Basketball Game Preview: Connersville Spartans vs. Columbus North Bull Dogs

The Connersville Spartans will square off against the Columbus North Bull Dogs at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Connersville has struggled recently with four losses in a row, while Columbus North will arrive with five straight victories.

Last Saturday, Connersville came up short against Centerville and fell 50-43.

Connersville might have lost, but man, Jadan Peterson was a machine: he went 7 for 11 en route to 21 points and five assists. Those 21 points gave Peterson a new career-high. Maddox Rees was another key player, putting up 11 points.

Meanwhile, in a tight game that could have gone either way, Columbus North made off with a 65-64 win over Whiteland. Given the Bull Dogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 40th, while the Warriors are ranked 130th), the result on Saturday wasn't entirely unexpected.

Columbus North has also been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.4 points per game. As for Connersville, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-10.

Connersville was able to grind out a solid victory over Columbus North in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, winning 56-48. The rematch might be a little tougher for Connersville since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.