Two small towns in southeastern Indiana sent their high school basketball teams to square off on Saturday evening, and the result was a back and forth affair that needed an extra four minutes to be settled.

The headline matchup was a battle of two talented wings, sophomore Zach Kuhn of Shelbyville and senior Grant Smith from Connersville. Right from the start, that matchup did not disappoint. Zach Kuhn came out of the gates hot, scoring the first four points for the host side on a pair of nifty finishes. Smith would respond with a pair of baskets himself, the second coming when he streaked a passing lane to collect a steal and sprinted for a breakaway two-handed slam midway through the first quarter.

The fast pace would keep up, as Kuhn continued to torch the nets from anywhere on the floor on his way to 13 first quarter points. Connersville, more accustomed to playing a methodical pace, did not back down. Junior point guard Garrett Silcott in particular felt comfortable, as the speedy floor general got to the rim at will to pace the Spartans with eight points in the period.

The pace would settle down in the second, as each team struggled to find the bottom of the net for the first three minutes. A Zach Kuhn triple would open the scoring for Shelbyville, and their defense would tighten the screws on Connersville. The Spartans would manage only three points in the second stanza, coming on a Garrett Silcott basket and Grant Smith splitting a pair of free throws. Kuhn would continue his hot shooting, burying another three and a pullup jumper as he scored eight of Shelbyville's 12 points to give the home side a four-point lead and momentum entering halftime.

The second half got off to a thunderous start for Connersville, as Grant Smith would again get a steal and race for a breakaway dunk. He next possession, it was Garrett Silcott's turn to collect a steal, which he threw up to the rim for Grant Smith, who caught it with one hand and deposited it onto the head of a Shelbyville defender. Defensively, the Spartans made sure that they identified where Zach Kuhn was at all times, as the sophomore could not find an opening against a switching defense.

A turning point in the game came at the end of the third quarter, with the visitors leading by a single point. Connersville went to inbound with 0.8 left on the clock, and the ball found sophomore guard Noah Belt. As Belt turned to shoot from 35 feet, an over anxious Shelbyville defender ran into him, giving Belt three free throws with no time left in the period. With a calm belying his experience, Belt knocked down all three shots to give Connersville a two-possession advantage.

Cooper Lewis would pick up the slack for Shelbyville starting the fourth quarter, as the 6'1 junior guard gave the Golden Bears an offensive boost while Kuhn was quiet. That would be for long, however. Kuhn would convert a three point play halfway through the fourth quarter, then hit a pullup jumper to tie the game at 49 with just under three minutes left. The teams would trade baskets, and Shelbyville would hold for the final shot. After a timeout with 20 ticks remaining, Shelbyville would try to get the ball to Kuhn, but the pass was stolen by Beau Isaacs, who jumped on the ball and called timeout with under a second left. A final heave from Connersville would come after the buzzer as the two teams headed to overtime.

In the extra frame, Connersville would strike first. Following a missed Grant Silcott shot, senior forward Dalton Huffman would get the rebound and finish inside. Shelbyville would miss multiple attempts and be forced to foul. Grant Smith would step up and make four of four at the free throw line. Another Zach Kuhn three, his fifth of the night, would cut their deficit to three. Following a pair of Garrett Silcott free throws, John Williams would hit a three pointer with 7 seconds left. Connersville would get called for a five second violation as they tried to let the clock run out. Shelbyville would get a shot to win, but a three-pointer would fall short at the buzzer.

Connersville 26 3 16 6 8 - 59
Shelbyville 21 12 8 10 6 - 57

Connersville: Grant Smith 20 points (7/11 FGs, 6/7 FTs), 9 rebs, 2 stls; Garrett Silcott 15 points (5/10 FGs, 1/2 3Ps, 4/7 Fts), 4 asts; Beau Isaacs 11 points (4/7 FGs, 1/3 3Ps, 2/2 FTs); 4 rebs; Dalton Huffman 8 points; Noah Belt 3 points; Hunter Sullenbarger 2 points

Shelbyville: Zach Kuhn 31 points (11/18 FGs, 5/8 3Ps, 4/4 FTs), 3 asts, 2 stls; Cooper Lewis 13 points; Nick Anderson 4 points; Josh Williams 3 points (1/3 FGs); John Lux 2 points, 6 rebs, 3 asts; Sam Lewis 2 points; Brock Blackwell 2 points