SHELBY — The Shelby boys basketball program has earned a spot in the state basketball Final Four for the first time in its history.
After containing a late surge from Lima Shawnee in a Division II regional semifinal, the Whippets stunned No. 1-ranked Lutheran West 55-46 to claim their first-ever regional championship.
Senior Casey Lantz, playing on a tender right ankle, contributed 20 points during the regional tournament as Shelby (25-2) continued its quest for a state title.
The second-ranked Whippets will compete in a Division II state semifinal on Saturday at 2 p.m. against Zanesville Maysville (25-3) at UD Arena in Dayton.
As Lantz helps guide the program into unchartered waters, his mother, Natalie (Britt) Lantz, has experience when it comes to reaching the game’s biggest stage.
Lantz relives ’92 Final Four memories
Natalie Britt was a talented junior point guard on Shelby’s 1992 state runner-up team, which set a program-high for most points in a single season with 1,590 points.
After her team defeated Elida 52-46 to win a regional crown, Natalie, who would later star at Division I Ohio University, scored eight points in a state semifinal win over Canfield.
Directed by legendary coach Ellen Lawrence, the Whippets’ historic season ended with a 10-point loss to Urbana in the state championship, where Natalie tallied 16 points.
(Below are box scores from Shelby’s 1992 state semifinal and championship games.)
Although defeat was disappointing, she recalled scanning the crowd at St. John Arena to find her parents after the horn sounded.
“I was bummed, but I was looking up in the crowd at my mom and dad, who were my backbone and biggest support system,” she said. “They believed in me probably more than I believed in myself.”
A photo in the News Journal showed Natalie holding up her index finger, as her parents were doing the same in the crowd.
Following her collegiate years, she returned home to Shelby to begin a career in business and coaching.
In 2011, Natalie (now Lantz) was named the fourth head coach in the history of the Whippets’ girls basketball program.
She earned her 200th career victory against Margaretta on Nov. 22 and has accumulated an overall record of 217-74 throughout her 12 seasons at the helm of the program.
Mother to son: ‘Enjoy the moment’
A media day for the Division II state-semifinalist Shelby boys basketball team took place Monday afternoon at Shelby High School.
Following a swarm of questions, Natalie and Casey stepped aside to discuss the significance of this year’s historic run.
“Enjoy the moment,” she told her son. “I think our (’92) team was a little bit more of an underdog than them. However, they’ve had the toughest road of any Division II school in the state to get here.”
The Whippets dismissed No. 1 Lutheran West in the regional finals and No. 3 Lexington in the district finals. They also came from behind to edge a strong Mansfield Senior squad at the Ontario district.
The veteran coach stressed the importance of soaking in the experience.
In 2022, Shelby’s 27-1 girls program fell one game short of reaching the Final Four for the first time since Natalie’s trip in ’92.
“Enjoy everything that happens this week, over the weekend, and everything that happens next week,” she told Casey. “But when it comes to game time, do your job.
“Go in, play hard and leave it all on the court. You don’t get the moment back, so make the best of it.”
In addition to Natalie, Shelby boys assistant coach Todd Kehres brings Final Four experience with him to the program.
Kehres was the point guard on Buckeye Central’s 1983 state tournament team, which reached the Class A title game under coach Steve Mohr.
The Bucks fell 55-48 to Delphos St. John’s in a battle of unbeatens and finished the season with a 27-1 record.
Casey Lantz 2024 tournament highlights
Whippets belong at Final Four
Playing his final season in a Whippet uniform, Casey has turned his childhood goals into reality.
The senior said he’s dreamed of competing at this stage since attending the state basketball tournament as a youngster.
“Growing up, we’d go to the state tournaments, girls and boys,” Casey said. “It made me want to work more and more, and become a better player to potentially get there one day.”
Casey earned District 6 first-team, Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference second-team, and All-Northwest District second-team selections this season.
When Casey and his teammates arrive in Dayton this weekend, they’re determined to prove the Shelby Whippets belong on the big stage.
“Bigger schools definitely look right over us,” he said. “We’re a small town and kind of a small school compared to a lot of the teams we’ve gone up against.
“We take that challenge and use it to push us through and overcome.”
His mother said Casey and his teammates must continue to lean on each other in Dayton.
“I’m just so proud of and happy for all these boys,” Natalie said. “They’ve been playing together since they were in second grade. It just makes my heart happy for my kid, my family and these boys.
“If they stay connected and play true to themselves and their team like they’ve been playing, I think really good things can happen this weekend.”
