After Columbus East had its three-game winning streak snapped against Mooresville on Saturday, Tuesday’s game with Bloomington North was a matter of regaining focus.
That focus was a clear picture for the Olympians for most of the game. They used a 22-0 run that spanned both halves to break open a close game and went on to post a 56-33 victory.
"I brought my focus up," junior Katie Dougherty said. "The last game, we were lacking focus, so I thought I’d focus more, and I had to have more confidence in myself because my shooting has been slacking here lately."
Dougherty scored a career-high 21 points to lead East. Sixteen of those points came in the first half, including 10 in a row during the game-deciding run.
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With the Olympians (5-2) clinging to a 17-13 lead with five minutes left in the first half, they got a basket from Koryn Greiwe. Dougherty then hit back-to-back 3-pointers and two more baskets, and after a Whitley Rankin 3-pointer, East led 32-13 at halftime.
"We were working together really well, and we were talking on the floor and bringing a lot of leadership," Dougherty said. "We could focus a little bit more, and our shooting could get a lot better, but overall, we’re working together really well, and our chemistry is really good."
The Olympians added seven more unanswered points to start the second half to lead 39-13.
East’s press was a key in its run. The Olympians forced 25 turnovers overall from the Cougars (2-6).
"We adjusted our press the day before, trying to get better coverage on the court," East coach Danny Brown said. "We had to create some offense with our defense, and I thought we did a real good job with that the second quarter. The second quarter was a big quarter for us."
Rankin finished with nine points for East, while Greiwe and Claire Cunningham each scored eight. The other starter, Sarah Park, led the Olympians with seven rebounds.
"I thought Katie Dougherty did a heck of a job getting us going," Brown said. "She very capable of that. She can hit from long range. We put her in some different spots defensively and Koryn in different spots, and it worked for the most part. Koryn maybe didn’t score a lot tonight, but she made a lot of good passes setting people up, and Whit knocked down some shots, too, when we needed."
Perhaps the only downside to the night for East was that it was ourtrebounded 44-32. But the Olympians made up for it by committing only 11 turnovers to Bloomington North’s 25.
"We’re happy with the win," Brown said. "Anytime you get a win against a sectional opponent and get a win at home, that’s a good thing."
