SHELBYVILLE - The Batesville Bulldogs obliterated Class 4A Shelbyville in Shelby County Thursday, 70-45, to win their sixth consecutive game in closing out the regular season at 17-5. The Dogs also reached 17 wins a year ago. The icing on the cake didn't come Friday as Greensburg pulled out a home overtime win to claim the Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference title outright. BHS was alone in second place.

On the Golden Bears' senior night, the visitors shot out ahead 12-4 to force a Shelbyville timeout. Jack Grunkemeyer had four quick points and a Cade Kaiser bucket was sandwiched between threes by Sam Johnson and Gus Prickel. Kaiser scored twice more as BHS led 16-11 after one period.

A Bear three made it a one-possession game to start the next frame. At 18-16 the Bulldogs went on a wicked 23-2 run that lasted well into the second half. Johnson (3), Kaiser (4), Trenten Luers (3) and Carson Hartley (2) all scored before halftime to make it 30-18.

Johnson hit his third 3-pointer to begin half two, followed by Kaiser and Grunk lay-ins and another SHS timeout. A Kaiser triple put BHS up by 23. The Bears started seeing more of their shots fall but those were answered by Prickel's 3, a Hartley deuce and several Bulldog free throws. With a quarter left, it was 52-33.

With several deep bench players trickling in during the final frame, Batesville stayed the course and reached a 20-point margin. The Dogs scored the game's last nine points for emphasis.

Unofficially, Johnson led all scorers with 21 and completed a double-double with 10 boards. Kaiser added 16 points. Grunkemeyer had 9, Prickel 8, Brayden Maple 7, Cayden Drake and Hartley 4 each and Luers 3. Grunk and Prickel had 4 assists each.

The postseason begins tonight for BHS, facing South Dearborn at approximately 7:30 p.m. at Greensburg. A win would put the Dogs in Friday's semifinal against Franklin County or Connersville.