T-L Photo/RICK THORP Shadyside’s Mason VanNest (25) looks to drive past Wheeling Central’s Ryan Reasbeck (12) during the first quarter of their game Tuesday night inside the Tiger Den. The Maroon Knights pulled away in the second half for a 74-61 victory.

SHADYSIDE — Shadyside’s Ed Andes has coached against Wheeling Central enough times that he knows in order to keep the Maroon Knight in check, it’s imperative to make the most of every possession — on both ends.

The Tigers did that for 16 minutes of their boys’ high school basketball encounter Tuesday night inside a jam-packed Tiger Den. But when the two teams emerged from halftime, Wheeling Central found a chink in the Tiger’s armor. That opened the door for a 19-6 run to christen the period, turning a 1-point lead into a 74-61 triumph.

“You have to be able to handle their press and you have to be able to take it at them,” Andes said after Shadyside fell to 3-3. “If you can’t, they’re going to come down and score. They have so many weapons.”

And all were on display during the surge to begin the second half.

Five players scored as the Maroon Knights built a 44-39 lead, then went on a 9-0 run to increase it to 14 — 53-39 — with a shade under 3 minutes left in the third. For Wheeling Central head coach Mel Stephens, the sequence was a result of a number of positive factors converging at the right time.

“Ryan Reasbeck can really shoot it,” Stephens said of his freshman, who led the team with 19 points. “We found him and we looked for him.

“Then, defensively, we were able to get a few stops and that’s what you need. You need to make shots and, if you get stops, make shots. Then you can extend the lead out a little bit.

“I thought that was probably when we played our best.”

The run was a microcosm of Wheeling Central’s night offensively, which featured four double-figure scorers and two who almost got there. It’s that balance Stephens is seeking with the loss of 1,000-point scorers Owen Gainer and Brent Price.

“We have a lot of guys that can get you between 10 or 15 points every night,” he said. “And if you get four guys that do that, that’s 60 points right there. If you play good defense, you should be able to win the majority of those games.”

Wheeling Central (2-0) played nearly lights out defensively in the third, holding the Tigers to nine points, while stretching their lead to 14. Shadyside put 25 up in the second, 13 from Kelly Hendershot, who led all scorers with 26 points as he eases his way back into the lineup from injury.

“That’s how we want to play defense all the time,” Stephens said referencing his team’s effort in the third. “We had some lapses in the first half and it cost us. We had a few in the second, but not as many, and we were able to get out and get some buckets that way and stretched the lead out.”

An example of that came during the game-altering run. J.C. Maxwell (12 points) scored to make it 48-39. Then, Reasbeck stole the ensuing inbounds pass and laid the ball back up and in. His trey moments later capped the surge, making the score 53-39.

“It just wasn’t one guy,” Andes said of the Maroon Knights. “They were just sharing the ball. They go after it. They are a very good offensive team. And they go after it on defense, too.”

Wheeling Central also received double-figure scoring performances from Anthony Robbins (13) and D.J. Saunders (10).

Hendershot was the lone double-figure scorer for the Tigers, but he almost single handedly kept Shadyside in the game early. He converted five straight buckets midway through the second that brought the hosts to within one at 29-28. But they couldn’t get over the hump.

“In the first half we were down one and we shot 2 of 15 from 3,” Andes pointed out. “We didn’t shoot the ball well. We had lots of good looks and wee right there.

“We had some good looks in the second half and couldn’t knock them down. They did.”