Columbus East High School

The Columbus East Olympian boys basketball team showed both its potential and its resilience Friday night, but the young O’s ultimately came up short in a 49–41 loss to cross-town rival Columbus North. East couldn’t have drawn up a better opening. The Olympians stormed out to a 13–1 lead, attacking on both ends and looking firmly in control early. That momentum, however, was abruptly stalled by foul trouble, as three key Olympians were forced to the bench in rapid succession. The disruption proved costly. East was held scoreless the rest of the first quarter and managed just six points in the second, turning an early advantage into a 24–19 deficit at halftime. Despite the struggles, Gavin Wilcox anchored East at the break with six points and five rebounds, keeping the Olympians within striking distance. The third quarter tested the freshmen again. Columbus North found its rhythm from beyond the arc while East continued to battle a cold shooting stretch. Early in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs had built a 17-point cushion, seemingly putting the game out of reach. But this Olympian group refused to fold. East cranked up the defensive pressure and played with urgency, trimming the deficit down to just four points with 30 seconds remaining. The comeback bid ran out of time, but the effort never wavered, and the fight shown in the closing minutes stood out. Several Olympians delivered strong performances. Wilcox finished with a near double-double, posting nine points and 10 rebounds. Eric Kiel added nine points and eight rebounds, while Frank Phillips led all East scorers with 12 points and three boards. Parker Jones chipped in seven points, with Luke Lienhoop and Tucker Day each scoring two. Early foul trouble and lineup adjustments disrupted East’s flow, but the effort and growth were evident. The Olympians played hard to the final buzzer and showed valuable grit in a rivalry environment. Columbus East will look to build on that experience when the Olympians return to action on January 3rd at 11 a.m. at Greenwood.