Columbus East High School

The Columbus East JV boys basketball team showed real grit Tuesday night in the Orange Pit, turning a tough first half into a comeback victory over Franklin Community. Franklin Community came out firing from deep, burying nine three-pointers in the first half. Even with the Grizzly Cubs raining shots from beyond the arc, the Olympians refused to fold. Columbus East answered with four triples of its own and stayed within striking distance, trailing just 37–26 at halftime. The tone of the game flipped coming out of the locker room. Columbus East turned up the defensive pressure in the third quarter, holding Franklin to just nine points and allowing only one three-pointer to fall. On the other end, the Olympians attacked with confidence and balance, pouring in 23 points to seize a 49–46 lead by the end of the quarter. That momentum carried into the fourth. Columbus East continued to play connected basketball on both ends of the floor, controlling the tempo and finishing the night strong to close out a 64–58 win. The comeback was fueled by balanced scoring across the lineup. Ridge Koester led the way with 13 points, followed by Carson Siegelin with 12 and Miles Broaddus with 11. Kamron Robertson added 10 points, Jax Branaman chipped in eight, Connor Rodarte scored five, Hudson Ley added three, and Jacob Thomas rounded out the scoring with two. After weathering an early three-point storm, the JV Olympians responded with toughness, discipline, and team basketball—turning a challenging night into a rewarding comeback win.