Columbus North’s Sam King shoots against Terre Haute North’s Colin Frank in Memorial Gymnasium at Columbus North High School. Tommy Walker/For The Republic
There’s a saying amongst the basketball world that if a team wins the battle on defense and free throws, it usually walks away with the victory.
That was exactly what happened with Columbus North Friday night.
The Bull Dogs zone defense coupled with excellent free-throw shooting proved to make a big difference in giving Class 4A No. 6 Terre Haute North its first loss of the season, a 60-42 Conference Indiana boys basketball upset.
Columbus North played the zone defense for much of the game, and the Patriots had trouble adjusting to it, and it wore them down.
“We had really active hands, and holding those guys to 42 points tonight, they’ve got a couple guys that can fill it up,” Columbus North coach Paul Ferguson said. “Credit to our guys. (They had) active hands, guarding the perimeter, knowing where their shooters were. We watched a lot of film on them, and we were ready.”
The Bull Dogs (8-5, 2-0) also gave themselves plenty and opportunities at the line and made the most of it. They finished 20 for 27, including going 9 for 10 in the fourth quarter at the line. Terre Haute North (12-1, 1-1) finished 5 for 7 from the charity stripe.
“We played well,” North junior Luke Harmon said. “We prepared all week and came out and executed the game plan.”
The Patriots jumped out in front 7-4 in the first quarter. Columbus North responded back by scoring the final six points of the quarter to go ahead 10-7.
Terre Haute North went ahead 14-12 in the second quarter, but a 3-pointer from Rhett Harmon during a 5-0 run helped put the Bull Dogs ahead 17-14. The lead was short-lived momentarily when the Patriots came right back with a 3-pointer from Alex Ross to tie the game at 17-17. Columbus North got its lead back with a 6-0 run that was capped off with a Sam King three-point-play. Terre Haute North picked up a free throw before the half to cut the Bull Dogs lead to 23-18.
Both teams shot the ball well in the third quarter, but Columbus North shot much better and it helped it to a 39-30 lead after the third quarter. Harmon then hit a couple of 3-pointers to push the lead to double digits, and then clutch free-throw shooting sealed the deal on the upset victory.
For the game, Sam King led the Bull Dogs with a game-high 20 points. Luke Harmon finished with 18 points, and Cooper Horn added nine.
The Patriots were led by Ross and Ethan Scott with 10 points apiece.
“It was a great win for us tonight. Terre Haute North is a good team. They’ve had an outstanding season so far. They’re very well coached,” Ferguson said. “I thought our guys came out and executed our scouting report to perfection.”
