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The Columbus varsity lady hoops team has had season- long momentum as they have depended on some outstanding offensive outings as well as a stifling defense and effective rebounding. The past week of competition was a microcosm of these trends as they finished out a defensive battle earlier in the week against Industrial before having a near 70-point explosion in their game to finish out the week with a big win against Hallettsville. Following their performances last week, the Lady Cards have climbed up to the 17th spot in the Texas Girls’ Coaches Association state poll.
Vs Industrial, W, 42-31
The Lady Cards started their week with crucial scoring from a select number of players on the team. Karlee Mathis, Ally Tribe, Treasure Upson, Madyson Carter and Andreanna Shropshire were the only scorers for the team in this game. However, their efforts were plenty to win when paired with the imposing defense the Lady Cards presented to their opponents. The Lady Cobras had only one quarter in which they scored into double figures. After their 10-point first quarter, they failed to reach the mark in any of the remaining periods and finished each quarter of the second half with just six points scored. In contrast, Columbus scored 15 points in the first and 14 points in the third as they held the advantage over their opponents for much of the game.
Columbus needed every bucket from their leading scorers as they shouldered much of the offensive burden in this game. Fortunately for the Lady Cards, their leading scorers in this game are players wellequipped and accustomed to being in that position for the team. Mathis and Tribe have often been called upon to take the lead for their offense, and they did so once again with 16 and 13 points respectively. Carter rounded out the top three scorers with eight points of her own.
Vs Hallettsville. W, 68-40 The offense exploded in the second game of the week for the Lady Cards as many players caught fire. Columbus finished the game with their second-highest, single-game total of the season, beaten by only an 88-point performance in early December. Against the Brahmettes, the Lady Cards breached the 20-point mark in two of their four quarters while also having five different players score into double figures. The defense set the tone for the rest of the game in the opening period as Hallettsville could manage only two points in the quarter. The Lady Cards went on to control the rest of the game without much risk of letting go of the lead.
Karlee Mathis led Columbus’ efforts on the offensive end with a huge 23-point game. Her backcourt mate, Treasure Upson, added 11 points with her usual effectiveness at running the offense. Three scorers tied just behind Upson as Ally Tribe, Madyson Carter and Bailey Gustus all finished with 10 points.
