Will Rieckers
In winning its second boys basketball game in less than 24 hours Saturday, Columbus East did it in nearly a mirror image of Friday night’s victory.
On Friday, the Olympians lost an 18-point second-half lead before coming back to pull out a win against Jennings County. Saturday, East led by as many as 17 and held on for a 59-52 victory against Franklin.
“We’re really focused on us trying to play with great effort and great energy, playing hard and I think our guys were doing that,” East coach Brent Chitty said. “(Friday) night, Jennings County was good, and they’re not going to lay down, and Franklin’s not going to lay down. Those kids are going to battle. That’s Indiana basketball, and that’s what we’re teaching our kids. You just have to scrap and fight and find ways to win.”
For the second day in a row, the Olympians (4-13) started strong. They built a 17-7 lead after one quarter and led 26-19 at halftime.
After the Grizzly Cubs (6-13) scored the first basket of the second half to cut the lead to five, East’s Ben Sylva hit three straight baskets and a 3-pointer, and Will Rieckers followed with a 3 to push the lead to 38-21.
Ben Sylva
“At halftime, the coaches told us they were going to come out and punch us in the mouth,” Sylva said. “But Pete (Coriden) was setting good screens at the top of the key, and I just did my thing.”
Franklin didn’t go away, however. The Grizzly Cubs turned up the full-court pressure and whittled away at the lead. They came as close as 54-49 with 1:36 remaining and had a chance to cut it to two or three, but turned it over, and the Olympians’ J.T. Kuhlman and Rieckers each hit a pair of free throws to ice it.
“The key was just to stay calm and turn the ball over as little as possible,” Sylva said. “(Friday) night was about the same with the run-and-jump man. We just have to practice to get used to it, but other than that, it’s just a great win.”
Rieckers led East with 18 points. Sylva scored 15, and Julius Dailey added nine points and 10 rebounds.
“There’s been times over the last couple of years where we’ve lost some close games,” Rieckers said. “We just believed in ourselves and held them off to the end. Having this confidence and amount of energy is going to help us even more for sectional.”
“They’re loosening up,” Chitty added. “We’re trying to work hard, and we’re trying to be detalied, but bottom line, we’re trying to have fun.”
