Columbus East High School

Columbus East Aux Gym— The Columbus East freshman boys basketball team delivered a dominant performance Tuesday night, riding a suffocating defensive effort to a decisive 51-18 victory over the Mooresville Pioneers. From the opening tip, the game belonged to the Olympians. Coach Hunter described the first quarter as a "firestorm," as the young O's utilized relentless full-court pressure to overwhelm the Pioneers. The defense forced a staggering 14 steals in the opening period alone, fueling an improbable 29-0 run to start the game. With the game firmly in hand, East carried a 33-6 lead into halftime. Parker Jones was the catalyst for the early surge, racking up 12 points and 6 steals by the break. The large lead allowed Coach Hunter to utilize his full bench for the majority of the contest. The starters played just over one quarter, handing the reins to the reserves who maintained control for the remainder of the night. It was a true team effort, with all 13 rostered players seeing floor time and 10 of them finding the scoring column. Jones led the balanced attack with 12 points, followed closely by Frank Phillips who added 11. Luke Lienhoop chipped in 7 points, and Dane Hoopingarner finished with 6. Scoring Summary: Parker Jones: 12 Frank Phillips: 11 Luke Lienhoop: 7 Dane Hoopingarner: 6 Gavin Wilcox: 4 Jakobi Noble: 4 Jayden Wilcox: 2 Cam Kibler: 2 Matt Muir: 2 Cooper Koons: 1 Up Next The victory moves the Olympians' record to 10-6 on the season. They return to the court this Saturday to host the Hoosier Hills Conference (HHC) freshman tournament. East will open tourney play against Jennings County at 10:00 a.m. at Columbus East.