While the vast majority of boys high school basketball games from our area were postponed Friday night, our WRBI broadcast game was not. And what a game it was!
In a contest which saw one wild point swing after another, Batesville swung last and rallied to beat visiting North Decatur 49-46 at the Dog Pound Friday.
The first quarter was the only period in which the teams swaped baskets, but it also housed the beginning of the first big run of the game.
The Chargers scored the final five points of the opening stanza to take a 12-10 lead. They also scored 10 of the 12 combined points posted the second to go up 22-12 at halftime.
Blake Spears hit three bombs for nine ND points. Teammate Lance Nobbe notched seven. Both Cole Werner and Thomas Raver had four each for the Dogs.
Outscored 10-2 in the second quarter, Batesville flipped the script in the third and outpaced the Chargers, 13-4. BHS was down 26-25 with a quarter to play.
The Bulldogs added two more points at the start of the fourth to take a brief one-point lead. The Chargers, however, countered big time with 14 unanswered points to go up 13, 40-27.
Seemingly knocked down and counted out, Batesville got up off the mat and made a furious comeback. The Bulldogs outscored the Chargers 22-6 over (roughly) the final three minutes and pulled off the three-point victory.
Raver, who finished with a night-high 19, scored the game’s final 11 points. His personal run included a 3-point play, a fall-away three pointer from the corner, a deep-wing three to give Batesville the lead and two charity tosses to provide some insurance in the closing seconds.
Sam Johnson followed Raver in scoring with eight points, all in the second half. Eli Pierson chipped in six and was key defensively.
North’s Kaden Muckerheide did not score during the first 24 minutes. He did go to the line 14 times in the fourth quarter and hit 11 tosses. He also made one deuce to finish with 13 points. Spears added one more triple in the final frame to tally 12. Nobbe recorded nine.
Normally, in a game decided by just a few points, the first thing you look at is free throw showing. The Chargers actually did more far more damage at the stripe but did not win the game. ND made 18-of-24 while the BHS converted just 7-of-11.
How Batesville turned the tables was winning the second half turnover battle by seven and also the second half offensive board count by six. The Dogs took advantage of eight of those 13 additional or extended possessions.
Batesville won JV game 54-32. Jack Grunkemeyer led the Dogs with 16 points, Sam Johnson scored nine and Conner Drake added seven. For the Chargres, Cooper Parmer put in 14 and Brady Mauer followed with six.
Friday was also Garrett’s Gang night. For several years, Batesville coach Aarron Garrett and his Bulldog program have hosted a Saturday basketball camp for special needs individuals. The campers are invited back later in the season and introduced before a varsity contest.
Players, coaches and cheerleaders from both teams in attendance line the floor to create a tunnel starting from the home bench to the far side of center court. Each camper is introduced and gets to run through the tunnel where they are greeted by dozens of high fives, smiles and cheers. Fans throughout the gym stand, cheer and applaud as well.
It’s truly a special night for a special group of people, one that will leave a lasting impression for those who get to be part of the rather moving experience.
We thank Batesville AD Bryan Helvie for the accommodations and hospitality. We thank coaches Aaron Garrett and PJ Metz for their information and time in our pregame.