Trojans still chasing first postseason win since 2000-01 season
HobbsDailyReport.com
SHELBY – Third-seeded Shelby High’s boys answered the intensity of No. 30 seed Bandys on Tuesday night in the opening round of the state 2A playoffs, edging the visiting Trojans 79-66.
The Golden Lions ran their win streak to 10 games, jumping to a 40-28 lead by halftime.
DUTKA
Shelby led 63-39 before Bandys (10-13) outscored the Golden Lions 27-16 in their first postseason basketball game at Shelby in nearly two decades.
Shelby plays in the second round on Thursday night, also at home, against No. 14 seed Mount Pleasant (22-5), which advanced by beating No. 19 Salisbury 76-63 at Mount Pleasant.
The loss the fifth straight in the opening round for the Trojans, who last won a first-round game (over Charlotte Catholic) in the same season they last battled Shelby on the road in a state playoff game, 2000-01.
In the 18 seasons since then, Bandys has missed the postseason 13 times and been ousted in the first round by Mount Pleasant, Madison, Smoky Mountain, Wilkes Central and Shelby.
Bandys has reached the postseason in back-to-back seasons under head coach Adam Dutka, going 25-24, after missing the state playoffs for seven straight years while going
34-135.
Dutka is on a short list of Bandys boys’ basketball head coaches to get back-to-back teams to the state playoffs since 1990 – Aron Gabriel, now superintendent of the Newton-Conover City Schools, guided the 2000-01 and 2001-02 teams to the postseason, as did current Lincoln Charter head coach Brad Gabriel (2008-09 and 2009-10 teams).
Both Gabriels were standout guards at Bandys during their playing days.
MORE COVERAGE: http://www.shelbystar.com/news/20190226/shelby-downs-bandys-in-first-round-of-basketball-playoffs
