Nearly half of Tuesday night’s game had been played, and Seymour was enjoying a four-point lead and looking to spoil Columbus North’s senior night.
That’s when a couple of the Bull Dog seniors took over. Nick Schiavello and Will King combined on a 13-0 run to put the Bull Dogs in control and send them on their way to a 69-47 victory.
Schiavello, who normally is a starter, and King, who usually comes off the bench, started on senior night, along with Casper Clark and Cam Wischmeyer, who typically split time in the post for North. The Owls jumped out to a 7-2 lead and led 11-6 early in the second quarter.
“We were playing a really big lineup, and it was hard to match up defensively with how many small guys that they were playing,” North coach Paul Ferguson said. “But we figured it out and were able to work into a good flow the second half.”
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The Bull Dogs (17-5) took a 21-19 lead with 2 1/2 minutes left in the first half, but then Seymour (8-13) scored six in a row to take a 25-21 lead. Schiavello then hit a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left and a 10-footer at the buzzer to give North the lead and swing the momentum.
“I thought we just needed a spark offensively,” said Schiavello, who scored a game-high 26 points. “We were kind of struggling. A few shots fell for me, so it really helped boost our confidence going into the second half. It was big for us to kind of gain momentum going into the half.”
After Schiavello opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer, King knocked down a free throw and two baskets to complete the run and give the Bull Dogs a 34-25 lead.
“Our team is awesome because we have so many different weapons, and any of us can score at different times,” King said. “That was just an opportunity that we saw. It could have been anyone.”
From there, North extended the lead to 48-35 after three quarters. The Bull Dogs led by as many as 24 with 1:50 left in the game.
“I loved the intensity and the ball movement we had to start the second half,” Ferguson said. “I thought that was the turning point in the game. That 13-0 run put them on their heels, and they weren’t able to recover from that.”
Junior Blake Barker added 13 points, and sophomore Cooper Horn had 10 points for North. King, Schiavello and Wischmeyer all grabbed four rebounds to lead the Bull Dogs to a 69-47 advantage on the boards.
“It was awesome just playing with these guys since second or third grade and growing close with this group,” King said. “It’s awesome to get a win on senior night.”
“I think it’s just exciting senior night, kind of just recognizing what us four seniors have brought to this program,” Schiavello added. “There’s just a little extra emotion that goes into the game, more excitement, and I think that showed in how we played tonight, especially in the second half.”
North’s seniors will have at least two more games in Memorial Gym. The Bull Dogs host Center Grove on Thursday and will entertain the winner between Class 4A No. 1 Bloomington South and Columbus East on March 6 in the semifinals of the North Sectional.
“I’m really proud of our four seniors,” Ferguson said. “We’re grateful for the efforts of Nick and Will and Cam and Casper. They’ve been great teammates, hard workers and they’ve left a legacy for the underclassmen to follow.”
