Columbus North High School

February 1, 2023 - The Bull Dogs had every reason to feel discouraged about their sectional draw. Fate matched the Dogs with Franklin Community, who back in November had given the Bull Dogs a 37-point defeat, which was the largest deficit of the season. The Dogs emerged from that 65-28 defeat and began a streak of nine victories in their next eleven games. Tuesday’s rematch with the Grizzly Cubs in the first round of the Shelbyville Sectional showed that Columbus North had learned, improved, made adjustments, and were ready for the rematch. Hadassah Hurt’s 24-foot three-point attempt with two seconds remaining on the clock and a three point Bull Dog deficit fell just inches short, bouncing off the front of the rim, and ending the Bull Dogs’ season at 14-9. The 48-45 defeat at the hands of Franklin was a back-and-forth affair from start to finish, with Franklin holding a 15-11 edge after one quarter. Hurt hit a three-point goal from the top of the key as the buzzer sounded to end the first half, giving the Bull Dogs a 25-24 advantage heading into the locker room. The Grizzly Cubs held a slim 40-38 edge after three quarters before outscoring the Bull Dogs 8-7 in the fourth quarter to secure the victory and advance to the second round of the sectional tournament. Hurt finished with 14 points to lead Columbus North and added seven rebounds and an assist. Kathryn Wilson chipped in ten points and led the Dogs with seven rebounds. Emma Long tallied five assists to go along with three points, and Lauren Barker recorded seven points to finish her Columbus North career as the twelfth leading scorer in program history with 1012 points. Columbus North finished the season 5-0 in Conference Indiana and will graduate three senior starters, Barker, Long, and Kayla Jones, along with senior manager Moana Steele. Photo: Hadassah Hurt’s three-point shot attempt with two seconds left on the clock fell just short, ending the Bull Dogs’ season with a 14-9 record after a 48-45 loss to Franklin Community in the first round of the Shelbyville Sectional.