Columbus East High School

The Columbus East boys basketball team fought hard Friday night (2/14) but couldn’t complete a comeback, falling 80-71 to Jennings County in a Hoosier Hills Conference matchup. The Olympians, who welcomed back three of their four injured players, found themselves in an early hole after the Panthers jumped out to an 11-0 lead and built a 20-4 advantage late in the first quarter. However, East responded, chipping away at the deficit to make it a 35-31 game by halftime. Momentum continued in the third quarter as the Olympians closed the gap to just one point at 42-41. Jennings County, though, regained control, stretching the lead back out and sealing the game with an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter. Despite the loss, Columbus East had several strong individual performances. Keaton Lawson led the team with 21 points and nine rebounds, while Carter Patterson added 18 points. Mason Reeves and Grayson Watters each contributed eight points, and Danny Coriden finished with seven. The Olympians’ defense worked to contain Jennings County’s top scorer, limiting his impact, but the Panthers found other ways to generate offense. With the loss, Columbus East moved to 11-9 overall and 2-4 in conference play. The Olympians will look to bounce back as they have two more regular season games before postseason play. The O's will travel to play the Madison Cubs(7-13) on Friday, February 21st and then host the Greensburg Pirates(11-8) on Tuesday, February 25th in the Orange Pit. IHSAA Sectional play begins Tuesday, March 4th. Columbus East hosts the 2025 IHSAA Sectional this year. The IHSAA Basketball Tournament pairing show will be selected February 23rd / 6-8 p.m.