Columbus girls climb back into 4B race

Apparently the Columbus Cougar girls New Year’s resolution was to pick up their game after stumbling out to a 1-3 start before the holiday break.
In the girls’ first game of the new year, and the first home game of the season, Columbus fell behind the Roundup Panthers 9-5 after the first quarter Thursday night, but then outscored Roundup 40-30 the rest of the way.
The second quarter rally against the Panthers began when senior Madi Sindelar hit two free throws, then put back an offensive rebound off a Hailey Campbell missed free throw. Courtney Martinez then sank a jumper for a 14-12 Columbus lead that would eventually grow to 44-31 in the fourth quarter before a too-little-too-late Roundup rally tightened score. Rachael Ault led the team with 17. Campbell added seven, mostly off steals as the Cougar half-court trap forced Panther turnovers.
The Cougar girls maintained their momentum the next night at Huntley Project, roaring out to a 14-4 lead over the Red Devils on their way to a 59-32 romp.
The pair of wins evened the girls overall record at 3-3. More importantly, the girls are right back in the battle for top-seeding in district 4B at 2-1.
The Cougar boys followed suit and extended their winning streak to five with a 61-36 win over Roundup and a 67-52 win over Huntley Project. Junior Tanner Osborne scored 36 points in the pair of wins and brother Kade added 32. The wins boost Columbus to the top of the district 4B standings at 3-0. Both teams square off at home Friday against Red Lodge, and Saturday versus Shepherd.