Columbus East High School

The Columbus East Olympian girls basketball team made the trip to Seymour on Thursday night for a Hoosier Hills Conference battle and walked off the floor with a tough one-point loss, falling to the Seymour Owls 44–43 in a game that wasn’t decided until the final moments. Points were hard to come by early for the Olympians, who managed just three points in the opening quarter as Seymour edged ahead 6–3. East found a better rhythm in the second period, scoring 10 points, but the Owls used a 16-point quarter to take a 22–13 lead into halftime. The game flipped coming out of the locker room. Columbus East delivered its best stretch of the night in the third quarter, erupting for 20 points while holding Seymour to just seven. That surge swung momentum and put the Olympians right back in control heading to the fourth. The final frame turned into a back-and-forth fight. Both teams traded scores, and the lead changed hands multiple times down the stretch. With the clock winding down and the score tight, Seymour was able to convert in the closing seconds, leaving East just short in a 44–43 finish. Kenzie Cheek led the Olympians offensively with 15 points. Ella Anthis followed with 12 points, while Lola Watkins added nine. Brelyn Pool chipped in four points, and Allison Halstead rounded out the scoring with three. It was a gut-punch loss for Columbus East, but the third-quarter response and balanced scoring showed the fight this group has. One possession was the difference—sometimes that’s the truth of conference basketball. The challenge now is simple: learn from it, regroup, and be ready the next time the clock is ticking. The Olympians are back in action Tuesday, January 13th when they travel to another HHC opponent in the Bedford North-Lawrence Stars. JV tip time is 6 p.m., followed by the varsity contest. Good luck, Olympians!