Something seemed to be out of kilter last night at Grove City.

The student cheering section was chanting and the near capacity crowd was on its feet applauding the Greyhounds clinching a tie for the Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal Division championship.

It truly was time for the players to party and get a little silly.

Yet the Greyhounds acted as if they had just played in a preseason scrimmage after methodically defeating Dublin Scioto 68-53.

Coach Greg Waits didn't wait for a student manager to push the ball rack into the locker room, players slapped a slogan "Play Like a Champion Today" painted on the door, there was a quiet postgame meeting and that was that.

"That's because it's not over yet," 6-foot-7 center Seth Price said. "We want to go undefeated in the conference. We want more than a share of it."

Point guard Josh Forrest said Grove City's grand plan entails more than just a second straight conference title.

"We have a lot of other goals we've got to meet," he said. "This was just one part of it."

It's not as if Waits has the Greyhounds (10-5, 7-0) brainwashed. That's just the way they are.

When Dublin Scioto (10-6, 4-3) scored 10 straight points to close to 51-39 with 6:46 left in the fourth quarter, Grove City scored the next nine points to lock up the victory.

All the while, the Greyhounds wore deadpan expressions.

"These players are grounded. It's a great group, an unselfish group," Waits said. "Our kids punch the clock and just play. These kids work their butts off. We've been talking about playing our best ball at the end of the season and we're starting to do that."

Price, who scored 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and grabbed six rebounds and blocked three shots, said Grove City's mind-set is simple.

"We're a bunch of guys who just want to have fun," he said. "We're teammates and we just play the game. We don't get cocky because we think that looks pretty silly."

Scioto spent most of the first half straining to stay close
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A three-pointer from the baseline and layup off the fast break by Zac Clark gave Grove City a 37-24 lead at halftime.

Grove City played a slick inside-outside game in the halfcourt and started a handful of fast breaks with ball-hawking defense.

"I think we have a really good system," Forrest said. "We can push the ball or slow it down. We like to pass, too. I love those assists. I know when I get it to Seth that it's two points."