Columbus North’s Kathryn Wilson goes for a layup against Bloomington North at Columbus North, Friday, Jan. 20, 2023.
Paige Grider | For The Republic
Columbus North proved Friday night they were the best team in the conference.
Bloomington North didn’t make it easy as it led by double digits in the first half, but the Bull Dogs cut it to two at the half, and then went on a 20-0 run in the second half to claim their third undefeated Conference Indiana girls basketball season in a row with a 46-36 win.
“We always talk about our goals at the beginning of the season, and it’s always been one of our goals in the four years I’ve been here,” Columbus North senior Lauren Barker said. “For the past three years to get it done, it’s been an honor.”
“We’re super proud of each other,” senior Emma Long added. “We work as a team, and if we play confident, we’ll win. I’m so proud of my team that we stayed together for three years and won and be undefeated in the conference.”
The Bull Dogs (13-7, 5-0) started out of the gate sluggish and that helped the Cougars (14-6, 1-3) lead 10-4 after the first quarter.
Bloomington North grabbed a 16-6 lead early in the second quarter that prompted a Columbus North timeout. Once the Bull Dogs regained their focus following the timeout, Elise Preston helped kick start an 11-3 run after draining a 3-pointer with less than five minutes left in the first half, and they trailed only 19-17 at the break.
Columbus North couldn’t get the extra push it needed to cut into the deficit to take the lead. A couple of 3-pointers from the Cougars made it a 32-24 lead late in the third quarter. That would then set up the 20-0 run that continued into the fourth quarter.
Olivia Johnson converted the go-ahead bucket with 5:27 left in regulation to seal the win and outright conference title.
“Our energy picked up a bit,” junior Kathryn Wilson said. “Sometimes we do start off sluggish, and I think this was one of those games. They started out with high energy and were moving really well. We had to really pick up our energy, and that really helped us.”
For the Bull Dogs, Wilson led the way with 12 points. Kennedy Horn scored eight points, Johnson had seven and Preston added six on two perimeter baskets. Barker, who is the team’s leading scorer, had a quiet night in the scorebook, with Bloomington North locking in on her defensively to hold her to four points.
“It’s not a secret that Lauren is the one that we go to when we’re looking for buckets,” Columbus North coach Brett White said. “Some teams are going to try to take her away, so we have to be confident in the other spots and realize that we have more people that can score outside of Lauren.”
The Bull Dogs finish the regular season with a home game Wednesday against Rushville and a road game on Thursday against Roncalli.
Columbus North 46, Bloomington North 36
Bloomington North;10;9;13;4;—;36
Columbus North;4;13;10;19;—;46
Bloomington North (14-6, 1-3): Patterson 1 0-0 2, Sullivan 1 1-2 3, Reitmeyer 5 0-2 10, M. Robbennolt 2 0-1 5, A. Robbennolt 1 0-0 3, Barrow 3 0-0 9, Rice 1 0-0 2, Lian 1 0-0 2. Totals: 15 1-5 36.
Columbus North (13-7, 5-0): Kathryn Wilson 5 2-2 12, Lauren Barker 1 2-2 4, Olivia Johnson 3 1-2 7, Elise Preston 2 0-0 6, Kennedy Horn 4 0-2 8, Kaitlin White 0 0-0 0, Miley McClellan 1 0-0 2, Emma Long 0 2-2 2, Hadassah Hurt 0 5-6 5. Totals: 15 12-16 46.
3-point goals: Bloomington North 5 (Barrow 3, A. Robbennolt, M. Robbennolt); Columbus North 2 (Preston 2).
