Columbus North celebrates beating Columbus East 59-42 in boys basketball at Columbus North, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024.
Paige Grider for The Republic
Columbus North ruled the city Friday night.
All it took was a quick start for the Bull Dogs in the first quarter, and they went on to lead the game from wire-to-wire for a 59-42 victory against crosstown rival Columbus East.
It was a bit of vengeance for North after losing to the Olympians twice last year.
“It’s been a big game for all us, especially after what happened last year,” North senior Nate Enneking said. “We lost twice. We feel like we shouldn’t have lost twice. It was a big game for us all year. We came out and played with energy, and we got the job done.”
Enneking led for the way for the Bull Dogs (5-1). He contributed at the rim, hit a couple big 3s and also from the line to pour in a game-high 21 points.
“My guys played fantastic.” North coach Paul Ferguson said. “Nate Enneking just stepping up, we knew how they were trying to guard Caleb (Ferguson), and we kept telling our other guys that they were going to make plays tonight, and Nate did.”
The Bull Dogs jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead and never looked back. They built the lead to double digits early in the second quarter.
Whenever East (5-1) tried to make any kind of run, North was there to bounce right back to cease any momentum.
“We took care of the ball, we executed, we ran our stuff well, defended and had a lot of good things happen for us tonight,” Paul Ferguson said.
For the Olympians, they couldn’t recover from the slow start.
“I’ve got to give all the credit to North. They were prepared for us right from the beginning,” East coach Perry Nash said. “They slowed our fast break down with their press, and it took us awhile. I don’t think we ever cracked that code. It’s one of those things we know and prepare for … I really loved this atmosphere. Let’s be honest. I’ve been all over the state. This is the best place in the world. I told our guys, win or lose, you will never get this opportunity many times in your life.”
Austin Perry finished with 14 points and eight rebounds for the Bull Dogs. Coomes added eight points.
Keaton Lawson and Danny Coriden finished with 12 points apiece to lead the Olympians, and Ethan Bumbalough added eight. Carter Patterson had a team-high five rebounds.
“A lot of contributions offensively, defensively in a lot of spots. It’s just a credit to my guys, big plays,” Paul Ferguson said.
Both teams are off until after Christmas. North plays in the Batesville Tournament on Friday, and East plays in the Greenwood Tournament on Saturday.
“For us, we hated coming up on the short end of the stick, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to get back to work, and we are really excited about that part of it,” Nash said.
Columbus North 59, Columbus East 42
Columbus East;8;16;8;10;—;42
Columbus North;15;18;10;16;—;59
Columbus East (5-1): Mason Reeves 0 0-0 0, Keaton Lawson 5 1-4 12, Danny Coridan 3 3-3 12, Ethan Bumbalough 3 0-0 8, Jayden Thompson 0 0-0 0, Carter Patterson 3 0-0 6, Alex Duncan 2 0-0 4. Totals: 16 4-7 42.
Columbus North (5-1): Caleb Ferguson 2 2-4 7, Nate Enneking 8 3-6 21, Austin Perry 5 2-2 14, Braylon Thoman 0 0-0 0, Max Coomes 3 0-0 8, Nolan Pickup 2 0-0 5, Garrett Long 2 0-2 4. Totals: 22 7-14 59.
3-point goals: Columbus East 6 (Coriden 3, Bumbalough 2, Lawson). Columbus North 8 (Enneking 2, Perry 2, Coomes 2, C. Ferguson, Pickup).
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