By Bubba Harnist
Staff Writer
INDIANAPOLIS â??? Heading into its Jan. 28 Conference Indiana showdown at Franklin Central, Class
4A No. 10 Columbus North was in a bit of a tailspin. The Bull Dogs had lost two
games in a row and three of four, this after having won 12 straight.
The
tailspin seems to be in the rearview mirror now following a convincing 71-53
win over a tough Flashes team.
â??Itâ??s been
a rough last couple of weeks for us,â? said Columbus North coach Debbie Marr. â??We
know we can play better than we have been playing.
â??The loss
to Madison (65-60
on the road two days earlier) was a real wake-up call for us.â?
Columbus
North started the game strong with a 5-0 run trigged by defense â??? the Bull Dogs
forced Franklin Central to turn the ball over on two of its first three
possessions. In fact, both teams were sloppy in the beginning, with the Flashes
committing four turnovers in the first five minutes compared with six for
Columbus North.
The first
quarter ultimately belonged to Columbus North senior Stacie Brown. Brown scored
12 straight points for the Bull Dogs on three 3-pointers and a three-point
play. After one quarter, Columbus North was up, 21-16.
The second
quarter was all about runs. Columbus North started the quarter with a basket
from junior Brittany Bowen en route to a 7-0 run, stretching the Bull Dogsâ??
lead to 30-16 with 5:49 left. Again, it was the defense making things happen as
North forced the Flashes into turnovers on their first 3 possessions.
Franklin
Central didnâ??t get its first points of the second stanza until a free throw by
senior Katie Dewey with 5:35 left. That started a 5-0 run by the Flashes, who
were able to cut the lead to 30-21 with 4:00 to go.
Columbus
North responded with another 7-0 run that stretched its lead to 16 with 2:45
left in the half before FC senior Nevada Carr ended the run with a free throw
with 1:34 left. A couple baskets by junior Nicole James allowed the Flashes to
end the half on an 8-0 run, cutting the Bull Dogsâ?? halftime lead to 37-29.
With the Bull
Dogs struggling like they had been the last few games, one had to wonder how
they would respond in the second half. The answer? Nicely.
A basket
from Bowen 30 seconds into the half got Columbus North going, but that was the
extent of the scoring between the two teams for the first four minutes of the
quarter.
The next
basket didnâ??t come until the 3:59 mark, when the Bull Dogs got another bucket
from Bowen to stretch their lead to 41-29. Those two baskets by Bowen were the
key to a 7-0 run Columbus North used to start the quarter.
Franklin
Central didnâ??t get its first basket till 2:33 remained when senior Katie Dewey
hit a 3-pointer. Columbus North dominated the third quarter, outscoring
Franklin Central 14-5 en route to a comfortable 17-point lead after three,
51-34.
The
Flashes refused to give up, though. A free throw by Bowen started a 6-0 run
that was fueled by a 3-pointer from Dewey, and the Flashes began to press,
forcing two straight turnovers. But the FC glimmer of hope would soon
disappear.
Columbus
North began to figure out the press and got easy baskets in addition to forcing
turnovers on the defensive end, and the closest Franklin Central would get the
rest of the way was 14 points.
Marr
thought defense was the key to the game.
â??They like
to shoot the three,â? she said. â??We were trying to contain their 3-point
shooting, which we did because we were able to contain the guards and get a
hand in their face.
â??Getting off
to the quick start also helped us a lot.â?
The win
moves Columbus North (14-4 overall, 6-3 Conference Indiana) into sole possession of third place
in the conference after entering the day tied with Franklin Central (14-6, 5-4).
Deweyâ??s 16
points paced the Flashes, who had two other double-figure scorers in Katie
Hacker (12 points) and James (10).
Brown led the
way for the Bull Dogs with a game-high 24 points. Bowen (19 points) and Desiree
Mumphrey (12) also reached double figures for North.
Marr noted
that putting three players in double figures was a good sign.
â??They play
aggressive defense â??? we wanted to take care of the ball and limit turnovers,â?
she said. â??We moved without the ball and ran the offense the way we are supposed
to.
â??We have a
number of people capable of scoring, and today some people stepped up.â?
Both teams
are back in action Jan. 31. Franklin Central hosts conference foe Lawrence
North, while Columbus North travels to Whiteland.
With
sectionals just 10 days away, Marr and the Bull Dogs seem to have regained some
of their mojo.
â??We feel
confident,â? she said. â??The three losses shook us up, but it taught us we have
to come ready everyday.
â??We canâ??t
just step on the floor â??? we have to be ready to play.â?
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