NASHVILLE, TN – The Shelbyville Central Golden Eagles started off the 2024-25 season under second-year Head Coach Shane Young with a double-digit road win at Franklin Road Academy, 66-52, on Tuesday night.

It was a balanced scoring night for the visitors with 10 players getting on the scoresheet – including three in double-figures – compared to just five for the hosts with two in double-figures.

Sophomore Javon Lee led Shelbyville with 14 points with 10 of them coming in the fourth quarter. Jordan Taylor chipped in with 10 points, all coming in the second half after dealing with foul trouble in the first two quarters, and Tae’Shawn Shelton added 11 points with nine of them coming in the second half. Senior Idris Grey also ended the night with nine points himself while sophomore Tommie Cannon chipped in with eight points. 

For the Panthers, they were led by E.J Jordan and Lucas Kinnard, who finished with 21 points and 18 points respectively. They both each scored 11 points in the second half as well, but the rest of the team only scored four points combined in the final 16 minutes.

Franklin Road Academy actually held a two-point lead, 11-9, at the end of the first quarter as the Golden Eagles were called for seven fouls compared to the Panthers one. Four different players registered at least a point in the opening period for the Panthers.

In the second quarter, FRA continued to keep Shelbyville at bay, maintaining a two-point lead at halftime, 26-24, after Kinnard hit a pair of three-pointers and Jordan capped off his 10-point first half. Meanwhile, nine Golden Eagles registered a bucket in the first two quarters, and it was Cannon’s six-point second quarter that kept Shelbyville close.

Coming out of the halftime locker room and no longer riddled by foul trouble, the Golden Eagles’ offense exploded for 19 points in the quarter, led by Shelton’s nine points and Taylor’s first six points of the game. However, they only held a 43-40 lead going into the final frame after Kinnard and Jordan combined for 10 of the Panther’s 14 points.

In the fourth quarter, the Shelbyville defense stepped up, holding everyone except Kinnard and Jordan scoreless. The dynamic duo combined to score 12 points, but the Golden Eagles’ Javon Lee exploded for 10 points of his own to lead Shelbyville to a 23-point final frame and securing the 66-52 road win.

Franklin Road Academy falls to 0-1 and will host Zion Christian Academy on Thursday night.

Shelbyville Central improves to 1-0 and will host Glenciff on Saturday afternoon after 1:00 p.m.