Columbus North’s Olivia Johnson, right, looks for an opening against Roncalli’s Elliot Leffler during a basketball game at Columbus North High School in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Roncalli made Columbus North forget about its senior night festivities in a hurry.
The Royals hit 11 3-pointers, including eight in the first half, to end this game quickly as the Bull Dogs fell 66-40 on senior night in the regular-season finale.
“I’m definitely going to miss the team, going to miss the girls,” North senior Olivia Johnson said. “We all got pretty close this season, and I’m definitely going to miss the bond and hanging out with them.”
Johnson and senior teammate Kaitlin White have played together since fifth grade at St. Peter’s.
“It was definitely not the results we wanted. Overall, it was really emotional, but we still have some season left,” White said. “(Olivia and I) played together for a long time. Over the years, we’ve grown closer as teammates and as friends.”
Roncalli (13-8) opened up the game with four 3-pointers to take a 12-2 lead midway through the opening quarter. The Bull Dogs (11-12) got it to within 14-7 after the quarter.
That was as close as North would get. The Royals opened the second quarter on an 18-2 run to lead 32-9.
“They obviously came out and shot the ball well,” North coach Brett White said. “We tried to play a bit of zone early to keep them out of their flow, but they made some shots, and made us have to go man, and they continued to make shots. When they do that, they’re a really good basketball team.”
The Bull Dogs have a week to prepare for their next game after drawing a bye in the Class 4A Whiteland Sectional. They will take on the winner of Tuesday’s Franklin-Shelbyville game in the second semifinal game at around 7:30 p.m. Feb. 2.
Roncalli 66, Columbus North 40
Roncalli;14;23;15;14;—;66
Columbus North;7;9;15;9;—;40
Roncalli (13-8): Sara Rosko 1 0-2 3, Natalie Lehner 1 0-0 2, Lydia Stahley 3 0-0 6, Claire Lindsey 5 0-0 14, Eva Hurrle 0 0-0 0, Jasmine Horsman 1 0-0 2, Aubrey Silcox 1 0-0 2, Catie Resko 0 0-0 0, Brennah Cerny 0 0-2 0, Taylor Turk 6 0-0 14, Emma Scott 0 0-0 0, Elliot Leffler 5 0-0 13, Reagan Turk 3 3-4 10, Kalise Gutierrez 0 0-0 0, Bennie Leffler 0 0-0 0. Totals: 26 3-8 66.
Columbus North (11-12): Ava Wilson 1 0-0 3, Olivia Johnson 0 0-0 0, Riley Sims 1 0-0 3, Audrey Nordman 0 0-0 0, Kaylie Harmon 9 3-4 23, Paige Terry 0 0-0 0, Kaitlin White 0 1-2 1, Miley McClellan 3 1-2 7, Avery Johnson 0 1-2 1, Sydney Johnson 1 0-0 2, Emma Beaver 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 6-10 40.
3-point goals: Roncalli 11 (Lindsey 4, E. Leffler 3, T. Turk 2, S. Rosko, R. Turk); Columbus North 4 (Harmon 2, Wilson, Sims).
