Two girls basketball teams who have played some of the top competition the state has to offer this season will battle tonight with the Hoosier Hills Conference title on the line.
Columbus East already has clinched a share of its first HHC crown since winning four in a row from the 2004-05 through 2007-08 seasons. The Olympians are 11-5 overall and 6-0 in the conference and can finish unbeaten in the HCC with a win tonight at home against Jennings County.
“It’s very hard to go undefeated in our conference,” East coach Danny Brown said. “You look at how good Bedford has been the last few years, and they’ve shared it with Jeffersonville the last three years. It’s very hard to win it outright.”
Last week, the Olympians upset Class 4A then-No. 2 Bedford North Lawrence 67-66 for their first win against the Stars since 2011. Bedford, currently ranked No. 3 in 4A, can tie East for the title if the Olympians fall to Jennings.
The Panthers (12-5, 4-1) also can share the title with wins tonight and at home against Floyd Central on Tuesday.
“We want to compete in every game,” Jennings coach Kristi Sigler said. “From a conference perspective, obviously you want to finish at the top of your conference. But beyond the numbers, we’re focused on getting better, and we want to get better every time we go out.”
Four of East’s five losses have come against teams ranked in the top 10 in 4A — No. 4 Fishers, co-No. 10 Hamilton Southeastern, No. 6 East Central and No. 1 North Central. The first three of those games came without sophomore and second-leading scorer Saige Stahl in the lineup.
“I think the competition has helped definitely,” Brown said. “It’s just gaining that experience. They’ve played together a couple years, and that’s important.”
Junior point guard Koryn Greiwe leads a senior-less Olympians team with 17.1 points, 4.6 assists and 3.9 steals a game. Stahl averages 9.4 points, while sophomore Leah Bachmann adds 8.9 points and 6.4 rebounds and 6-foot-4 sophomore Gabby Dean chips in 8.2 points and a team-high 7.6 rebounds.
“The balanced scoring has been important,” Brown said. “Koryn is just doing a heck of a job.” We have a talented group, and they’re working well together. They work hard in practice. They’re only going to get better with that talent and maturity. But we’re focused in on what we’re trying to do right now. With COVID and everything, we don’t know what can be taken away. We’re looking at the next game.”
While East has been able to focus on Jennings all week, the Panthers will be playing their second game in as many nights. Jennings won an HHC makeup game Wednesday at Jeffersonville.
Like the Olympians, the Panthers have played some quality teams tough. Four of their five losses have come on the road by eight points at 4A No. 3 Bedford, four at 4A No. 6 East Central, one at 3A No. 2 Salem and two at Brownstown Central.
“I think the season has gone really well,” Sigler said. “We have a great group of kids, and they come to work every day. Last week, we played four games, so that’s a long week. You look at four of our five losses, and it’s a total of 15 points, and three of those are ranked teams in their classes.”
Jennings has been led this season by freshman Juliann Woodard, who came into the week averaging around 16 points and 11 rebounds.
“Juliann, for her being a freshman, she has been one of the most consistent producers that we’ve had,” Sigler said. “She shows up every day on both ends of the floor. She’s earned everything she’s got. She works very hard and is a very mature athlete.”
Senior guard Addyson Kent, a Missouri S&T recruit, went over the 1,000-point mark for her career last month, came into the week averaging about 14 points. The last time Kent played in The Orange Pit, she hit 10 3-pointers in the first two quarters of a scrimmage against the Olympians at the start of last season.
“She’s really high on any team’s scouting reports,” Sigler said. “She may have struggled in some games, but she had a great game Saturday at Brownstown. She just needs to see the ball go through the basket.”
The Panthers won’t get any breaks from the schedule. They’ll play their fourth game of the week on Saturday against Class A No. 1 Trinity Lutheran. East, meanwhile, was supposed to play at 3A No. 2 Salem on Saturday, but that game has been canceled because Salem is in quarantine.
