The game became fun for Seymour’s boys basketball team in the fourth quarter on Saturday night.

The ball moved freely. Shots began to fall. In fact, the Owls scored 25 points during the period and outscored visiting Columbus North by seven.

The problem for Seymour was everything that happened prior to those final 8 minutes.

First-half turnovers and foul trouble, a difficult two-point third quarter and an inscrutable North zone defense proved to be too great a counterweight for the Owls’ fourth-quarter effectiveness.

The Bull Dogs (1-2) built a 19-point buffer while Seymour struggled, allowing them to withstand the Owls’ late offensive awakening and ease to a 52-40 win.

“We just didn’t engage offensively,” Seymour head coach Kirk Manns said. “Thirteen points in the first half and (two) points in the third quarter, that’s a problem. We have to be more assertive.”

While shooting 28% from the field (6-for-21), Seymour turned the ball over 13 times (compared to North’s three) and ceded 12 foul shots (North made nine of them) during the first three periods.

In the third quarter, North’s defense reached peak stinginess. Seymour endured a 7-minute scoreless drought before scoring its only bucket with a minute left in the period.

“We have to be more creative and have more imagination against zone defenses,” Manns said. “Playing against zones is tough because you have to find the openings, you have to find the gaps, you have to understand when to get behind it, when to reverse it. We were unable to put the ball where it needed to go, especially on time. When we got it there, we didn’t have good looks at the basket.”

In the fourth quarter, the Owls loosened up, making 9-of-13 shots. Senior Landon Fritsch scored eight points during that span with junior Bret Perry adding seven.

“In the fourth quarter, we were more assertive,” Manns said. “We played and we fought. We were playing on both ends of the court. That was a positive.”

Sophomore Jaylan Johnson was Seymour’s best option around the basket in the first half and scored a team-high 12 points. Fritsch ended with 10 points, while Perry finished with nine.

Though his team struggled offensively, Manns said he was pleased with a defensive effort that held North to 18 first-half points, especially Johnson’s work on Bull Dog senior Cooper Horn.

“Defensively, we were solid for the most part,” Manns said. “We were in the right spots. Cooper Horn is one of the best offensive players we’ll see all year, and Jaylan did a nice job on him. You’ve got to give him a lot of credit. He fought, he was physical, but he was also cerebral in how he took away (Horn’s) strengths.”

Horn led North with a game-high 14 points, including 10-for-10 from the foul line.

Saturday’s loss dropped Seymour to 0-2 on the season with a tough double weekend against Brownstown Central and Franklin on this week’s schedule.

“We have to figure out our identity,” Manns said. “We’ve got a senior class that has a lot of experience, and they’re going to have to lead the way.”

Box score

At Seymour

North 52, Seymour 40

Columbus North (1-2);10;8;16;18;—;52

Seymour (0-2);7;6;2;25;—;40

Columbus North: Cooper Horn 2 10-10 14, Luke Harman 3 4-5 10, Ty Ferguson 3 2-7 10, Tyler Blythe 2 2-2 8, Drew Schiefer 3 1-1 7, Max Coomes 1 0-0 2, Zach Horn 0 1-2 1, Damon Edwards 0 0-0 0, Phillip McKinley 0 0-0 0, Blake Osbourne 0 0-2 0, Nate Enneking 0 0-0 0, Totals 14 20-29 52

Seymour: Jaylan Johnson 5 2-3 12, Landon Fritsch 3 3-4 10, Bret Perry 4 0-0 9, Eli Meyer 2 0-0 4, Charlie Longmeier 1 0-0 3, Ethan Silcox 0 2-2 2, Michael Brooks 0 0-0 0, Josh Rennekamp 0 0-0 0, Brady Harpe 0 0-0 0, Evan Smith 0 0-0 0, Cory Robinson 0 0-0 0, AJ Harrell 0 0-0 0, Totals 15 7-9 40

3-point goals: North 4 (Blythe 2, Ferguson 2), Seymour 3 (Longmeier, Perry, Fritsch)

Rebounds: North 16, Seymour 23 (Meyer 8, Johnson 5, Perry 4, Fritsch 3, Brooks 2, Silcox)

Turnovers: North 5, Seymour 14

Fouls: North 12, Seymour 21

Junior varsity

North 48, Seymour 30

Seymour: Brady Harpe 15, Parker Thompson 6, AJ Harrell 4, Ross Pumphrey 3, Ty Tormoehlen 2

Freshman

North 47, Seymour 23

Seymour: Nate Fritsch 7, Traysean Hawkins 4, Evan Unterseher 4, Mack Longmeier 3, Tyson Hillian 3, Nolan Bartels 2