The Columbus East Olympians's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their fourth straight loss. They fell to Shelbyville 59-53. Columbus East lost against Shelbyville in their previous head to head back in January of 2023, too, but the margin this time around was much wider than the 50-49 score last time.
Despite the loss, Columbus East saw an underclassman step up: Keaton Lawson scored 20 points along with five rebounds. That's the first time this season that Lawson scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Carter Patterson, who scored eight points along with seven rebounds and five assists.
Shelbyville's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Mar Nicholson led the charge by scoring 19 points along with five rebounds. That makes it five consecutive games in which Nicholson has scored at least 25% of Shelbyville's points. Another player making a difference was Caden Claxton, who scored 17 points.
Columbus East's defeat dropped their record down to 3-7. As for Shelbyville, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 9-4.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Columbus East will take on Bloomington South at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. As for Shelbyville, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Pendleton Heights at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
