Columbus East High School

BEDFORD, IN — The Columbus East freshman boys basketball team backed up the varsity effort in Bedford on Thursday night, leaning on timely scoring and relentless defense to secure a 40–35 win over Bedford North-Lawrence. The Olympians came out sharp, with Frank Phillips setting the tone early by scoring seven points in the opening quarter. East held a slim 13–11 lead after one, but the Stars answered before halftime, knocking down five three-pointers to knot the game at 24–24 at the break. After intermission, the young O’s made defense the priority. Dane Hoopingarner sparked the turnaround with five steals, while Parker Jones controlled the paint and cleaned up the glass. The pressure paid off, as East limited Bedford to just five points in the third quarter. With the game tied late in the fourth, Columbus East turned up the intensity once more. The Olympians forced turnovers on three straight Bedford possessions, all of which led directly to points. Phillips capitalized, scoring seven clutch points in the closing stretch to put the game away. Phillips led all scorers with 22 points, while Jones added seven points and four rebounds. Owen Hatfield chipped in four points, Gavin Wilcox scored three, Jayden Wilcox had two, and Hoopingarner rounded out the scoring with two. Now 5–3 on the season, the freshman Olympians won’t have long to celebrate, as they head to Floyd Central this afternoon for a 4:30 p.m. conference matchup.