By Mike McGraw
Executive Director
PLAINFIELD – It has been a difficult year for Columbus East. Long-time coach Steve Brunes was forced to take a leave of absence to deal with a family illness; that, of course, cast a shadow of uncertainty over the campaign.
The young Olympians have lost close games and played the usual rugged Hoosier Hills Conference schedule. Entering the regular-season finale at Plainfield, they stood just 5-15 on the season.
To make matters worse, East is looking at the prospect of facing the Class 4A top-ranked Bloomington South Panthers – they of the 46-game winning streak – in a Sectional 14 semifinal March 5 at Columbus North.
Despite all of the adversity, the Olympians looked like anything but a deflated or defeated basketball team Feb. 26. They battled the bigger Quakers on the boards and outplayed the hosts in most other phases of the game to post a 67-47 victory.
In his first year at Plainfield, coach Clay Bolser has instilled a clear style of play in his Plainfield squad: speed, up the tempo, and attack the basket. The Quakers did both quite well in the first quarter against Columbus East.
The Quakers found driving lanes versus East’s man-to-man defense and controlled the offensive glass to close on a 9-4 run and hold a 17-16 advantage after eight minutes.
Olympian assistant coach Mark Meier responded by putting his charges into a 2-3 zone at the beginning of the second stanza. The move was as much to slow the tempo of the game as anything else. But it proved to be the magic potion for Columbus East.
The Os held the Quakers to just eight points in the quarter and only two over the final five minutes. It allowed the Olympians to grab a two-point, 27-25 halftime lead despite frigid shooting in the period.
The visitor’s offense did not struggle in the third quarter as Columbus East threw 17 points on the board during the period, its zone continuing to confound Plainfield. The margin had expanded to 44-34 entering the fourth quarter, forcing the Quakers into a press midway through the final eight minutes.
It nearly brought them back. Trailing 48-36, Plainfield went on a 9-4 run that included three more missed opportunities to score. Those came back to haunt the hosts as Columbus East made it into the bonus with four minutes remaining and was able to seal the verdict from the charity stripe.
In fact, the Olympians closed the game on an 11-0 run.
Guards Josh McDonald and Nate Rich led Columbus East with 17 points each, while Plainfield 6’4” junior Chris Page took game-high honors with 22 markers. The Quakers close at 7-14 and look forward to an opening-round home battle at 6 p.m. ET March 2 with Terre Haute North in Sectional 13 play.
The box score:
Columbus East 16 11 17 23 – 67
Plainfield 17 8 9 13 – 47
Columbus East: McDonald 17, Rich 17, Imlay 12, Kelley 10, Renshaw 6, Maley 3, Harris 2, Galle 0, Thompson 0
Plainfield: Page 22, Johnson 8, Cox 7, Smith 6, Hanna 2, Walker 2, Brackney 0, Jones 0, Mershon 0, Wheeler 0
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