Columbus North started to pull away from East Central early in the fourth quarter Thursday night, but finishing off the Trojans took a little bit of time.
A bucket by the Trojans cut the deficit to three points with just over a minute left, but the Bull Dogs were able to hang on to secure a 40-35 win.
“We had to make sure that we executed and also get stops defensively,” North junior Sierra Norman said. “We didn’t make any bad plays to get us in a bad position.”
The win felt even better for the Bull Dogs (6-3) against a sectional opponent.
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“We wanted to really get this win and get ready for next week (against Seymour and Columbus East),” North sophomore Alexa McKinley said. “This is a sectional opponent, so we were all really pumped up.”
The energy showed early on when North jumped out to an 11-4 following a McKinley basket. The Trojans (6-4) closed out the first quarter by going on a 5-0 run to cut it to 11-9.
The momentum carried over into the second quarter for East Central when an Ashley McCool layup gave the Trojans their first and only lead of the game at 13-11. Norman ended the lead quickly by draining her first of three 3-pointers to retake the lead at 14-13. The Bull Dogs led 16-15 at the half.
After Tessa Lomax scored the first points of the second half to extend the North lead to 18-15, East Central came back to tie the game at 25-25.
McKinley scored the final five Bull Dog points of the quarter to put them ahead 30-25 entering the fourth.
The Trojans scored the first points of the fourth quarter to cut it to 30-27 until Norman capped off a 5-0 run with a 3-pointer to give North its largest lead of the game at 35-27. East Central then went on a 6-1 run to cut it to 36-33 with 1:40 remaining, but the Bull Dogs defense and free throws help stave off the late Trojan spurt.
“Holding a team to 35 points is good for us,” McKinley said. “(East Central) is capable of going on a scoring run, so I’m glad we held them to 35.”
McKinley finished with a team-high 12 points for North, while Norman added nine.
Logan Cox poured in a game-high 13 points for the Trojans.
“It’s a big win,” Norman said. “We can compete with really good teams, and that definitely helps with our confidence.”
