Turnovers, missed free throws and missed layups told the story of Columbus East’s 46-36 loss to Class A No. 6 Oldenburg Academy Friday night at the Orange Pit.
The loss didn’t take away from a great senior night put on by the Olympians girls basketball team for seniors Ella Anthis, Kenzie Cheek and Brelyn Pool. Although it didn’t end on a happy note, there were plenty of emotions before the game.
During the starting lineup introductions, Anthis, Cheek and Pool each were joined by their mothers at center court with a special handshake routine.
“I was trying my hardest not to cry, of course,” Anthis said. “I knew my parents would be emotional. I was trying to hold back the tears. It was an emotional night, plenty of ups and downs, and I’m just happy to do it with my team.”
Right before the tipoff, East athletics director David Miller had a presentation for Anthis, and she was joined by her parents as she was presented with a Gift of the Game Scholarship by the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Former East coach Jacqueline Burton chose Anthis as the recipient. Anthis was one of four girls in the state to receive this prestigious honor.
“I felt pretty special in that moment. I’ll be in school for a long time because I want to be a doctor, so it will be very good for me,” Anthis said, who will attend IU Indianapolis next year.
“She’s been a leader outside of it. She’s been a great leader in school,” East coach Kaitlyn Phillips added. “She will truly be Dr. Anthis one day, and she is so deserving of that scholarship and that award from the Hall of Fame. I could not be more happier for her.”
The difference in the game came in the second quarter. The Olympians (5-17) had the lead in the first quarter, but then went on a long scoring drought by scoring just two points in the second and didn’t score again until 1:40 was left in the third quarter. That led to the Twisters (19-3) going on a 19-2 run during those 16 minutes.
East got it to within 35-29 following a couple of 3s from Pool, but that was as close as the Olympians got, as Oldenburg scored six points to bring the lead back to double-digits.
Pool drained four 3-pointers and led East with 12 points, and Anthis added seven.
“We are never ever surprised when Brelyn has a good shooting night because you could ask anyone that works here, Brelyn is in the gym shooting at 7 a.m. multiple times a week, so random teachers that don’t follow our basketball program know how good of a shooter Brelyn is because they will walk by and see her make 12 3s in a row,” Phillips said. “We’re never surprised when it happens. We’re always happy and grateful for her because she deserves it. She’s put up more shots than most people I know, so she deserves it.”
Cheek, Anthis and Pool will all be hard shoes to fill next year for Phillips.
“It’s really a hard group for me personally to say goodbye to. They’re seniors this year, but last year, they were upperclassmen and all three were a huge part of our team. They’ve been a greater part of what our program has been the last two years,” Phillips said. “They’re good basketball players, and they’re amazing kids, and they’re great human beings, and to celebrate them in a fraction of what they deserve, I’m glad we were able to do that for them because they definitely deserve all the spotlight and recognition that we can give them.”
Oldenburg Academy 46, Columbus East 36
Oldenburg Academy;7;14;7;18;—;46
Columbus East;8;2;6;20;—;36
Oldenburg Academy (18-3): Young 0 0-0 0, Paul 0 0-0 0, Haverkos 2 4-5 8, L. Niese 0 0-0 0, Nobbe 1 3-4 5, Grote 7 2-3 20, Baker 1 0-0 2, C. Niese 1 0-0 2, Sultman 3 3-4 9, Leising 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 12-16 46.
Columbus East (5-16): Kenzie Cheek 0 3-6 3, Lola Watkins 2 0-0 4, Ella Anthis 3 0-0 7, Emma Armstrong 1 0-0 2, Krea Martin 1 0-0 2, Hayden Meek 2 0-0 4, Brelyn Pool 4 0-0 12, Bailey Rohde 0 2-4 2. Totals: 13 5-12 36.
3-point goals: Oldenburg Academy 4 (Grote 4). Columbus East 5 (Pool 4, Anthis).
