Columbus North players listen to coaches during a timeout Wednesday at Whiteland.
Dorian Ducre | For The Republic
By Dorian Ducre
For The Republic
WHITELAND — Growing pains have been the theme this year for the Whiteland girls basketball team as they endured a difficult 53-25 home loss hosting a red-hot Columbus North team, winners of seven of their last eight.
The night was a full display of the Bull Dogs’ dominance on both ends as the Warriors had a difficult time with turnovers and transition defense. North fed off those turnovers with easy baskets in the lane while executing at a high level in the half-court.
The Bull Dogs led 16-5 after the first quarter and 31-12 at halftime.
“We’ve had some slow starts here lately, so I was happy about the fact that we got off to a good start, attacked the rim early, then worked to our perimeter shots from there,” North coach Brett White said. “Second half, I liked the way we executed things offensively, and really from the tip, I thought overall, we defended well.”
White emphasized an inside-out approach to their offense.
“We’re getting more paint touches than what we had earlier in the year and then using that to get to our strengths, which is around the 3-point line,” he said.
Whiteland (3-13) tried to put a stop to the momentum coming out of the locker room but just could never generate positive plays to get themselves going. The Bull Dogs (14-3) outscored the Warriors 13-2 in the third quarter, and both sides began to empty their benches midway through the fourth quarter.
North senior Miley McClellan finished with a game-high 12 points to lead the way, followed by 11 points from junior Kaylie Harmon, who knocked down three three-pointers in the win. Junior Avery Johnson added 10 points.
“We talk about our defense a lot, and I think our defense has really been stepping up here lately,” White said. “The other thing is, I feel like we’re executing things offensively the way we want to. We’re starting to do a better job making the extra pass.”
The Bull Dogs will put their undefeated Conference Indiana record to the test Saturday when it hosts another conference unbeaten in Class 4A co-No. 10 Bloomington South.
Columbus North 53, Whiteland 25
Columbus North;16;15;13;9;—;53
Whiteland;5;7;2;11;—;25
Columbus North (14-3): Kenna Conrad 1 0-0 3, Ava Wilson 2 0-0 5, Claire Finney 1 0-0 2, Riley Sims 3 0-0 6, Sydni Schiefer 0 0-0 0, Riley Hurt 0 0-0 0, Ava Kerber 0 0-0 0, Kaylie Harmon 4 0-0 11, Rian Strietelmeier 1 0-0 2, Miley McClellan 5 0-1 10, Avery Johnson 5 0-1 10, Hadley Andresen 0 0-0 0, Addy Wheatley 1 0-0 2, Bella Kintner 0 0-0 0. Totals: 24 0-2 53.
Whiteland (3-13): Isa Mendez 0 0-0 0, Ella Davis 1 2-2 5, Brynlee Moore 0 2-2 2, Marin Koch 0 0-0 0, Aurora Lightfoot 0 0-0 0, Anna Grills 0 0-0 0, Sarah Gilmour 3 0-0 8, Kyleigh Alexander 0 0-0 0, Bryanna Gillock 5 0-0 10. Totals: 9 4-8 25.
3-point goals: Columbus North 5 (Harmon 3, Conrad, Wilson). Whiteland 3 (Gilmour, Davis).
