As goes the defense, so goes Seymour’s boys basketball team.

That correlation was once again on display Saturday night during the Owls’ convincing 44-32 victory over Columbus East.

The Olympians entered the contest scoring 50 points per game but didn’t score their 20th point against the Owls’ stingy defense until midway through the fourth quarter.

By that point, Seymour owned a 40-21 lead and was well on its way to winning for the fourth time in the last six games and for the first time this season in the Hoosier Hills Conference.

“We’ve really started to make strides defensively,” Seymour coach Kirk Manns said. “We’re finding a tempo to play defensively, and it has steadily improved since the Jeffersonville game.”

Before taking on Jeffersonville in early December, the Owls (4-8, 1-3 HHC) were allowing a gaudy 62 points per game. Since then, they’re yielding just 45 and have kept their last four opponents under 44 points.

Saturday’s 32 points represent the low mark for Seymour’s defense this season, bettering its previous best effort (against Charlestown) by four points.

Manns was quick to highlight the work of junior Bret Perry, who was tasked with guarding East’s talented senior guard Ben Sylva. Last year, Sylva scored 21 against the Owls. On Saturday, Perry limited him to 11.

“Bret deserves a ton of credit,” Manns said. “He did a really nice job on a good player, staying in front of him and being physical without fouling. He did a remarkable job defensively.”

With the defense holding East to single digits in each of the first three quarters, Seymour’s offense solidified control of the scoreboard with a couple of well-timed scoring runs in the second and third periods.

Senior Landon Fritsch was the early catalyst, scoring 14 of his game-high 18 points in the first half. The shooting guard accounted for all eight points in a run that pushed the Owls ahead 16-7 and permanently turned the game in Seymour’s favor.

“My teammates were screening and getting me open,” Fritsch said. “It felt like I could attack downhill and try to get us going.”

Injury proved to be the only force great enough to stop Fritsch on Saturday. On a third-quarter drive to the basket, he was knocked down and fell into teammate Josh Rennekamp, resulting in a cut on the back of Fritsch’s head.

With Fritsch temporarily removed from the game to receive medical attention from team trainer Kyle Coates, Eli Meyer stepped forward and picked up where his teammate left off.

Meyer scored 10 second-half points, including a jumper from the top of the lane with six minutes left that closed out a 12-2 run that gave Seymour a 40-17 lead.

“The story of the week was to play harder than (East) because we knew they were going to come after us,” Meyer said. “We knew we couldn’t have a stagnant third quarter like we’ve had in some games. We had to play at our pace, our tempo on offense and defense.”

Meyer enjoyed a stat-stuffed night, ending with 14 points, a game-high nine rebounds, two blocked shots and two assists.

“It was nice to see Eli get going in the second half,” Manns said. “He had a good all-around game. He was active, that’s the best way to put it. That’s what we need from him.”

The Owls held a 42-21 lead with four minutes left before a late East run narrowed the final margin.

Saturday’s win is Seymour’s fourth straight against East (1-10, 0-2 HHC), the Owls’ longest win streak in the series in the last 30 years.

Since opening the season with a six-game losing streak, Seymour has rebounded to win four of its last six outings. The two losses were near-misses to tough New Albany and Bloomington North squads.

“We’re pushing that rock uphill, and we’re going to keep pushing,” Manns said of what he hopes is a turning tide for his team.

Added Meyer, “Our record doesn’t reflect how good we are on the court. I think our opponents would say the same. We’re definitely gaining momentum. It all starts in practice. We just have to keep riding it, play for 32 minutes and finish games.”

Seymour will be back home on Friday night for a game against Bedford North Lawrence.

Box score

At Seymour

Owls 44, Olympians 32

Columbus East (1-10);7;5;3;17;—;32

Seymour (4-8);10;11;12;11;—;44

Columbus East: Ben Sylva 3 4-4 11, Julius Dailey 3 3-3 9, Pete Coriden 1 1-2 3, Mason Reeves 1 1-1 3, Jackson Fischvogt 0 2-2 2, Alex Wenzler 1 0-0 2, Kadin Lobdell 1 0-0 2, Zane Moravec 0 0-0 0, Ethan Bumbalough 0 0-0 0, Jake Gilbert 0 0-0 0, Daniel Coriden 0 0-0 0, Totals 10 11-12 32.

Seymour: Landon Fritsch 8 1-2 18, Eli Meyer 6 2-2 14, Bret Perry 2 0-0 6, Jaylan Johnson 1 3-3 5, Michael Brooks 0 1-2 1, Charlie Longmeier 0 0-0 0, Josh Rennekamp 0 0-0 0, Ethan Silcox 0 0-0 0, Brady Harpe 0 0-0 0, Cory Robinson 0 0-0 0, Evan Smith 0 0-0 0, AJ Harrell 0 0-0 0, Seth Montgomery 0 0-0 0, Totals 17 7-9 44.

3-point goals: East 1 (Sylva), Seymour 3 (Perry 2, Fritsch).

Rebounds: East 15 (Dailey 3), Seymour 29 (Meyer 9).

Turnovers: East 12, Seymour 10.

Fouls: East 10, Seymour 14.

Junior varsity

Columbus East 60, Seymour 40

Seymour (6-6): Brady Harpe 17, Seth Montgomery 9, AJ Harrell 6, Ross Pumphrey 4, Myles Chandler 3, Parker Thompson 1.

Freshman

Seymour 41, Columbus East 29

Seymour (9-3): Nolan Bartels 16, Mack Longmeier 8, Nate Fritsch 7, Traysean Hawkins 5, Tyson Hillian 3, Evan Unterseher 2.