Emma Murray
Columbus Christian’s girls and boys basketball teams both had things going their way early Tuesday night, but Martinsville Tabernacle Christian handed the Cruaders a pair of losses.
In the girls game, the Crusaders had an opportunities for the win. However, the visiting Eagles made one final push in the last four minutes of the game to hand the host team a 56-53 defeat.
“It was one of those things we talked about postgame. You’ve got to come to the basketball and just do fundamental basketball. Some of the stuff we didn’t do,” Columbus Christian girls coach Matt Bond said. “Coming off a tough win Saturday (at Crothersville), we just didn’t play well. We came out flat and never rebounded off it.”
Late in the second quarter, the Crusaders (4-2) went on their biggest run of the game. Emma Murray’s three-point-play kick-started a 7-0 run to end the half with a 29-23 lead.
Columbus Christian had its biggest lead at 35-27 midway through the third quarter following a basket from Olivia Wise. Martinsville Tabernacle then went on a 10-0 run to retake the lead at 37-35, but the Crusaders scored the last four points of the quarter to lead 39-37.
Columbus Christian led 47-45 midway in the fourth quarter, but Liz Southerland converted a three-point-play to give the Eagles the lead for good. Tunovers were a big factor in the fourth quarter for the Crusaders.
“Turnovers haven’t been that big of an issue for us this year, only in a couple of games. Against South Decatur, we had a lot of turnovers. It seems like when we lost games, obviously, that’s when the turnovers are going to rear its ugly head,” Bond said. “You can’t turn the ball over. I told them at the end of the game, we had 30-plus. I always relate that to extra possessions because it is, which can relate to an extra 60 to 90 points if they convert every one. You can never give them extra possessions.”
Murray finished with a team-high 19 points for Columbus Christian. Wise scored 15 points, and Katie Bond added 11.
Southerland scored a game-high 30 points for Martinsville Tabernacle.
The boys game was tied 6-6 after one quarter before the Eagles outscored the Crusaders 21-7 in the second. After Martinsville Tabernacle built a 46-22 lead in the final minute of the third quarter, Columbus Christian went on a 10-0 run to cut the led to 14 with 5:02 left in the game, but the Eagles were able to hang on.
The Crusaders were plagued by 25 turnovers.
“We had more turnovers the first half than we did points,” Columbus Christian boys coach Kevin Roth said. “We go in film sessions, we go over stuff, we go through scouting reports, and I knew that we outsized them and were bigger than them and we can’t capitalize on that. A lot of that is guys not doing their role.”
Ben Carter
Ben Carter led Columbus Christian with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Crusaders were coming off a win against IHSAA school Shawe Memorial on Friday.
“I thought we had things going in the right direction after the double-digit win over Shawe,” Roth said. “Over the years, I can tell when kids aren’t in school and they play games, they’re usually going to perform like they did today. I just think we have some soul-searching to do, and hopefully, we can get it turned around for Saturday.”
GIRLS: Martinsville Tabernacle 56, Columbus Christian 53
Martinsville Tabernacle;12;11;14;19;—;56
Columbus Christian;12;17;10;14;—;53
Martinsville Tabernacle: Liz Southerland 12 3-7 30, Abby Bartelsen 6 1-4 13, Julia Rice 1 0-0 2, Maddi Rice 0 0-0 0, Lacy Southerland 4 3-4 11, Maya Hernandez 0 0-0 0, Reagan Sichting 0 0-0 0. Totals: 23 7-15.
Columbus Christian: Kaeli Clawson 1 0-0 2, Katie Bond 5 2-4 12, Olivia Wise 6 3-6 15, Macimae Brown 1 0-0 2, Emma Rice 1 1-1 3, Jaren Shuler 0 0-0 0, Emma Murray 0 1-1 19. Totals: 23 7-12 53.
3-point goals: Martinsville Tabernacle 3 (Li. Southerland 3). Columbus Christian 0.
BOYS: Martinsville Tabernacle 49, Columbus Christian 36
Martinsville Tabernacle;6;21;19;3;—;49
Columbus Christian;6;7;12;11;—;36
Martinsville Tabernacle: Ray Hernandez 3 0-0 6, Talon Badger 5 6-8 16, Jacob Tomlin 0 0-0 0, Ian Baugh 3 0-2 7, David Decker 0 0-0 0, Mason BLackman 1 0-0 2, Levi Baugh 5 1-1 11, Isaac Tomlin 2 1-3 5, Ryland Thompson 1 0-4 2. Totals: 20 8-18 49.
Columbus Christian: Adam Haines 1 2-6 5, Krew Flickinger 1 0-0 3, Ayden Vanderbur 0 0-0 0, Lee Andre Gunn 0 0-0 0, Ben Carter 5 2-4 12, Hunter Goddard 1 0-0 2, Elijah Fields 0 1-2 1, Judan Carlson 2 0-0 4, Heath Harrison 1 0-0 2, Eli Wright 1 1-2 3. Totals: 13 8-22 36.
3-point goals: Martinsville Tabernacle 1 (I. Baugh). Columbus Christian 2 (Haines, Flickinger).
