Columbus North High School

March 4, 2023 - The Columbus East boys basketball team that arrived at Memorial Gym in the second round of the Columbus North sectional was not the same team that lost by 40 points to the Bull Dogs in December, and their performance was certainly not typical for a team who had won only two games in the regular season. The Olympians (2-20) led throughout, including a nine-point lead with five minutes left to play in the game. However, the Bull Dogs chipped away, hit a couple of crucial three-point goals, and took advantage of a couple of East mistakes to tie the game at the end of regulation, forcing an overtime period. The overtime was all Dogs, as they made 10-of-12 free throws in overtime to seal a 60-54 victory and advance to the sectional championship game against Whiteland Saturday evening at 7:30 pm. The victory gave the Bull Dogs a 51-34 advantage in all-time head-to-head game versus Columbus East, including a 16-12 lead in sectional games. The two teams had not faced off in a sectional contest since 2018. Cooper Horn led the Bull Dogs with 22 points, Luke Harmon added 16, including a trio of three-point goals for the Dogs (16-8), and freshman Drew Schiefer contributed ten points. North was 17-for-23 from the free throw line for the game. The Whiteland Warriors (10-14) advanced to the championship game with a 47-45 victory over Shelbyville in the early game. The Warriors average 58 points per game, and are led in scoring by junior Wiatt McLauglin, who averages 16.7 points per game. The two teams haven’t met since 2020, and the Dogs lead the all-time series 12-0. The winner will advance to the Seymour Regional on March 11 and will face the Center Grove Sectional champion. Tickets are available for Saturday evening’s matchup at https://columbusnorthathletics.org/Tickets or at the gate for $7 each. Neither All-Sports passes nor BCSC badges are eligible for admission as this is an IHSAA event.