The Columbus East girls basketball team faced some strong competition early on in the season, starting 3-3.
The return of sophomore Saige Stahl might have been the adrenaline shot the Olympians needed.
Stahl, who missed the first six games of the season due to COVID-19 contact tracing, has been a spark for the East, and since her return to the starting lineup, the Olympians have gone 10-2 and will be a force to reckoned with heading into next week’s sectional at East Central.
Prior to Tuesday’s contest against Batesville, Stahl was the second-leading scorer on the team, averaging 10 points per game, and also is second on the team in steals with 1.6 and blocks with 0.8.
“It took her awhile to get going. We knew going in she was a big part in what we’re trying to do here,” East coach Danny Brown said. “She’s just improved so much. She wants to be really good, and she has been good for the most part.”
It all started for Stahl back in the fifth grade when she was attending at Immanuel Lutheran in Seymour. After watching her older sisters Sydney and Sophia play, she decided to give basketball a shot.
When Saige was in seventh grade, she played up with the eighth-grade class, and together, they claimed the Lutheran state tournament championship.
Following her eighth-grade year, Saige was faced with the decision of which high school she wanted to attend. Sydney graduated from Trinity Lutheran, and Sophia graduated from Seymour, but Saige made the decision to attend East.
Saige wasn’t afraid to admit that it was going to a complete adjustment for her after stepping foot through the doors for the first time. She said volleyball was the main reason to attend East, but then she realized she enjoyed the basketball team, as well.
“It was definitely new to me because I was at Immanuel for eight years, and I was with the same people constantly,” Stahl said. “Coming to East, I had to reach out, I had to go to people and make new friends, so thankfully throughout the summer, volleyball made me get a lot of new friends. Throughout the whole process, I just kind of put it in God’s hands. He really helped me out through the whole move. I think having that faith kept me going.”
Stahl resides in Seymour, but said that one of her biggest supporters throughout her time at East is her mother Misty Poole.
“Throughout this entire process, she has driven me to Columbus every day. She has taken me everywhere I needed, and she’s my No. 1 supporter,” Stahl said. “I just appreciate her so much more than she knows.”
Stahl already has accomplished quite a bit in her short time at East. She was a Hoosier Hills Conference and sectional champion in volleyball her freshman year. This year, she also has found herself in a rare class by becoming an undefeated HHC champion in both volleyball and basketball.
“We strive for these things, and we have an amazing class. With volleyball, we have a talented volleyball team,” Stahl said. “With basketball, winning conference, we’re just super-thankful, and it’s what we strive for. Every day we have to work hard, and everyday is a new day for a new opportunity.”
The college recruiting trail has been difficult to navigate for Stahl due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She mentioned that she will be playing AAU basketball this summer for the Indiana Elite.
“So right now, I’m kind of just focusing on basketball because my dreams would be to play basketball at the college level, so that’s what I’m striving for,” Stahl said.
Not only has Stahl excelled in athletics, she has also excelled in the classroom. She carries a 4.1 GPA, and she also was the class salutatorian of her middle school at Immanuel. She mentioned the salutatorian honor at Immanuel was for grades that were accumulated through the fifth- through eighth-grades.
Stahl hopes she can add another accomplishment to her high school career next week, even though the path will be a treacherous one.
“Columbus East is a great program,” Stahl said. “It’s making each of us better everyday, and so I’m thankful for the program that it has become, and we’re an amazing team.”
