Columbus North’s Kaylie Harmon, shoots over Whiteland’s Susannah Grills during an IHSAA girls sectional semifinal basketball game at Columbus East High School in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. Harmon scored her 1000th point for Columbus North during the game.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
If the Columbus North girls basketball team gets off to a hot start again on Saturday like it did Friday night, a nine-year sectional drought could come to an end.
But the Bull Dogs will have to play better in the second and third quarters than they did Friday to have a chance when they play East Central at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Columbus East Sectional final.
North forced turnovers on Whiteland’s first six possessions, leading to layups on the offensive end. The Bull Dogs built a 16-0 lead to start the game and a 27-8 first quarter lead and cruised to an 80-48 semifinal victory.
“I felt like we had a great week of practice, a great week of preparation. We were locked in, and we were really focused with energy, and that carried over into the game,” North coach Brett White said. “I thought we shared the basketball and made extra passes, so I was really pleased with our start.”
Two minutes into the game, North junior Kaylie Harmon reached the historic mark of 1,000 career points. Harmon finished with a game-high 20 points.
“It’s been a goal,” Harmon said. “Ever since my freshman year, I laid out what I wanted my four years of high school to look like, and personally, it was one of my main goals, and it was honestly really fun to be able to celebrate with my teammates at the time.”
The Bull Dogs (18-6) might have gotten too comfortable with their 43-16 halftime lead. The Warriors (6-17) cut the deficit almost in half late in the third quarter to make it 53-38. A 3-pointer by Harmon toward the end of the third made it 56-38, and North led 56-39 heading into the fourth.
“I think we came out and we got fed up with their pressure up top, but I think as long as we slowed it down and got into our flow of the game, we were able to play our game and not play their game,” Harmon said. “That’s what got us settled in.”
After two free throws from Whiteland made it 56-41, North went on an 18-4 run to close out the game.
The Bull Dogs had 10 players scores in the game, with five players in double figures. In addition to Harmon’s 20 points, Kenna Conrad finished with 13, Ava Wilson had 11, Riley Sims and Avery Johnson added 10 apiece, and Miley McClellan had seven points and nine rebounds.
“Overall, I am very pleased with how we shared the basketball,” White said. “What makes us good is the fact we do have people that score and not just at one or two spots, so I hope that’s what will make us hard to defend.”
Saturday’s final will be a rematch of last year’s sectional final won by the Trojans at North. The teams have split a pair of meetings this season.
Columbus North 80, Whiteland 48
Columbus North;27;16;13;24;—;80
Whiteland;8;8;23;9;—;48
Columbus North (18-6): Kenna Conrad 5 2-2 13, Ava Wilson 5 1-3 11, Claire Finney 1 0-2 2, Riley Sims 4 0-0 10, Sydni Schiefer 1 1-1 3, Ava Kerber 0 0-0 0, Kaylie Harmon 9 0-0 20, Rian Strietelmeier 1 0-0 2, Miley McClellan 3 0-0 7, Avery Johnson 4 2-2 10, Hadley Andresen 0 0-0 0, Addy Wheatley 1 0-0 2. Totals: 34 6-10 80.
Whiteland (6-17): Kyleigh Alexander 0 0-0 0, Isabella Mendez 0 0-0 0, Ella Davis 2 1-2 7, Adriane Gieseking 2 0-0 5, Brynlee Moore 1 1-2 4, Marin Koch 2 0-0 4, Aurora Lightfoot 0 0-0 0, Susannah Grills 0 0-0 0, Mahek Ghuman 0 0-0 0, Sarah Gilman 3 0-0 6, Sophia Dyer 4 6-7 14, Bryanna Gillock 4 0-0 8. Totals: 18 8-11 48.
3-point goals: Columbus North 6 (Sims 2, Harmon 2, Conrad, McClellan). Whiteland 4 (Davis 2, Gieseking, Moore).
