Boys basketball: Bulldogs, Twisters head to Sweet 16

Mar. 7—Action on the high school hardwood is down to the Sweet 16. The surviving 16 teams in each of the four classes will battle for a regional title Saturday around the state.

Locally, Batesville and Oldenburg Academy are still alive in the tournament. Batesville won the sectional title at Greensburg and the Twisters won the sectional crown at Edinburgh.

Class 3A

There are eight regional sites hosting Class 3A games and the Bulldogs (20-5) are heading to Seymour to face Scottsburg (21-5). Game time is set for 4 p.m.

The Warriors are one of only four Top 10 Class 3A teams remaining in the field. No. 4 Scottsburg is the second highest remaining team in Class 3A behind No. 3 Danville.

The Bulldogs enter the regional on a 9-game win streak. Batesville averages 56 points per game offensively and allows just 47 ppg defensively. Scottsburg scores 63 ppg and allows only 42 ppg.

The teams did not play during the regular season, but have three common opponents in Madison, South Decatur and Southwestern (Hanover). The Warriors went 3-0, winning by an average of 35 points. The Bulldogs defeated Madison 53-49 and South Decatur 75-51, but fell to Southwestern 85-52 in the fourth game of the season.

Cade Kaiser leads the Bulldogs in scoring at 14.6 ppg. Sam Johnson averages 12.8 ppg followed by Jack Grunkemeyer 9.8 ppg, Gus Prickel 7.8 ppg, Trenten Luers 4.3 ppg and Brayden Maple 4.0 ppg.

Grunkemeyer leads the team with 6.2 rebounds per game and Luers leads the squad in assists with 2.8 assists per game.

In the sectional title game at Scottsburg, the Warriors defeated Silver Creek 64-59.

Kody Clancy led the way in scoring for the Warriors with 27 points. Jack Miller was also in double figures with 23 points. Wyatt Zellers chipped in with eight points. Dare Bowles had four point and Caden Richardson scored two points.

Doors at Entrance 15 and 19 will open at noon. Switzerland County (15-10) and Forest Park (17-9) play in the Class 2A regional at 1 p.m.

Digital ticketing through Eventlink at https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=71753. No cash tickets will be sold at the gate. Tickets are $10. Cash only for concessions.

Class A

Oldenburg (13-11) travels to the Martinsville Regional to take on Greenwood Christian (17-7).

This will be the second meeting this season between the Twisters and the Cougars. The Cougars knocked off the Twisters 66-60 in the second game of the season at Oldenburg.

Greenwood Christian was 2-and-2 in the final four games of the regular season, but won three games in the sectional to win the championship. The Cougars defeated Indianapolis Lutheran 49-46 for the sectional title.

Senior Max Booher hit two free throws with :17 remaining in the game to give the Cougars the 49-46 win. Booher finished with 17 points. Evan McIntire also scored 17 points. McIntire has been out 17 games with an injury, but hit five 3-pointers in the title game.

OA survived the balanced Edinburgh Sectional. The Twisters defeated Morristown 58-53 in the semifinal and used an 18-11 run in the fourth quarter to pull away to win the title over Jac-Cen-Del 47-36.

Contact Aaron Kirchoff at aaron.kirchoff@greensburgdailynews.com.