by The Columbia Raiders played host to the Wellington Dukes in a battle of two of the top girl’s basketball teams in the LC8. It was a hard-nosed game that started off very tight, but the Raiders ended up pulling away and winning by a final score of 48-32.
It was a competitive, back and forth start to the game. Physical defense from both sides led to a lot of early turnovers and an 11-11 tie after the 1st. Brooke Lehmkuhl did get off to a hot start for the Dukes, scoring 6 points in the opening quarter.
Sadie Schulke started off the 2nd quarter with a 3-pointer to put the Raiders in front 14-11. The Dukes then tied things up at 14, but then Raiders caught fire and went on an 8-0 run to go up 22–14. Columbia took a 22-16 lead into halftime, with Schulke leading the way with 8 points.
Another run from the Raiders brought their lead to double digits. The run included key long range shots from Natalie Miller and Kaitlyn Miller. However, a couple of baskets from Lehmkuhl and Kalynne Pickering brought Wellington back into game late in the 3rd quarter.
The Raiders then dominated the final quarter, outscoring the Dukes 11-2. It was a true team effort, with 6 Raiders scoring at least 5 points in the game. Sadie Schulke led the team with 13 points, while Natalie Miller had 9, and Kaitlin Miller finished with 8. Lehmkuhl finished as the Dukes leading scorer with 15 points.
Columbia head coach Faith Williams said after the game that the Raiders team motto is “Together” and that “the girls have really turned into that aspect, they’re moving the ball so well, each player wants to see one another’s success, and it’s changing our game”. The Raiders improve to 11-5 now on the season.
