The Columbus Christian girls basketball team was a heavy favorite to defend its Indiana Christian Schools Athletic Association South Regional title, but the Crusaders didn’t want to leave any doubt.
Columbus Christian scored the game’s first 34 points and went on to post a 46-5 win against Southside Christian in the ICSAA South Regional final.
“We told them to go out there and play hard and continue to do what we’ve been doing in practice,” Columbus Christian coach Kay Jones said. “Even though this is regional, we still have a couple more games, so we said, ‘Do not get lazy out there. Still play like we have the rest of the season. Yes, we’re going to state, but we’re going to have to play hard and use the defense that we did tonight.’”
The Crusaders (14-7) made seven of their first eight shots from the field in building its early lead. Meanwhile, the Sharks (0-11) missed their first 22 shots before Jordan Sanford scored on a putback with 9 seconds left in the first half.
That made the score 34-2 at halftime. The second half then was played with a running clock, stopping only on fouls and timeouts.
“I think we played pretty well as a team,” said Grace Lorimor, who led Columbus Christian with 14 points and 12 rebounds. “We’re working toward state now. I think we’re a little bit more prepared for what we’re going to be doing.”
Lorimor, the Crusaders’ lone senior, was playing in her final game on her home court. She was honored at halftime.
“It’s bittersweet because it’s my last game, but it’s great,” Lorimor said. “There’s nothing better. I tried not to think about it too much.”
Kaitlyn Conrad added 10 points for Columbus Christian, which will play in the ICSAA state semifinals Feb. 15 at Faith Christian School in Lafayette.
“To see the improvement that the girls have made and continue to make, as a coach it makes me very happy to know that they want to do better and that in practice, they’re just soaking up everything that we’re teaching them and using it on the court when we play games,” Jones said.
