Columbus North’s Sydney Johnson looks to pass the ball while being guarded by Columbus East’s Kenzie Cheek in the sectional semifinals at Columbus North, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.
Paige Grider | For The Republic
For the most part, Friday night’s matchup between the Columbus North and Columbus East girls basketball teams went as expected.
The Bull Dogs took control of the game to build a comfortable lead in the first half, fending off any Olympians charge to claim a 70-38 victory in the sectional semifinals at North.
North (17-7) moves on to face East Central (11-11), which won 51-38 over Franklin in the first semifinal game, for the sectional title at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Nothing much changed in the final result for both teams. The Bull Dogs defeated the Olympians 62-33 on Dec. 19 during the regular season.
The only spurt for East (2-21) happened in the first quarter when they trailed 15-5. Following an Olympians timeout, they regrouped and started off on a 7-0 run to make it 15-12. North then went on an 11-2 run to end the first quarter and open the second quarter.
“We needed to get some stops, and we switched up our defense a little bit,” North junior Kenna Conrad said. “We switched up on them, so they were kind of on their heels about what we were going to run. Offensively, we started to score and move the ball around and look for each other and find the open areas.”
East couldn’t put together a serious run the rest of the game. Olympians coach Kaitlyn Phillips was pleased with the way her team started out Friday’s game as opposed to the regular-season matchup.
“We came out strong,” Phillips said. “It definitely was a different first quarter than what it was in December, so we were proud of their effort. We had a lot better defensive stops, and the ball fell in the basket a little better, so our first quarter was solid.”
Ella Anthis led East with 12, and Kimberly Carothers added 11 points and six rebounds.
North had 11 of the 12 girls score in the game. Kaylie Harmon and Ava Wilson led the Bull Dogs with 14 points apiece, while Hadassah Hurt finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, and Avery Johnson added 11 points.
“That’s a big part of what we shoot for is the balanced scoring. It makes it really hard when you have multiple people who can score. I thought we shared the ball well tonight,” North coach Brett White said. “To be able to get some people some extra playing time and get some of our starters a little extra rest with having to come back (Saturday) was a key part of it, as well.”
The Bull Dogs now are one win away from the sectional crown when they faces the Trojans (11-11). North won the regular season contest 56-41 Dec. 12. Should the Bull Dogs prevail, it will be their first title since 2017, which was won on their home floor, too.
“It’s about preparation,” Hurt said. “We have to stay focused, do the things that coach wants us to do and really focus on the main goal, which is lock it down and get this sectional championship. It hasn’t been done in a while.”
“No matter what team we’re playing, it is all about us,” North senior Emma Beaver added. “We have to stay as a team and work together, and also believe in ourselves. If we believe in ourselves, we can get pretty far.”
Columbus North 70, Columbus East 38
Columbus North;22;17;19;12;—;70
Columbus East;14;9;7;8;—;38
Columbus North (17-7): Kenna Conrad 1 0-1 2, Ava Wilson 6 2-2 14, Hadassah Hurt 3 5-6 13, Riley Sims 2 1-1 5, Sydni Schiefer 1 0-0 2, Audrey Nordman 1 0-0 2, Kaylie Harmon 4 4-7 14, Avery Johnson 5 0-0 11, Sydney Johnson 1 0-0 3, Addy Dean 0 2-2 2, Addy Wheatley 0 0-0 0, Emma Beaver 1 0-0 2. Totals: 25 14-21 70.
Columbus East (2-21): Kenzie Cheek 0 4-4 4, Ella Anthis 4 2-4 12, Kimberly Carothers 2 7-10 11, Krea Martin 0 0-2 0, Jadalynn Hampton 0 0-0 0, Lucy Ross 1 0-0 2, Ellie Schlaudroff 1 0-0 2, Averie Graham 3 1-2 7. Totals: 11 14-22 38.
3-point goals: Columbus North 6 (Hurt 2, Harmon 2, A. Johnson, S. Johnson). Columbus East 2 (Anthis 2).
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
