Struggling Owls taken down by Bull Dogs in home game

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In an emotional regular season finale for the Columbus North basketball team, Seymour couldn’t fire on any cylinders.

The Owls struggled on offense, committing 20 turnovers, before falling 69-38 at home Wednesday.

Prior to the game, both teams locked arms in the middle, and there was a moment of silence for Bull Dog’s senior Josh Speidel.

Players and fans from both sides wore #JoshStrong shirts to support the injured athlete.

In the first quarter, the Bull Dogs jumped to an 8-2 lead with five minutes on the clock behind 3-pointers by Kooper Glick and Zach Green.

While the Owls’ Isaiah Thomas added a basket on the next possession, the Bull Dogs then went on a 6-0 run to build a 14-6 lead.

From the start, Glick came out on an offensive tear scoring nine of the Bull Dogs’ 17 points. He added his final basket of the quarter with five seconds left as the Bull Dogs led 17-8

The Owls offense flew south in the second quarter, as Toriek Miller’s pair of made free throws were the only two points before half time.

“I thought we were in their gaps pretty well for a while there,” Bull Dogs coach Jason Speer said. “We were also able to contain Miller for an extended period of time, we made sure every shot was tough.”

On the Bull Dogs’ first possession in the second, Vince Grana opened with a 3-pointer.

Green added another 3-pointer, on the very next possession, to give the Bull Dogs a 23-8 lead at the 7:04 mark.

Following one free throw by Miller, the Bull Dogs went on a 9-1 run to lead 34-10 at half.

Following halftime, the Bull Dogs continued to establish their inside game with Marquis Humes, Alex King and Stephon Peters-Smith.

The Owls were able to get all their points from their post-players Isaiah Thomas and Ryan Wieneke.

However, the Bull Dogs’ combination of size inside, and outside shooting, allowed the Bull Dogs to outscore the Owls 17-11 before the final eight minutes of play.

“Working the ball inside is kind of what we want to do at this point,” Speer said. “Once we establish the inside game we were able to get some wide open threes.”

With a 53-21 lead, the Bull Dogs coasted to their second-straight win.

“They just kicked our butt, there’s just not a whole lot more you can say,” Owls coach Kyle Clough said. “I thought, defensively, they really stifled our penetration and took away some things we usually get. They were also able to get out and run a little bit.”

Glick led the Bull Dogs with 26 points, Trent Larson added 12 and Humes finished with 11.

Of the Bull Dogs’ 21 boards, Alex King pulled down eight rebounds.

The Bull Dogs had 10 turnovers while forcing the Owls to double that amount.

“I thought we weren’t very good defensively, and I don’t know what the deal was,” Clough said. “I didn’t think our energy level was very good. We just didn’t look like we were ready to go. That falls on me. I just thought they were a lot better than us tonight.”

The Owls were led by Miller’s nine points while Thomas and Wieneke added four rebounds each to the team’s 26 total boards.

On Tuesday, the Bull Dogs (16-7) will open sectional play against Bloomington South.

“We wanted to keep the momentum from our last game against Bloomington North,” Speer said. “We wanted to take care of business and we did. There’s some things we need to work on but we’re looking forward to the sectional.”

On Friday, the Owls (8-12) will conclude their season when Silver Creek comes to town.

“It’s going to be another tough challenge,” Clough said. “Silver Creek is every bit as good as (North). We’re going to have to come out and compete and take care of the basketball better. We can’t get run off our court defensively when that’s something we’ve been good at all season.”

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