Batesville survives challenge from Knights

GREENSBURG – Survive and advance...that is all that matters this time of year. After falling to South Dearborn by three points during the regular season, the Bulldogs avenged the loss with a sectional opening round win 49-45 in the Greensburg Sectional Wednesday.

Batesville improves to 18-5 and faces Connersville (6-19) in the second semifinal Friday. South Dearborn ends the season at 13-11.

South Dearborn’s Peyton Hill opened the scoring in the game with a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Batesville’s Cade Kaiser answered with a traditional three point play. After a Hill lay-up, Batesville took the lead on a 3-pointer from the left corner by Sam Johnson.

The Knights went on an 8-2 run, capped by a bucket by Adam Kunkel. A reverse lay-up by Jack Grunkemeyer and steal and lay-up by Carson Hartley closed the first quarter with South Dearborn leading 13-12.

South Dearborn’s Zander Schwab opened the scoring in the second quarter. Batesville responded with back-to-back 3-pointers from Trenten Luers and Harley to take an 18-15 lead.

Following a steal and lay-up by South Dearborn’s Hudson Shackelford, Batesville got a left-wing 3-pointer from Gus Prickel and driving bucket by Kaiser to push the lead to six. South Dearborn’s Mason Hamlett scored on the reverse lay-up, but a 3-pointer from the left corner by Prickel gave the Bulldogs a 26-19 advantage at the half.

South Dearborn opened the third quarter with four straight points, but Batesville answered with a 7-0 run. Kaiser’s traditional three point play pushed Batesville lead to 33-23.

The lead was at its highest at 37-26 on a bucket by Kaiser. Brayden Maple’s free throw with 2:18 remaining in the third gave Batesville a 38-28 lead. South Dearborn scored the final six points with Shackelford’s lay-up cutting the deficit to 38-34 heading to the fourth quarter.

With the lead still at four points (41-37), back-to-back buckets by Conor Huff and Shackelford tied the game at 41-41 with 4:52 on the clock. A Grunkemeyer free throw put the Bulldogs up for good, but it was not easy to close out the Knights.

Kaiser’s assist to Grunkemeyer pushed the lead to 46-43, but Huff’s bucket got the Knights back within one at 46-45 with less than one minute to play. Three Johnson free throws for Batesville closed out the 49-45 win.

For the Bulldogs, Kaiser led in scoring with 14 points. Grunkemeyer was also in double figures with 10 points. Johnson added eight points. Prickel scored six points. Hartley and Luers both scored five points. Maple hit a free throw for one point.

Grunkemeyer led the Bulldogs with nine rebounds. Kaiser dished out a team-high four assists. Prickel and Grunkemeyer both had three steals to lead the Bulldogs.

Shackelford led the Knights with 10 points. Huff finished with eight followed by Hamlett six, Hill and Kunkel five each, Brodie Teke four, Scout Gray three and Schwab and Mason Lane two each.