Columbus East’s Keaton Lawson, right, looks to drive against Columbus North’s Garrett Long during the annual crosstown rivalry game Dec. 15, 2023 at Columbus East.
With about six weeks to go in the boys basketball regular season, here is an outlook for the three IHSAA-member Bartholomew County schools heading into the latter half of the season:
Columbus East
The Perry Nash Era for Columbus East has gotten off to a better start than many previously expected. The young Olympians have pulled off three huge comeback wins against Whiteland, Columbus North and Bloomington South this season. They’ve already doubled their win total from last year as they sit at 4-9 just past the halfway mark heading into Saturday’s Hoosier Hills Conference game at Jeffersonville.
East’s overtime loss to Seymour Saturday hurt their chances at winning the HHC title, sitting at 0-2 in conference play. However, the Olympians still have four conference games remaining and can have the opportunity to pull off another upset.
East hasn’t won a sectional title since 1996 when the state was still in a single-class system. The Olympians won’t be considered the favorite to win the East Central Sectional after losses to both sectional-favorite Franklin and Shelbyville already. They still have time to change many outsiders’ minds and can do that by stringing together more upset wins and putting together a winning streak.
Columbus North
The senior-less Bull Dogs have had their ups and downs for most of the season thus far. North has been banged up for much of the season, and getting healthy is a big priority if they want to pick up more wins down the stretch. The Bull Dogs currently sit at 4-8 heading into Saturday’s home game with Perry Meridian.
Columbus North’s chances of winning the Conference Indiana title took a hit with a loss to Terre Haute North on Jan 5. However, the Bull Dogs are still in the thick of it with the other five schools all having one loss in the conference, as well. It’s no doubt Columbus North will have to run the table and win against Southport, Bloomington South and Bloomington North to set up the possible CI showdown with the Terre Haute South on Feb. 24.
While the Bull Dogs are still in the conference chase, their chances aren’t great of repeating as sectional champions. North can change that course with games against sectional opponents Whiteland, East Central and Franklin. If the Bull Dogs are victorious in those three contests, along with stringing together a winning streak, they’ll be back in the mix as a contender for the sectional crown.
Hauser
Talent-wise, this is the best team the Jets have assembled since the 2017-18 season when they went 17-7 and were one of the top teams in Class A. This year’s Hauser team, also without any seniors, has a strong chance of matching or surpassing that win total. The Jets currently are 10-3 heading into Friday’s Mid-Hoosier Conference matchup with Waldron.
Hauser still is undefeated in the Mid-Hoosier Conference at 3-0. The Jets should run the table and become an undefeated conference champion for the first time since 2018 with games against Waldron, South Decatur and Southwestern (Shelby) left to play.
The Class 2A Sectional at South Ripley will be quite interesting. Hauser lost to the sectional host 61-47 at home back on Dec. 8, and the sectional will be played in the Raiders’ home gym. There won’t be a ton of pressure on the Jets heading into the sectional, with many outside of Hope assuming South Ripley is the favorite. However, according to the lastest Jeff Sagarin rating, Hauser would be a two-point favorite over the Raiders if the teams played today. Regardless of numbers and stats, if and when these two teams collide in the sectional, it likely will be a much different game than the one played on Dec. 8.
