Cougar girls finish fourth best in state

On Jan. 17 the Columbus Cougar girls lost at home to Shepherd 46-36 to fall to 3-5.
Things looked a little bleak. But the following night Columbus gutted out a tough 38-33 win over class A power Laurel, then won their next eight games, and 13-of-14. As the No. 3 seed, the girls won the 4B tournament. And when the Southern B divisional concluded, Columbus was the only 4B team standing, and qualified for the state tournament.
The team’s transformation had much to do with the squad gelling into a defensive force under the tutelage of coach Paul Barta. The development of senior Kyla Rouane into a consistent low-post threat to complement leading-scorer Rachael Ault was also a major factor. The confident Cougars looked to make a little noise at state.
It didn’t happen in the opener, a 54-39 loss to eventual undefeated champion Malta, as Columbus fell behind falling 26-13 at the half and never recovered.
But it was a different story against Plains (17-6) Friday morning as the Cougar defense kept the Trotters in check through three quarters, allowing only 17 points. Madi Sindelar’s offensive rebound, hoop, and foul shot, followed by her sweet pass to Carli Dyba helped build an 18-9 second quarter-lead that grew to 30-19 early in the fourth when Rouane scored inside. But Plains started chucking in 3-pointers and a 40-36 Columbus lead inside the final minute vaporized when Rachael Ault missed two free throws then was called for a questionable charging foul and the game went into overtime.
Ault uncharacteristically missed another pair of free throws, but Hailey Campbell grabbed the rebound and scored when Ault found her open under the hoop. Plains hit a free throw to pull ahead 44-43 with 16 seconds remaining and as the Trotters pressed, Ault found Campbell streaking down the left side. Campbell missed the layup under pressure but Rouane was there to grab the rebound and put back the game winner with four seconds left. The Cougars survived a long inbounds pass that resulted in two Trotter misses to win 45-44, and advance.
Saturday morning’s opponent featured a 22-4 Choteau team that ended Fairfield’s state-record 120-game winning streak several weeks earlier. With Ault and Rouane providing the offense, the Cougars only trailed once in the 48-44 win. The duo combined for the Cougars first 25 points and Campbell’s offensive rebound early in the third built the lead to 27-20. Choteau responded with an 8-0 run but Ault scored and Courtney Martinez canned a jumper. The Bulldogs tied it again at 35 but Ault dished to Martinez and Rouane for consecutive easy baskets then hit a three. The senior hit all four three point attempts in the game, and a remarkable 9-of-13 in the tournament. Tana House sank a free throw with a minute remaining and Martinez converted two at the 30-second mark to secure the win.
The Cougars hung with a talented once-beaten Forsyth team for three and a half quarters in Saturday’s consolation game, and held a 34-31 lead when Ault scored out of a loose-ball scramble with three minutes remaining. But it would be the Cougars final points of their season, and Ault’s last points in the senior’s remarkable and prolific Cougar career.
Columbus simply could not keep the Dogies off the boards - Forsyth outrebounded Columbus 36-21 and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds - and the Dogies scored the game’s final eight points to take 3rd place 39-34.
The tournament performance was a fine finish to a 19-10 season, and the swan song for seniors Ault, Rouane, Martinez, Campbell and Sindelar. Ault averaged 16.6 points in the tournament. Rouane averaged 11.0 points - including a career high 16 against Choteau - and 6.0 rebounds. Martinez led the team in rebounding at 6.6 per game.
Malta 14  12  15  13 — 54 
Columbus  6  7  13 13 —  39
Malta:  Marley Manoukian 3-7 2-2 8, Sophia Stiles 7-12 6-9 22, Markelle Lett 2-6 0-0 4, Hailey Nicholson 4-12 0-0 8, Jada Nicholson 2-2 0-0 0, Eva Harms 0-0 0-0 0, Kaitlyn Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Kelsey Kuehn 0-0 0-2 0, Rebecca Smith 0-2 0-0 0, Adrianna Bibeau 0-0 0-0 0, Darby Schye 2-4 3-4 7, Shay Garfield 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 20-46 12-19 54. 3-point goals: 2-6 (Stiles 2-4, Lett 0-1, Smith 0-1). Rebounds 30 (Schye 8). Assists 11 (Stiles 6). Steals 8 (Stiles 3). Blocks 1 (Stiles). Total fouls: 17. Fouled out: Lett. 
Columbus:  Desirae Gibson 0-0 0-0 0, Tana House 2-5 0-0 5, Kyla Rouane 3-12 5-8 11, Hailey Campbell 0-0 0-0 0, Kenedy Wiggs 1-1 0-0 2, Madi Sindelar 0-0 0-0 0, Tyona Robbins 0-0 0-0 0, Megan Rouane 1-1 0-0 2, Carli Dyba 0-1 0-0 0, Rachael Ault 2-11 6-12 10, Courtney Martinez 4-10 0-0 9, Racquel Shoupe 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 13-41 11-22 39. 3-point goals: 2-7 (House 1-2, K. Rouane 0-1, Ault 0-3, Martinez 1-1). Rebounds 26 (Ault 7). Assists 13 (K. Rouane 4). Steals 10 (Ault 5). Blocks 0. Total fouls: 13. Fouled out: none. 

Columbus  9 11  6  14  5 —  45
Plains  1  12  4  23 4  — 44
Columbus:  Tana House 0-1 0-0 0, Kyla Rouane 4-10 2-4 10, Hailey Campbell 1-4 1-2 3, Madi Sindelar 1-2 3-3 5, Carli Dyba 1-4 2-4 4, Rachael Ault 5-17 7-12 19, Courtney Martinez 2-6 0-0 4. Totals: 14-44 15-25 45. 3-point goals: 2-6 (Ault 2-6). Rebounds 32 (Martinez 8). Assists 0. Steals 9 (Ault 4). Blocks 1 (Martinez). Turnovers 14. Total fouls: 15. Fouled out: none. 
Plains:  Kimberly Earhart 2-6 2-3 7, Sami Kinzie 4-8 1-4 11, Jade Ladeaux 0-0 0-0 0, Carley Vonheeder 2-8 0-0 6, Hailey Phillips 4-15 2-2 10,  Kayla Holmes 1-3 2-6 4, Jessica Thompson 0-0 0-0 0, Leah Thompson 2-7 2-4 6. Totals: 15-47 9-19 44. 3-point goals: 5-17 (Earhart 1-5, Kinzie 2-4, Vonheeder 26, Phillips 0-1, Thompson 0-1). Rebounds 36 (Phillips, Holmes 9). Assists 14 (Earhart 5). Steals 7 (Phillips 4). Blocks 0. Turnovers 16. Total fouls: 21. Fouled out: Earhart, Holmes. 

Columbus  13 10  10  15  —  48
Choteau  6  12  12 14  —  44
Columbus:  Tana House 0-1 1-2 1, Kyla Rouane 4-9 8-11 16, Hailey Campbell 1-1 0-2 2, Madi Sindelar 0-0 0-0 0, Tyona Robbins 0-0 0-0 0, Carli Dyba 0-0 0-0 0, Rachael Ault 6-11 6-7 22, Courtney Martinez 2-4 3-7 7. Totals: 13-26 18-26 48. 3-point goals: 4-5 (Rouane 0-1, Ault 4-4). Rebounds 22 (Rouane 8). Assists 11 (Ault 4). Steals 3 (Campbell, Sindelar, Martinez). Blocks 1 (Campbell). Turnovers 13. Total fouls: 9. Fouled out: none. 
Choteau:  Payton Durocher 2-5 0-0 6, Hannah Bowers 2-10 0-0 5, Megan Krone 4-6 0-0 8, Molly Salmond 2-3 1-1 5, Tristin Achenbach 3-11 1-1 8, Darby Yeager 2-7 0-0 5, Payge Durocher 0-1 0-0 0, Celie Salmond 2-5 3-3 7. Totals: 17-48 5-5 44. 3-point goals: 5-20 (Pt. Durocher 2-5, Bower 1-6 Krone 0-1, Achenbach 1-3, Yeager 1-4, C. Salmond 0-1). Rebounds 19 (Yeager 4). Assists 12 (Achenbac 3, C. Salmond 3). Steals 8 (Payg. Durocher 3). Blocks 1 (Achenbach). Turnovers 10. Total fouls: 20. Fouled out: Achenbach. 

Forsyth  10  7  10  12 —  39
Columbus  9  10  9  6 —  34
Forsyth:  Alli Hert 0-4 2-2 2, Kelsey Seleg 2-4 0-1 4, Ruby Kallenbach 2-11 0-0 4, Shaunessy Bidwell 3-6 0-0 6, Mykaila Jensen 0-0 0-0 0, Raelynn Keefer 3-14 0-0 8, Kaylee Zard 3-8 7-8 13, Laura Hein 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 14-51 9-11 39. 3-point goals: 2-18 (Seleg 0-2, Kallenbach 0-5, Keefer 2-10, Hein 0-1). Rebounds 36 (Zard 16). Assists 12 (Kallenbach 4). Steals 11 (Seleg, Kallenbach 3). Blocks 3 (Kallenbach, Keefer, Zard). Turnovers 10. Total fouls: 13. Fouled out: none. 
Columbus:  Tana House 0-0 0-0 0, Kyla Rouane 2-7 3-4 7, Hailey Campbell 1-1 1-2 3, Madi Sindelar 0-0 0-0 0, Carli Dyba 0-0 0-0 0, Rachael Ault 5-16 3-7 16, Courtney Martinez 3-8 0-0 8. Totals: 11-32 7-13 34. 3-point goals: 5-6 (K. Rouane 0-1, Ault 3-3, Martinez 2-2). Rebounds 21 (Martinez 9). Assists 10 (K. Rouane, Martinez 3). Steals 7 (Ault 3). Blocks 1 (Martinez). Turnovers 19. Total fouls: 13. Fouled out: none.