Columbus East High School

Columbus East welcomed Hoosier Hills Conference rival Seymour to the Orange Pit on Saturday evening, but a strong opening burst was not enough to hold off the Owls, as the Olympians fell 57–50 in conference play. East showed early energy, forcing turnovers and converting in transition to build a 15–6 advantage in the opening minutes. That momentum, however, was short-lived. Seymour responded with a decisive run of its own, flipping the game’s tone and taking a 30–24 lead into halftime. The middle portion of the game briefly swung back in East’s favor. The Olympians regrouped in the third quarter and surged ahead 33–32 midway through the period. Seymour answered once again, closing the quarter on a strong note to reclaim control with a 43–38 edge heading into the final eight minutes. In the fourth quarter, the Owls gradually stretched the margin, pushing the lead to double digits late. East continued to compete and cut into the deficit, but the early Seymour separation proved too much to overcome. Rebounding and defensive consistency ultimately tilted the outcome. Seymour controlled the glass and capitalized on extended possessions, while East struggled to string together stops at key points in the game. Keaton Lawson led the Olympians with 18 points, attacking the basket and providing a spark throughout the night. Judah Lewis followed with 15 points, while Tony Cowan added seven before exiting late with an arm injury. Logan Neal and Graham Preizer each scored three points, with Ben Ellegood and Josiah Kiel contributing two points apiece. Despite the varsity setback, the night ended on a positive note for the program as the junior varsity Olympians earned a 41–35 victory over Seymour. Miles Broaddus and Jacob Thomas paced the scoring with 10 points each. Kam Robertson added nine, Connor Rodarte finished with seven, Ridge Koester and Jax Branaman chipped in two points apiece, and Zane Williams rounded out the scoring with one point. The Olympians will look to regroup and carry the competitive stretches from Saturday into their next outing, which is Friday, January 23rd when the Olympians make the trip to Scottsburg High School.