Kaylie Harmon
The sophomore duo of Kaylie Harmon and Avery Johnson led the way for the Columbus North girls basketball team Thursday night.
The Bull Dogs trailed midway through the second quarter, but went on a 24-2 run late in the first half and early in the second half in what would be the difference in a 56-41 victory over sectional foe East Central.
Harmon and Johnson combined to score 39 of the 56 points for North, with Harmon netting a game-high 24 and Johnson having 15.
It was a great bounce-back win for the Bull Dogs after falling to Brownsburg Tuesday, suffering their first loss of the season.
“I was really proud of us because we came off a loss, and we lost our winning streak,” Johnson said. “I was proud of us to pick up from that adversity and play hard tonight and get a win, especially against a sectional team.”
It wasn’t the best start for North (9-1) because East Central (5-4) broke through the Bull Dog defense in the first quarter and the early part of the second quarter to jump ahead 25-20. All it took was a 3-pointer from Johnson that sparked a 15-0 run to end the first half leading 35-25.
The scoring dipped in the third quarter, but back-to-back 3s from Johnson and Harmon gave North a 9-2 run and lead 44-27.
Trojans top player in freshman Natalie Stenger scored 12 points in the first half but was limited to three in the second half.
“One thing that we noticed was that we needed to cut down on the easy baskets for them in the first half, so I think that was our main focus point,” Harmon said of the second half.
A big difference in Thursday’s victory was that the Bull Dogs took care of the basketball better.
“That was the big focus for us in practice (Wednesday) and it’s been a big focus all along. To be able to carry that over into the game tonight was a key point,” North coach Brett White said.
Other scorers for North include Hadassah Hurt and Ava Wilson with six points apiece, and Kenna Conrad added five. The Bull Dogs connected on 10 3-pointers in the contest.
The Bull Dogs have five days off until they travel to Seymour on Tuesday, and then travel across town to face rival Columbus East on Dec. 19.
“We just need to have some solid practices and not let this win get to our heads but have it boost our confidence and keep on playing hard and focus in practice,” Johnson said.
Columbus North 56, East Central 41
East Central;16;19;9;12;—;41
Columbus North;15;10;4;12;—;56
East Central (5-4): Gabby Cleary 0 0-0 0, Avery Cable 3 0-0 8, Kylie Kelsey 0 0-0 0, Tatum Johnson 1 0-0 3, Kylee Ferreira 0 0-0 0, Natalie Stenger 6 1-5 15, Audrina Dugan 4 1-2 11, Anna BLack 0 0-0 0, Meredith Sizemore 2 0-0 4, Teagan Lengacher 0 0-2 0. Totals: 16 2-9 41.
Columbus North (9-1): Kenna Conrad 2 0-0 5, Ava Wilson 1 3-4 6, Hadassah Hurt 2 2-4 6, Riley Sims 0 0-0 0, Audrey Nordman 0 0-0 0, Kaylie Harmon 9 1-2 24, Avery Jphnson 6 0-0 15, Sydney Johnson 0 0-0 0. Totals: 20 6-10 36.
3-point goals: East Central 7 (Cable 2, Stenger 2, Dugan 2, Johnson). Columbus North 10 (Harmon 5, A. Johnson 3, Conrad, Wilson).
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