(Greensburg, IN) — Ethan Smith had already scored 32 points through three quarters. The gym had been evacuated in the middle of the second quarter due to a tornado warning. And still, the Greensburg Pirates kept rolling.
When it was all over Thursday night at Greensburg High School, Smith had poured in a career-best 37 points, and the Pirates had handed the South Decatur Cougars a 74-62 defeat — improving to 10-12 on the season with two regular-season games remaining.
“It was the Greensburg defense that keyed everything,” said WRBI broadcaster Steve Giesting on the post-game show. “That half-court trap was devastating against South Decatur.”
The evening began under an ominous sky. With 50.3 seconds left in the first half and Greensburg holding a 30-27 lead, a tornado warning was issued for Decatur County — and the gym was cleared. Players, coaches, and fans filed out as the storm system rolled through. When the all-clear came, they returned, finished the half, and played on.
Greensburg led 32-29 at the break, with Smith already at 17 points.
Then came the third quarter, and Smith took over completely. He scored 15 points in the period — including two four-point plays — as the Pirates blew the game open, outscoring South Decatur 22-10 in the quarter to take a commanding 54-39 lead into the final eight minutes.
Smith finished 11-of-12 from the free throw line and was the catalyst for a trapping defense that generated 23 turnovers against the Cougars. Jacoby Miller added 22 points and went a perfect 8-of-8 from the stripe. Logan Simpson chipped in nine. Center Jonah Hellmich contributed one point and several key rebounds, Hayden Ramsey added three points, and Max Buening chipped in two.
South Decatur (13-6) was led by Cayden Drake’s 23 points — most of them on elbow jumpers and post moves on the right block — and Drake Scaggs contributed 19. Karson Templeton scored 11 before fouling out in the fourth quarter. But the Cougars’ three-headed attack wasn’t enough to overcome the turnovers, and South Decatur couldn’t find an answer for Greensburg’s relentless half-court trap.
“Turnovers was the story,” analyst Matt Miller said on the broadcast. “Live ball turnovers — those are the ones a coach just can’t stand. And Greensburg was able to capitalize on those, particularly in transition.”
The game had figured to be close from the start. Both teams entered at 3-3 in their respective conference standings, South Decatur in the Mid-Hoosier Conference and Greensburg in the EIAC.
Through the first quarter, it played out that way — a back-and-forth affair with neither team pulling away. Smith had eight of Greensburg’s points in the opening frame, while Drake had six for South Decatur. The Cougars led 16-13 before the Pirates surged to take a 17-16 advantage at the quarter’s end.
The second quarter was when Greensburg turned on the pressure, and South Decatur couldn’t handle it — racking up turnover after turnover just trying to cross halfcourt. Smith tallied nine more in the period. Then came the evacuation. Then the resumption. And then came Smith’s third-quarter explosion.
In the final period, South Decatur pulled as close as five on a couple of occasions, but couldn’t get any closer. Karson Templeton and Drake Scaggs both played the fourth quarter with four fouls, limiting their aggressiveness on defense, and Greensburg made enough free throws down the stretch to seal it.
For the Pirates, the win is a timely one. They close the regular season with home games against South Ripley on Saturday and East Central next Friday — a game with conference implications — before heading into the IHSAA Sectional 29 field at South Dearborn, which also includes Batesville (17-3), Jennings County, Lawrenceburg, and Franklin County.
South Decatur, meanwhile, closes out the regular season with three home games against Brown County, Christian Academy of Madison, and Knightstown before facing a brutally competitive Sectional 59 field. The sectional draw is set for Sunday night.
As for first-year interim coach Dustin Traylor’s Cougars — the loss drops them to 13-6, but their three-man scoring attack gives them a dangerous look heading into the postseason. On this night, though, it wasn’t enough to slow down a senior named Ethan Smith.
