locker room trailing by four, 28-24, after holding a two-point lead, 9-7, at the end of the opening period.

Tullahoma outscored Shelbyville in the third quarter, 12-9, to take a 40-33 lead heading into the dramatic final frame.

Tommie Cannon led all scorers with a game-high 16 points for the Golden Eagles with 11 of them coming after halftime, Shelton finished with 14 points, Malek Johnson scored 10 points, and Jevon Lee chipped in with nine points.

For the Wildcats, Tinnon led the way with 14 points, Lukas Price added 13 points, Alex Bobo chipped in with 12 points, and Jackson Knight scored 11 points in the win.

Shelbyville falls to 6-3 overall, but looks to bounce back on Friday at home against Centennial.