.gif)
The Columbus Lady Cardinals took a short trip into Weimar during the winter break to take on the Weimar-hosted varsity tournament in the middle of the week. Columbus started off the tournament with a strong push with big performances on both ends of the court. Despite their strong performances in their victories, they also took a few defeats against opponents that took an advantage over Columbus in those areas. The Lady Cards finished the tournament with a 2-2 split after alternating wins and losses through four games.
Vs La Grange, W, 46-21
The Lady Cards dominated in their opening statement of the tournament against La Grange. They had an impressive defensive outing as they never allowed their opponents to score over double digits in any quarter. They started things off by holding La Grange to a gamelow one point in the first period. The Lady Cards kept up the defensive effort and went into halftime with a 26-5 lead and the game well in hand. La Grange had a much more productive second half, falling behind by only a 11-7 margin in the third quarter and matching the Lady Cards’ nine points in the fourth period. However, they never made a real push into the lead.
Junior post player Ally Tribe led the team in scoring with 18 points fueled by an explosive second quarter. Tribe scored 14 of her points during the second period as she provided nearly all of the scoring in that quarter. Lead guard Treasure Upson chipped in 12 points as the Lady Cards’ only other double-digit scorer.
Vs Hitchcock, L, 54-44
Columbus took their first defeat of the tournament after some difficulties slowing down their opponents’ offensive attack. Hitchcock scored at least 10 points in every quarter and outscored the Lady Cards in all but the second period. The Lady Cards also struggled to recover from a relatively slow start themselves after scoring less than double digits in the first quarter. Their offense picked up following the opening period, but they could never get close enough to threaten the lead.
Sharpshooter Karlee Mathis had a bounce-back game in this one after a quiet game in the tournament opener. She led the team with 12 points with Ally Tribe not far behind with 11 points of her own. Bailey Gustus and Madyson Carter combined for 14 points for the offense.
Vs Schulenburg, W, 58-39
Columbus bounced back in a big way in their next game against Schulenburg. Their offense caught back on fire, and they were also able to hold Schulenburg to less than 40 points as they held on for the win. The Lady Cards got things started with one of their best quarters of the tournament by scoring 23 points in the first to create some separation on the scoreboard. Columbus successfully managed a healthy lead down the stretch and never allowed their opponents to make a significant run.
Ally Tribe led all scorers with 18 points, and a trio of Lady Cards scored eight points each as they had a solid performance collectively on offense. Bailey Gustus, Madyson Carter, and Karlee Mathis each shared the second-highest total of points on the team.
Vs Houston Christian, L, 92- 41
Columbus took their toughest loss of the tournament at the end of the second day. They allowed what was by far their season- high point total by an opponent this season as they could not find a way to stop the opposing offense. The Lady Cards had an effective first half on offense, scoring 19 points in the first and 11 in the second quarter, but Houston Christian scored more than 20 points in each of the first two quarters to build a big lead. The game was put to rest in the third quarter when Columbus allowed 32 points in the period, the most all season, while scoring only seven points themselves. They followed with a fourpoint final frame as they ran out of steam at the end.
The leading scorer for the Lady Cards was Ally Tribe who finished with 17 points. Karlee Mathis was the second-leading scorer with nine points.
