Columbus East’s Zane Moravec drives against Greensburg at Columbus East, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022.
Paige Grider | For The Republic
Greensburg put away Tuesday night’s game at Columbus East in a hurry.
The visiting Pirates gave the Olympians a double-digit deficit within the first couple minutes of the game and didn’t look back to hand East a 79-47 boys basketball loss.
“I think the (Columbus) North game (Friday) gut punched them, and they just haven’t recovered from it, so now they’ve got to figure it out their way,” East coach Brent Chitty said. “We’ll try to adjust some things. Numbers don’t lie, so we’re going to have to make some adjustments. Players that can understand those adjustments will probably play, and those that probably can’t, won’t play. You’ve got to look at what’s best for the team.”
Greensburg (3-2) went quick offensively, and the Olympians (1-7) couldn’t keep up as they trailed 11-0 in the first couple minutes. East also allowed many second-chance points and missed shots on offense that led to a 19-4 deficit after the first quarter.
It didn’t get much easier for the Olympians in the second quarter when they allowed a 14-3 Pirates run during a stretch in the second quarter to face their largest deficit of the game at 42-14. A 3-pointer from Zane Moravec at the buzzer made it 42-18 at the half.
East started knocking a few perimeter shots, and it cut the lead to 45-30. That would be as close as the Olympians would get, and Greensburg finished the quarter on a 12-3 run to make it 57-33 heading into the fourth quarter.
For East, Moravec led the way with 13 points, including three 3-pointers. Jackson Fischvogt finished with four 3-pointers for 12 points, and Ben Sylva added 10 points.
For Greensburg, Ki Dyer and Jack McKinsey finished with 25 and 23 points, respectively.
The Olympians now have 20 days because of the holidays until their next game. It’s a much-needed break to regroup and recover as they head into the final two months of the regular season.
“I love these guys a lot. I’m not going to give up on them,” Chitty said. “I’ve got to try to figure it out. The buck stops here, so it’s on me. I‘ve got to try to figure it out, and I’m going to work hard to try to do that for these kids. You’ve got to keep working.”
Greensburg 79, Columbus East 47
Greensburg;19;23;15;19;—;79
Columbus East;4;14;15;14;—;47
Greensburg (3-2): Ki Dyer 10 1-2 25, Jack McKinsey 8 3-3 23, Addison Barnes-Pettit 5 0-0 10, Justin Adkins 4 0-0 8, Bradley Lutz 1 2-2 4, Bryce Stringer 0 2-2 2, Grainger Maxwell 1 0-0 2. Totals: 31 8-9 79.
Columbus East (1-7): Mason Reeves 0 0-0 0, Zane Moravec 5 0-0 13, Jackson Fischvogt 4 0-0 12, Ben Sylva 3 3-3 10, Keaton Lawson 1 0-0 2, Daniel Coriden 0 0-0 0, Pete Coriden 0 1-2 2, Julius Dailey 4 0-0 9, Ethna Bumbalough 0 0-0 0. Totals: 17 4-5 47.
3-point goals: Greensburg 8 (Dyer 4, McKinsey 4); Columbus East 9 (Fischvogt 4, Moravec 3, Sylva, Dailey).
