The Lawrenceburg Lady Tigers hosted the North Decatur Lady Chargers on Monday. Ella Kunz scored the first basket of the game for North, but the Lady Tigers got baskets from four different players and took a 9-8 lead midway through the first quarter. The lead changed hands several more times before the end of the frame. North then went on a 6-0 run until Kamryn Ferreira added two points before the buzzer for Lawrenceburg to bring the score to 19-17 in favor of the Lady Chargers to end the first frame. Kunz hit the first shot in the second quarter also before two Lady Tiger freshman got hot from long range. Aubree LaBazzo dropped in two three pointers and Brooklyn Craig another, giving LHS a 26-21 lead on the 9-0 run. North added seven more points in the frame but Lizzie Redar added another three before the half to take a 31-28 lead into the locker room for the Lady Tigers at the half. Redar started the second half hitting two from the foul line, but North’s Madi Allen added five points in the period to give the Lady Chargers the lead back 40-37 after hitting a pull up mid-range jumper and then sinking two from the charity stripe on the next possession. Redar and LaBazzo both added a basket before the end of the frame to put the Lady Tigers back up on top 41-40 after three quarters of play. Kelsey Haley got the hot hand in the final quarter hitting back-to-back shots and giving North a two-point lead. LHS then scored eight unanswered points to pull ahead by six. Haley then closed the gap finding success on a three-point play and Sydney Rohls dropped in a layup to get North within a point with just two minutes to go in the contest. Ferreira hit a timely basket going the distance off a steal pulling her team ahead by two. Haley wasn’t finished and kept the Lady Chargers within a point of Lawrenceburg after knocking down a freebie to tie the game up and bring the score to 53-53 with less than a minute remaining. Forced to foul, North sent LaBazzo to the line where she hit both shots and Lawrenceburg senior Nicole Houze added a basket with 28 seconds to go to give the Lady Tigers a six-point lead. Clare Kinker knocked down a free throw, but that was the final points North Decatur would score and Lawrenceburg escaped with a 58-54 victory to move to 3-1 on the season. Unofficial scoring- LHS- Houze 15, Ferreira 13, Redar 11, LaBazzo 9, Craig 6, Natalie Knigga 4. NDHS- Haley 15, Allen 11, Kunz 10, Madelyn Bohman 10, Kacey Barker 5, Rohls 2, Kinker 1. Lawrenceburg will travel to Brookville on Wednesday to take on Franklin County in an EIAC matchup while North Decatur who is now 3-4 on the year will host Switzerland County on the same day.
With the official signing day taking place earlier this week, several EIAC athletes took the chance to commit to their future teams. Here are some the signings that took place this week.
Batesville’s Emma Weiler has chosen to play golf at Marian University next fall.
Connersville’s Chase Bentley signed his letter of intent to play baseball for Evansville.
Franklin County’s Brant Ertel signed to pitch for George Mason University.
Batesville High School senior Charlie Schebler announced his plans to play baseball at the University of Akron.
Lawrenceburg’s Lucy Thornton signed with the University of Findlay to play soccer.
Franklin County teammates, Chase Burton and Xander Rodriguez have committed to play baseball at Wittenberg University.
East Central’s Josie Trabel has committed to play basketball at Wofford University next season.
Sam Bond will continue his baseball career at Thomas More
LAWRENCEBURG – A big first half by the host Lawrenceburg Tigers, together with a pair of Batesville offensive cogs absent in the second half, translated into a 33-7 sectional championship for LHS on an unseasonably mild Friday evening. The team’s fourth straight title is a new school record. LHS scored two touchdowns in each of the first two frames to enter halftime up 26-7. The striped ones would add a late TD to punch their ticket to Southridge for the regional round. Hopes of a comeback by the upstart Bulldogs were dampened when starting quarterback Will Jaisle and No. 1 receiver Bryson Bonelli came back from the locker room in street clothes. The Tigers relied heavily on feature running back Teagan Bennett, who crossed the 200-yard threshold late in the contest. For their part, Batesville exposed Lawrenceburg’s run defense as sophomore Gage Pohlman pounded for over 170 yards. The difference lay in the home team’s ability to finish five of their drives in the end zone versus just one for BHS. The Dogs’ lone TD, however, was an improvement over the shutout suffered at the hands of LHS earlier this season. Spotting Lawrenceburg a 13-0 lead, the Bulldogs got within six on a 10-play, 78-yard drive culminating with Jaisle’s 18-yard strike to fellow sophomore Cade Kaiser – and freshman Brady Wonnell’s extra point – in the opening seconds of the second quarter. The drive started ominously with a 7-yard sack, but Pohlman scampered 15 yards to erase the loss. A 13-yard catch by Bonelli and ensuing personal foul on the hit later placed the Dogs in the red zone. A series of penalties preceded the score – offsides on LHS and BHS hit with illegal procedure and ineligible man downfield. The Tigers answered right back, going 68 yards to extend the lead to 19-7. A 36-yard connection from Logan Ahaus to Alex Witte across the middle on 3rd-and-5 kept the drive moving. After another first down, Brennan Bushman caught his second TD of the game from 14 yards out. A sweep on the conversion play failed. Pohlman’s 39-yard burst opened BHS’ next possession. Things quickly went south, though, with a tackle for loss and a fumble recovered by the Dogs but only after another 12-yard loss. Trenton Roell’s ensuing punt went into the back of a teammate in the backfield and the Tigers nearly turned the mishap into six more. That would come to fruition on Witte’s 2-yard run a few plays later; Ryan Hinthorne’s kick was the final point of the half. The next drive would take BHS’ offensive leaders out of commission. Pohlman carried early for a dozen and Bonelli added another first down on a 10-yard catch; but it came with a price tag as he left the game. Pohlman then picked up 42 yards on three plays. On a 4th-down play, Jaisle was crunched for a 10-yard sack. Sophomore QB Carson Schneider looked to pick up the slack as the new half got underway. He was met with a 3-and-out before the teams traded turnovers. Witte fumbled the ball away on the Tigers’ next possession. Pohlman had a 10-yard carry but a play later, Schneider was popped in the act of throwing and the pigskin landed in Witte’s hands. A holding call on the return and another hold later led to a Tiger punt. A short field gave BHS a chance to get back in the game. Pohlman got to the Tiger 36-yard line on an 18-yard rush. On a 4-yard scramble, Schneider took a personal foul which put the Dogs in the red zone. The backup hurler later converted a 4th-and-2 pass to Kaiser for 1st-and-goal. The next fourth down didn’t go as well, with LHS converging on Schneider; the QB recovered his own fumble, but the Tigers had a turnover on downs. Neither side had any success on their next drives. Later, backed up to their own 7, the Tigers had a breakthrough with a 90-yard Bennett run. He carried twice more into the end zone. Hinthorne capped off the night’s scoring and LHS finished with three first downs and victory formation late in the game. Around a Batesville 3-and-out, Lawrenceburg built a quick two-score lead in the first period. Bennett carried for 43 yards early and Witte finished the opening drive with 15 yards, the last three on a TD run. Hinthorne’s kick was wide. LHS needed to go just 46 yards after the Bulldog punt. Bushman and Witte converted first downs; on a 3rd-down play, Ahaus spotted Bushman for a 23-yard catch-and-carry across the goal line. BHS finished 6-6. Along with Bonelli and Roell, seniors Abe Hollins, Conner Ertel, Trent Kincade, Evan Williamson, Phoenix Hostetler, Blake Hon and Nick McConnell played their final games. Tigers 33, Bulldogs 7 Batesville – 0 7 0 0 – 7 Lawrenceburg – 13 13 0 7 – 33 First Quarter L – Witte 3-yard run, 8:34. Kick wide. L – Bushman 23-yard pass from Ahaus, 5:00. Hinthorne kick. Second Quarter B – Kaiser 18-yard pass from Jaisle, 11:54. Wonnell kick. L – Bushman 14-yard pass from Ahaus, 8:00. Run failed. L – Witte 2-yard run, 2:39. Hinthorne kick. Fourth Quarter L – Bennett 1-yard run, 7:05. Hinthorne kick. Total yards: B 184, L 378 Rushing: B 133, L 242 Passing: B 51, L 136 1st Downs: B 12, L 12 Penalties: B 5-32, L 13-106 Fumbles/lost: B 3/0, L 1/1 Batesville: Rushing: Pohlman 25-171, Schneider 5(-12), Deacon Hamilton 1(-1), Damien Dance 2-0, Jaisle 5(-25). Passing: Schneider 2-3-4 (int), Kaiser 0-1, Jaisle 4-8-47. Receiving: Kaiser 3-28, Bobby Weiler 1-0, Bonelli 2-23. Lawrenceburg: Rushing: Bennett 25-203, Witte 8-37, Ahaus 1-2. Passing: Ahaus 7-10-136. Receiving: Witte 1-36, Bushman 4-83, Noah Knigga 1-12, Bennett 1-5.
