Hanover-Horton High School basketball player Ella Cure (5) battles Zoie Bamm of Columbia Central for a rebound during a game Monday night at HHHS. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports.
By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports
Having a set offense may seem a little overrated for the Columbia Central High School girls’ varsity basketball team.
Their best offense appears to be stealing the basketball, passing it to a teammate and making a layup.
And it appears to be working.
Columbia Central extended its winning streak to 10 games following a 62-22 win over Hanover-Horton on the road Monday.
The Golden Eagles are 10-1 on the season and 7-0 in the Lenawee County Athletic Association halfway through the conference schedule. Hanover-Horton falls to 3-7 overall with the loss.
The steal sisters – Lexi and Sydni Collins – set the pace for CCHS by combining for 12 steals.
The Golden Eagles made 20 steals on the night against the Comets.
During their 10-game win streak, opponents have averaged only 29 points a night while the Golden Eagles are scoring 57.
“Our defense definitely starts in practice,” CCHS Coach Codi Cole said. “That is their main focus on the floor.
“It is a team effort on the defensive end.”
CCHS junior Sydni Collins said most of the girls on the team have played together on AAU teams. The familiarity with one another helps.
“Most of us have been playing together for years,” Collins said. “We work really well together and our weak-side defense is excellent.”
The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter and never trailed in the ballgame.
The Comets cut the lead to 7-5 in the first quarter on a basket by Lillian Wooster. But that would be as close as Hanover-Horton would be all night as CCHS led 13-7 after one quarter.
Zoie Bamm did a lot of the damage on the inside for CCHS, scoring eight points in the first half as the Golden Eagles built a 29-11 lead.
CCHS scored 17 points in the third quarter as Tadessa Brown tallied six points on the inside. The Golden Eagles led 46-22 at the end of three quarters.
CCHS held Hanover-Horton scoreless in the fourth quarter for the win.
Bamm finished with a team-high 14 points and 12 rebounds. Sydni Collins scored 11 points and made five steals, Brown had 11 points and nine rebounds, and Lexi Collins finished with eight points and seven steals. Taiya Fletcher also scored eight points for the Golden Eagles.
Hanover-Horton was led by Wooster with seven points. Olivianna Watkins added five rebounds and two steals for the Comets.
CCHS is scheduled to play at Onsted on Thursday for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
The Comets will travel to Manchester on Friday for a 7 p.m. Cascades Conference contest.
