Sarah Lorimor
Playing its first game of the season Saturday afternoon, the Columbus Christian girls had a rough day shooting the basketball.
The Crusaders shot only 19 percent (9 of 48) from the field and 39 percent (7 of 18) from the free-throw line in a 33-26 loss to Clinton Christian.
”I think a lot of it was first-game jitters,” Columbus Christian coach Chris Noblitt said. “It was a really fast-paced game, and they sped us up. They’re a good team. Once the game slows down a little bit, I think those shots will come more natural.”
The Crusaders dug themselves an early hole, falling behind 13-0 early in the second quarter. Columbus Christian outscored the Couriers 12-3 the rest of the half to trim the margin to 16-12.
The Crusaders came as close as 19-16 on a 3-pointer by Sarah Lorimor midway through the third quarter. They were within 23-19 early in the fourth and had chances to cut the lead to two, but couldn’t convert.
Lorimor led Columbus Christian with 19 points and 16 rebounds. Lauren Sanders added five points and five rebounds. The only other Crusader to score was Madi Blair, who had two points and five rebounds.
“The first quarter was pretty brutal, but we have another (game) on Tuesday, and we’ll get after it at practice on Monday,” Noblitt said. “Like I told them in the locker room, I thought defensively, it was probably better than we played all of last year. I thought we played very well defensively. We just have to knock down some shots.”
Clinton Christian 33, Columbus Christian 26
Clinton Christian;11;5;7;10;—;33
Columbus Christian;0;12;6;8;—;26
Clinton Christian (1-0): Kierra Yoder 3 4-6 10, Jenny Stutzman 1 1-4 4, Emelia Brenneman 1 0-0 2, Savannah Bontrager 2 2-2 6, Olivia Wingard 0 0-0 0, Arielle Bontrager 4 1-4 9. Totals: 12 8-21 33.
Columbus Christian (0-1): Sarah Lorimor 7 4-11 19, Eva Blair 0 0-0 0, Madi Blair 0 2-4 2, Paige Harden 0 0-1 0, Katie Bond 0 0-0 0, Mariah Holt 0 0-0 0, Lauren Sanders 2 1-2 5, Emma Murray 0 0-0 0. Totals: 9 7-18 26.
3-point goals: Clinton Christian 1 (Stutzman); Columbus Christian 1 (Lorimor).
