Cooper Horn
Franklin didn’t make it easy for Columbus North Saturday night.
It took two overtimes to decide the outcome. The Bull Dogs went on a surge to begin the second overtime with an 8-0 run that would help them to a 70-58 win on North’s senior night.
The Bull Dogs honored their six seniors — Tyler Blythe, Damon Edwards, Ty Ferguson, Luke Harmon, Cooper Horn and Zac Horn.
“When we moved here in 2015, my son was in fifth grade. These guys all became best friends. They all came up through the program together. They’re a special group of guys,” North coach Paul Ferguson said. “The thing that sticks out about all of them is their humility. They’re a great group of seniors.”
The North senior cheerleaders were also honored before the game. Towards the end, the family of Ariel Roberts were honored, as well. Roberts died last month after a year-long battle with glioblastoma. The North fans in attendance gave a standing ovation for the family. The senior players, cheerleaders and parents all embraced the Roberts family as everyone was leaving the court.
“It was really emotional. Our guys felt that. Some of our guys had tears in their eyes when we went back in the locker room. It was really emotional,” Ferguson said. “Our guys had to regroup and get ready to play basketball. One of the things we said before we came out was, ‘Let’s play as hard as we can and as well as we can for senior night and to honor Ariel.’”
The Bull Dogs trailed by two in the closing seconds of regulation until Cooper Horn went for a layup with around six seconds left to tie the game at 51-51.
In the overtime session, Cooper Horn tied the game at 55-55 with 2:01 left. The Grizzly Cubs then held the ball for the remainder of the game, and a defensive stand by North sent the game to double overtime.
In the second overtime, the Bull Dogs went on an 8-0 to eventually seal the win in what likely is a preview of a battle in next week’s North Sectional.
“The experience really helped us down the stretch,” Cooper Horn said. “We were as calm as can be. The coaches were calm. They drew up a nice play for me and my teammates to force overtime. Credit to my teammates, they did the work in the overtime. They got some key buckets in overtime. Tyler Blythe had a good steal and layup. Drew Schiefer had a big-time bucket. That was a good drawup by coach Ferguson. (Franklin) made some great plays, as well. It was that veteran presence we had on the court.”
Cooper Horn finished with 29 points. His career total stands at 1,088, which puts him fifth on the all-time scoring list. The next person for him to catch is Evan Henry at 1,200.
Damon Edwards scored 10 points for North. Luke Harmon had eight, and Blythe added seven.
Columbus North 70, Franklin 58 (2 OT)
Franklin;10;20;9;12;4;3;—;58
Columbus North;13;17;14;7;4;15;—;70
Columbus North (15-7): Luke Harmon 3 1-2 8, Tyler Blythe 2 2-4 7, Damon Edwards 4 2-2 10, Ty Ferguson 2 0-1 4, Zac Horn 2 0-0 4, Cooper Horn 6 12-13 29, Caleb Ferguson 1 0-0 2, Drew Schiefer 3 0-2 6. Totals: 23 17-22 70.
3-point goals: Columbus North 5 (Horn 3, Blythe, Harmon).
