(Batesville, IN) — James Hughes put on a three-point shooting clinic Thursday night, draining six shots from beyond the arc en route to a game-high 20 points as Batesville clinched at least a share of the Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference championship with a dominant 73-35 victory over Rushville.
The sophomore guard’s performance highlighted a record-breaking night for the Bulldogs, who made 17 three-pointers to set a new program record for treys in a single game. The previous mark was 16.
“I thought Ethan [Schneider] got us started more fluently than anybody,” Batesville coach Aaron Garrett said. “When the basketball’s being shared and guys are catching it and it’s a catch and shoot versus trying to create and shoot or stand and shoot, the defense starts to pick up.”
Batesville (17-2, 6-0 EIAC) never trailed, building a 14-6 lead after one quarter before exploding in the third period with a 27-11 run that put the game out of reach at 54-21. The Bulldogs’ offense caught fire in that decisive quarter, with Hughes hitting four three-pointers as part of the barrage.
Junior Brayden Maple added 13 points with three triples, while Kamryn Holcomb contributed 11 points with a pair of three-pointers. Trenten Luers chipped in eight points, all on three-pointers.
The Bulldogs’ perimeter assault proved too much for Rushville (7-12, 3-4 EIAC), which managed just two three-pointers on 15 attempts. Batesville finished 17-of-39 from distance (43.6%) and shot 75% on two-point attempts (8-of-12).
Zy Adams led the Lions with 15 points, while Clayton Chase added seven.
“Halftime was not pleasant,” Garrett admitted, despite his team’s 27-10 advantage at the break. “I thought we got way too worried about what the stripes were going to call, not call,” Garrett said. The coach felt his team didn’t execute the scouting report in the first half, allowing Rushville to clog passing lanes rather than attacking with penetration and ball movement.
The Bulldogs responded emphatically after the break, with Hughes’ hot hand sparking the third-quarter surge that turned the game into a running clock early in the fourth quarter.
Batesville will look to clinch the EIAC title outright Saturday afternoon when they host East Central in their final conference game of the season. The Bulldogs, ranked in Class 3A, have won three straight and six of their last seven games.
For Rushville, the loss was their second straight. The Lions will look to regroup when they travel to Delta on Tuesday.