MARTINSVILLE — Columbus North went into Saturday night’s game at Martinsville looking to bounce back from its first loss of the season.
The Bull Dogs accomplished that by knocking off the Artesians 58-47. They had fallen at Shelbville a night earlier.
“It was a big bounce-back game for us,” North coach Paul Ferguson said. “It’s always tough to win on the road, and I was really proud of the way the guys responded after (Friday) night. We were really disappointed with the way we played (Friday), so it felt good to get this win.”
The Bull Dogs (3-1) shot much better than they did on Friday. North shot 54.5 percent (18 of 33) from the field, including 53.3 percent (8 of 15) from 3-point range, and 93.3 percent (14 of 15) from the free-throw line.
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Perhaps as important, the Bull Dogs, who allowed Shelbyville to shoot nearly 60 percent from the field, limited Martinsville to 38.6 percent (17 of 44) shooting from the field.
“I thought we were really focused on the defensive end from start to finish, contested a lot of shots,” Ferguson said. “They just didn’t get a lot of clean looks.”
North led only 37-33 after three quarters before pulling away over the final eight minutes.
Blake Barker scored a season-high 20 points to lead the Bull Dogs. Lakeevan Whedon added 12 points and six rebounds, and Bailey Hester had 10 points and three assists.
North had 13 assists on its 18 made baskets.
Senior guard Trey Vincent made his season debut for the Bull Dogs. Vincent, who had been sidelined the first three games because of effects from a concussion, played 11 minutes off the bench. He was 0 for 2 from the field, and had an assist, a rebound and a steal.
“It was great to have him back out there,” Ferguson said. “He was a very strong defensive presence for us.”
