Columbus North’s Ty Ferguson, center, takes a jumper at North’s Memorial Gymnasium against Bloomington South Feb. 11, 2022.
Greg Jones | For The Republic
Columbus North is one win away from claiming the Conference Indiana title outright after it took care of business and defeated visiting Bloomington South in a wire-to-wire 56-46 win.
The Panthers never gave up in the end. They eventually cut the deficit 41-39 at one point late in the third quarter, but the Bull Dogs got the push in the fourth quarter to eventually close out the victory with a 7-0 run.
“We knew that B-South was going to make it a fight,” North junior Cooper Horn said. “Over the couple games, we haven’t been battle-tested. We have been, but it was when we were up double figures. Tonight, when they cut it to two, we all knew we had to stay together and stay positive. We knew that with our defense intensity and ability to finish games down the stretch with great free throw shooting, we knew we’d be in good shape.”
The win gives the Bull Dogs (15-5, 4-0) a nine-game winning streak. With the win, it will be a winner-take-all for the undefeated Conference Indiana title at Bloomington North on Friday. The Cougars defeated Terre Haute North 59-55 Friday night to remain unbeaten in the conference.
“We play really well in practice. We compete super-well,” North senior Sam King said. “Whether it’s drills or even with the JV, anything won’t come easy. We’re willing to fight for it. (Bloomington South) was a really good test for us. Nothing came easy, and we had to fight for it. I think we did a really good job. We got to stay calm and collected for next week’s game. We know they’re good, but we got to keep doing what we’re doing. We’re on a roll, but we can’t let up.”
For the Bull Dogs, King finished with a game-high 20 points, and Horn added 17. Free throws were huge for North, especially down the stretch. They finished 11 for 12 from the charity stripe.
“The big thing was that our execution down the stretch was outstanding and then we went 11 of 12 from the free throw line,” North coach Paul Ferguson said. “When you shoot free throws at that level, you’re going to win a lot of close basketball games. Our guys have really worked in the mornings coming in early to shoot extra free throws, and it’s paid off for us.”
Patrick Joyce led the Panthers (14-6, 2-3) with 12 points, and Rhett Johnson added 11.
