A rare Saturday afternoon game saw two teams who are hoping to build momentum towards the state tournament face off in Shelbyville. Behind a double-double from sophomore Zach Kuhn, Shelbyville weathered a second half run from Plainfield to emerge victorious.
The game started off at a frantic pace, as Shelbyville's five guard lineup spread out Plainfield and looked to attack their two starting forwards, Gavin Bizeau and Conner Brens, off the dribble. The strategy worked in the first quarter, as the drive and kick offense led to threes from each of the Lewis twins. Sam Lewis would can another triple in the period, but after falling behind 11-4, Plainfield would settle in and get the ball to their star, 6'10 junior Gavin Bizeau. Bizeau would respond with a couple of face up jumpers and a three on his way to nine first quarter points.
Plainfield would continue to close the deficit with a 13-2 run that spanned the end of the first and beginning of the second quarters, ultimately tying the game at 22. Cooper Lewis and Zach Kuhn would respond for the hosts by combining for 13 of the Golden Bears' 15 points in the quarter. Kuhn would also help the undersized Bears on the glass, frequently battling against Bizeau and Brens to grab nine rebounds in the first half, helping Shelbyville to a nine-point halftime advantage.
Shelbyville would stretch their lead to 11 in the third before Plainfield would begin working their way back. The Quakers tightened the screws defensively, forcing Shelbyville into several heavily contested shots and grabbing every rebound. A 13-2 run, their second such run of the game, would tie the game at 43 heading into the fourth. Junior guard Trey Davis helped the Quakers with seven in the quarter.
Just as quickly as Plainfield tied the game, Shelbyville would start the fourth on a 7-0 run of their own. Key in this stretch was junior forward Brock Blackwell. The 6'4 Blackwell was matched up against the 6'10 Gavin Bizeau, and used that to his advantage. Blackwell would hit a 16 footer over Bizeau, then repeatedly use his quickness to drive by Bizeau, resulting in free throws or easy kick outs to awaiting teammates. Plainfield would again manage to close in, trailing by two with just over a minute left.
After a pair of Shelbyville free throws, Tyler West would hit a three cutting their deficit to a single point. John Lux would miss the front end of a one and one for the Golden Bears, but a Plainfield turnover on a traveling call gave it back to Shelbyville. This time Brock Blackwell was fouled, but he would also miss the front end of a one and one, and Plainfield would collect the rebound and call timeout with just under ten seconds left. A backdoor play would get the ball to Trey Davis in prime position, but he came up short on a floater, and Zach Kuhn snared the carom. His free throws with one second left would provide the final margin as Shelbyville would hold on for the win.
Plainfield 18 10 15 18 - 61
Shelbyville 22 15 6 21 - 64
Plainfield: Gavin Bizeau 23 points (10/19 FGs, 1/4 3Ps, 2/2 FTs), 8 rebs; Trey Davis 15 points (5/14 FGs, 3/9 3Ps, 2/2 FTs); Luke Gulley 9 points; Tyler West 6 points (2/4 3Ps); Jarrett Hufferd 4 points (2/5 FGs), 4 asts; Conner Brens 2 points; Gavin Ritter 2 points
Shelbyville: Zach Kuhn 21 points (7/16 FGs, 2/6 3Ps, 5/5 FTs), 11 rebs, 2 stls; Cooper Lewis 13 points (5/8 FGs, 3/5 3Ps); John Lux 10 points; Sam Lewis 9 points (3/6 FGs, 2/2 3Ps), 2 blks; Brock Blackwell 6 points (1/2 FGs, 4/5 FTs); Josh Williams 5 points