Franklin Central gave Columbus North all it could handle in the first half Tuesday night, but an injury to Flashes point guard Rayah Kincer played right into the Bull Dogs’ hands.
Kincer, who had scored eight points, went out with what appeared to be a sprained ankle late in the first half. North was in the midst of a 10-0 run to close the half with an eight-point lead, and the Bull Dogs pulled away in the second half for a 75-45 victory.
“The key was, they had a player get hurt, and that limited some of the things they could do, and we were able to take advantage of that,” North coach Pat McKee said. “I’m sorry their player got hurt, but I’m proud of the way our kids responded to the circumstances and really pounced when the opportunity was there. She’s a pretty good player, and without her, they had some limitations.”
The 10-0 run to end the half answered an 11-0 Franklin Central run that had given the Flashes (0-5) their first lead of the game at 28-26 and gave the Bull Dogs (3-1) a 36-28 lead.
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Franklin Central was still within 45-36 with 3:10 left in the third quarter before North went on a 14-0 run to put it away.
“I think we played great,” said freshman Kylah Lawson, who scored a career-high 13 points to match Nadia Lomax for team-high scoring honors. “We passed the ball well and finished the plays well and we communicated, also. We didn’t give up and stayed together as a team.”
Tessa Lomax added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Bull Dogs. Alexa McKinley added 11 points, and Annie Anderson and Sierra Norman each chipped in eight.
North was hampered by 14-of-29 shooting from the free-throw line. But the Bull Dogs edged the Flashes 30-29 on the boards.
“I think the key was just playing as a team, moving the ball around, driving gaps,” Tessa Lomax said. “We’ve gotten better since the Martinsville game. We’ve been working hard in practice and making sure that our passes are crisp.”
The win may give North a dose of confidence going into its toughest test of the season Saturday afternoon against Class 4A No. 6 Lawrence North.
“I think we took another step forward, and hopefully, we continue to do that,” McKee said.
