Division V No. 5 Margaretta closed out its regular-season home schedule Tuesday night with a 70-64 nonleague victory over Shelby, overcoming a historic shooting performance and delivering a win on Senior Night at The Iceberg. Margaretta improved to 17-3 overall and 9-0 in the Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division by tightening its half-court defense in the fourth quarter and converting 15 of 20 free throws overall, including critical attempts in the final two minutes. The Polar Bears honored seniors Jake Bouy, Ayden Miller, Keiygan Morris, Julian Washington, Judah Keller and Rob Cox, along with student assistant Hunter Grahl, prior to tipoff. Shelby (11-6) was powered by Brayden DeVito, who connected on nine 3-pointers and scored a game-high 33 points. DeVito accounted for five of the Whippets’ seven third-quarter 3-pointers as Shelby erased a nine-point deficit. All 21 of Shelby’s third-quarter points came from beyond the arc. After shooting 4-of-13 from three-point range in the first half, the Whippets went 7-of-9 in the third quarter, making seven consecutive triples to turn a 49-40 deficit into a 49-49 tie. Margaretta responded late in the third when Judah Keller converted a three-point play to give the Polar Bears a 52-49 advantage entering the fourth quarter. In the final eight minutes, Margaretta forced key turnovers and executed offensively. Kale Bailey assisted on an early basket to extend the lead, and Julian Washington added a score on an out-of-bounds play. Bailey later split a pair of free throws to push the margin to eight with 6:16 remaining. Shelby cut the deficit to two at 57-55 after a three-point play from Kayden Paz and DeVito’s ninth 3-pointer. Washington answered with two free throws and later scored again following a turnover to make it 61-55 with just over three minutes left. The Whippets made one more push when Michael Shepherd completed a three-point play to trim the margin to 62-60 with 1:31 to play. Washington responded on the next possession. DeVito added a driving layup, but Margaretta sealed the outcome at the free-throw line as Morris converted four straight free throws and Washington added two more in the closing seconds. Washington led Margaretta with 24 points and eight rebounds, scoring 17 of his points in the second half. Kale Bailey added 17 points, including the first five of the game and two 3-pointers. Keller finished with 14 points, highlighted by his late third-quarter three-point play. Tyson Bailey contributed nine points, and Morris added six points, all from the free-throw line. Margaretta shot 26 field goals and limited Shelby to 2-of-10 shooting at the free-throw line. The Whippets finished with 12 made 3-pointers, nine from DeVito. Shepherd added 17 points and 10 rebounds for Shelby, while Paz scored nine and Landon Foltz added five. Quarter by quarter, Margaretta led 17-14 after one period and 32-28 at halftime. Shelby outscored the Polar Bears 21-20 in the third to close within three before Margaretta won the fourth quarter 18-15 to secure the six-point victory. The win sends Margaretta into a key road matchup against Willard (17-2, 8-1) on Friday for an outright SBC Championship. SHELBY (11-6) — Landon Foltz 5, Brayden DeVito 33, Michael Shepherd 17, Kayden Paz 9, Braxton Dawson 0. MARGARETTA (17-3) — Kale Bailey 17, Keiygan Morris 6, Julian Washington 24, Judah Keller 14, Tyson Bailey 9. Shelby 14 14 21 15 — 64 Margaretta 17 15 20 18 — 70 Three-point goals — Shelby 12 (DeVito 9, Paz 2, Foltz); Margaretta 3 (K. Bailey 2, Washington). Kale Bailey Player of the Game Interview: Click Here