Columbus East’s Koryn Greiwe, center, brings the ball downcourt during a 72-67 loss to East Central in the sectional final at Bloomington North Feb. 8, 2022.
Greg Jones | For The Republic
BLOOMINGTON — When Columbus East won at East Central back in December, the Olympians held high-scoring Trojan forward Josie Trabel to 16 points.
Tuesday night, when the teams met again in the sectional final, Trabel was on top of her game. In a game that featured 12 lead changes and 11 ties, the junior scored 36 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead East Central to a 72-67 victory and its third consecutive sectional title.
“We average 67 a game, and we got our 67,” Columbus East coach Danny Brown said. “They get 72, and that’s unlike us. We just couldn’t stop Trabel, and then (Hope) Fox got going. We tried everything – zone, man, press – and thought we had them tired at halftime. They just kept coming at us. They’re a quality team. We knew it was going to be a battle.”
Fox scored 19 of her 22 points in the second half for the Class 4A co-No. 11 Trojans (20-4), who advance to play 4A No. 2 Franklin in Saturday morning’s first regional semifinal at Columbus North.
Trabel was on fire from the beginning. She scored East Central’s first 14 points, and the game was tied 17-17 after one quarter.
The game was tied again in the closing seconds of the second quarter when the 4A No. 8 Olympians’ Saige Stahl came up with a steal, drove the lane, made a spin move and laid in a basket just before the buzzer for a 28-26 halftime lead.
The Olympians (19-4) led by four on two occasions early in the third quarter before the Trojans used an 8-0 run to take a 40-34 lead. East Central led 45-43 after three quarters.
Columbus East took a 54-53 lead on two free throws by Stahl with 5:18 left in the game. The Olympians got the ball back and looked like they might build onto the lead, but were called for an offensive foul. Brown picked up a technical foul, and Fox made one of the two free throws to tie it.
“That’s my first technical in 25 years, and it was uncalled for,” Brown said. “I never said a word. It was unbelievable.”
Stahl then picked up her fourth foul, and Caitlyn Dick made a free throw. After a Trabel basket, the Olympians’ Koryn Greiwe converted a three-point play to tie it for the final time. Baskets by Trabel and Fox gave the Trojans the lead for good, and Columbus East couldn’t come closer than two the rest of the way.
“They were at their best,” Greiwe said. “They made shots when they needed. But I’m so proud of this team, this program. I’m so glad to be a part of this team. I love my teammates to death, and that won’t change just because we lost. It’s not the outcome we wanted, but we’ll move on. We were able to do really great things this year despite losing here today.”
Greiwe led the Olympians with 23 points. Stahl added 12 points, 10 rebounds and four steals before fouling out with 1:04 remaining.
Stahl, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder for the season, was playing with a dislocated and heavily-taped left (non-shooting) pinky finger. She was kicked in the finger in Saturday’s sectional semifinal win against Martinsville and had seven stitches to heal the wound.
“Saturday night, we didn’t think she’d even be here,” Brown said. “But she practiced (Monday) and looked fine and ready to go. She’s a tough kid.”
“It definitely wasn’t the same,” Stahl added. “I wasn’t able to play my best game, but I went out there and gave it my all. My teammates definitely went after it, but we just came up short.
It’s not the turnout we wanted. We lose five great seniors this year, and the really led out team, but we just have to keep moving forward.”
Stahl’s teammates helped pick her up. Leah Bachmann and Harley Gant scored 11 points, and Albany Speer added 10 to give the Olympians five starters in double figures.
Columbus East went undefeated in winning the Hoosier Hills Conference title for the second year in a row. This was the third straight year, and the second time in the final, that the Olympians fell to East Central in the sectional.
“It’s one of the better seasons we’ve had in a long time,” Brown said. “We just can’t get by East Central. They’re a quality team.”
