Can Shelby basketball make a playoff run? Its first-round win provides a blueprint.

For Miles Lawrence, his playoff debut as Shelby boys basketball coach couldn’t have been more perfect.

Led by its work on the defensive end, the Golden Lions cruised to a 73-47 victory over Eden Morehead to open the 2A West playoffs.

“Coming in, I was a bit nervous. I didn’t know if I would have my players prepared (for the moment). Getting the win feels like a big weight off my shoulders,” Lawrence said. “Everything starts on the defensive end. Defense creates offense, and when shots aren’t falling, we still have to play defense. That’s what I preach; if we play defense, things will take care of themself on the offensive end of the floor.”

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After feeling things out early, Shelby's relentlessness on the boards led to transition buckets, allowing it to take a 37-15 halftime lead. Morehead never got closer than 14 points in the second half.

Thirteen Golden Lions scored Tuesday night. Daylin Lee led them with 11 points, while Canden McGill joined him in double figures with 10. Morehead’s Makel Smith led all scorers with 28 points.

Shelby (18-7) advances to take on No. 5 Hendersonville (23-3) on Thursday in Round 2. The Bearcats rolled 92-70 in their opening-round win over Mount Pleasant.

Lawrence said Hendersonville will be quite the obstacle for his team, figuratively and literally.

“(Hendersonville) is tall, long, and returrn a bunch of guys from a good team last year. They know what winning looks like, and we have to be prepared for that,” he said. “But we know what time it is, if you lose there’s no tomorrow. Play without regrets.”

The Shelby girls (24-1) also advanced to Round 2, getting a 69-33 win over Jay M. Robinson.

Brooke Hartgrove hit seven 3-pointers as part of a 24-point effort. Ally Hollifield added 15. The Lady Lions (24-1) will host No. 15 Southwestern Randolph (19-8) in Round 2.

Wins by Shelby’s boys and girls teams were part of a stellar opening-round performance by Cleveland County teams. In addition to their victories, the Kings Mountain and Crest boys picked up wins in the 3A West bracket, while the Burns boys upset Southwestern Randolph to advance in the 2A West playoffs.

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: NCHSAA basketball: Shelby basketball gets defensive in first round win