It was Senior Night at Columbus East Thursday, and after one half of play, it appeared that the three Olympian seniors — Claire Cunningham, Sarah Park and Beyoncey Coleman-Turner would celebrate their special evening with a victory over a solid Martinsville squad.
The visiting Artesians, however, came out for the second half and abruptly spoiled the occasion. After trailing 28-20 at the break, Martinsville blitzed East with a 14-0 run to begin the third quarter on its way to a 55-49 victory.
The outlook was promising for the Olympians (9-12) for the first 16 minutes. After a back-and-forth first quarter in which neither team led by more than four points, it was East that turned up the defensive pressure on the visitors. The Olympians allowed the Artesians two field goals and one free throw in the second period for a total of five points. Although they did not burn up nets themselves, they managed to outscore Martinsville by six points, thus going to the locker room with an eight-point lead.
Then, the third quarter happened. The Artesians (17-6) were able to adjust to the zone that East had played very effectively in the first half. Specifically, Martinsville was able to find Bethany Mackin, who drained three straight short jump shots to spur the run. The visitors also stepped up their defensive pressure, causing the Olympians to make unforced errors.
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“We lost this game on the first five possessions of the third quarter,” East coach Danny Brown said. “I like the way we played in the first half, and we were able to give them fits defensively. We just didn’t take care of the ball in the third quarter, and they were unforced errors. I thought we had them on the ropes there.”
In all, East was able to muster only five total points in the quarter, all by freshman Koryn Greiwe, who scored a game-high 27 for the Olympians. The Artesians, on the other hand, totaled 18, giving them a 38-33 lead heading into the final period.
Unfortunately for East, it would get no closer than four points the rest of the way. Martinsville was able to hold the home team at bay, equaling every basket the Olympians scored with one of its own to earn the victory.
Brown was optimistic, however, moving forward and heading into sectional play.
“I like the way my team is playing right now," he said. "I actually like the way we have been playing the last two or three games. We have played five games the last eight nights, so I think the girls are exhausted. But we have a bye in sectional, so we will be able to get some rest going into our first game.”
