BLOOMINGTON — Columbus East put up a huge fight against Bloomington South during its girls basketball game Thursday night.
The Olympians fell behind by double digits in the fourth quarter, but never gave up. Time was not on their side, and the comeback fell short in a 66-61 loss.
East coach Danny Brown praised the performance of freshman Koryn Greiwe, who poured in a game- and career-high 31 points that included six 3-pointers. She went 5 for 5 from the free-throw line.
“We saw two of the better guards around the area tonight — (Bloomington South’s Addy) Blackwell and Greiwe — and the difference is, theirs is a senior and ours is a freshman,” Brown said. “Being in only her second game, playing against a Larry Winters-coached team and to play the way (Greiwe) did, she made some great passes and hit her free throws. It says a lot about her. She thought that she struggled in the first game (against Batesville), but we knew what she was capable of.”
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With the game tied 13-13 after the first quarter, Blackwell, who has committed to play at University of Southern Indiana, hit a 3-pointer to give the Panthers the lead. Greiwe answered back with a 3 of her own to tie it at 16-16.
Later in the second quarter, with Bloomington South leading 19-16, the Olympians (1-1) went on a 17-5 run to lead 33-24 before Blackwell hit a 3-point shot just before the half to make it 33-27. Greiwe hit three 3-pointers during the scoring run.
“My 3-point shot was going in, and I felt confident with it,” Greiwe said. “I just kept it going, and I had to make a difference. My teammates really encouraged me to keep going, and they motivated me.”
After Blackwell hit another 3 to give the Panthers a 41-40 lead after three quarters, Bloomington South went on a 12-3 run to take a 53-43 lead. Greiwe helped East climb back with a 10-5 run to cut it to 58-53, but the Panthers hit eight straight free throws to seal the game.
Along with Greiwe’s 31 points, Katie Dougherty finished with 10 points and Sarah Park added nine for the Olympians. Blackwell finished with 23 points to lead Bloomington South.
“They got up by 10 on us, but we never gave up,” Brown said. “I thought the effort and energy was great tonight. To compete with them on their home floor, it was a tremendous effort on our part.”
East has had talent among its guards for the past several years, and it may have found its next quality guard in Greiwe.
“I think it’s been real good. We’re honored to have a great school with great guards coming in every year,” Greiwe said. “(Brown) is a great coach and knows what our weaknesses are how to strengthen those weaknesses to become better.”
