Sarah Lorimor
Although it was much closer than last year’s 28-point regional final loss to Martinsville Tabernacle Christian, the Columbus Christian girls fell a little short of gaining the Indiana Christian Schools Athletic Association South Regional crown.
The Eagles used a fast start and a big finish to claim a 63-57 victory and advance to the ICSAA state final four for the second consecutive year.
Martinsville Tabernacle got 36 points from the state’s leading scorer, junior Annie Sichting, the granddaughter of former Martinsville High School, Purdue and Boston Celtics star Jerry Sichting.
“I thought we did a pretty good job on her,” Columbus Christian coach Chris Noblitt said. “We knew what they were going to do. She hit some tough shots, though. They hit some big shots at the end.”
The Eagles (17-6) jumped out to an 11-2 lead five minutes into the game. The Crusaders (14-10) responded with a 15-3 run to take a 17-14 lead. Columbus Christian led 31-28 at halftime.
The Crusaders built the lead to as big as 39-32 midway through the third quarter. That’s when Sichting scored all 15 of her team’s points in a 15-2 run that gave Martinsville Tabernacle a 47-41 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Columbus Christian came back with six straight points to tie it, but then a 9-2 run gave the Eagles a 56-49 lead. The Crusaders got back to within 58-57 on a basket by Madi Blair with 27 seconds remaining, but Sichting converted a three-point play with 18 seconds left and added a pair of free throws with six seconds remaining.
“I told them, that slow start, if that doesn’t happen, we’re up 12 instead of three at halftime,” Noblitt said. “We had to keep firing away, and I think we just got tired at the end. I just think we got tired at the end because we had to fight back from getting down 11-2 early. We missed some easy shots late, too, but I think it’s just from being tired.”
Sarah Lorimor finished her career with a 37-point, 13, rebound effort. Blair, the Crusaders’ other senior, finished with eight points and seven rebounds, while Emma Murray had six points and 11 rebounds and Lauren Sanders added six points and seven rebounds.
Liz Southerland had 20 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Eagles to a 51-45 advantage on the boards.
“I don’t think we rebounded well tonight,” Noblitt said. “That killed us. If we rebound a little bit better, we probably win.”
Columbus Christian’s boys and girls teams leave today for their annual trek to Dayton, Tennessee, where they will play in the National Association of Christian Athletes Division VII Tournament Wednesday through Friday.
Martinsville Tabernacle 63, Columbus Christian 57
Columbus Christian;11;20;10;16;—;57
Martinsville Tabernacle;12;16;17;18;—;63
Columbus Christian (14-10): Sarah Lorimor 16 4-4 37, Madi Blair 3 2-2 8, Paige Benjamin-Harden 0 0-0 0, Lauren Sanders 3 0-0 6, Belle Blair 0 0-0 0, Emma Murray 2 2-4 6. Totals: 24 8-10 57.
Martinsville Tabernacle (17-6): Liz Southerland 10 0-2 20, Annie Sichting 13 6-8 36, Lacy Southerland 1 0-0 2, Marianna Natatreno 0 0-0 0, Jasmine Chilcote 1 0-2 2, Hallie Brummett 0 1-2 1, Madeline Walker 1 0-0 2. Totals: 26 7-14 63.
3-point goals: Columbus Christian 1 (Lorimor); Martinsville Tabernacle 4 (Sichting 4).
