CHS Boys Basketball

But the effort they expended to keep the game close eventually caught up to the Bruins.

The tide turned against Columbia early in the fourth quarter when Ridgefield's Dwayne Farr hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer.

That shot sparked a 21-12 scoring run by the Spudders, who escaped with a hard-earned 60-51 victory.

It was a bitter defeat for Columbia (0-7, 4-9) because it did so many things right to put itself in a position to win, Bruins Coach Scott Kasenga said.

"We played a great game," he said. "Everybody played hard and gave it everything they had. We defended well, we out-rebounded them, made good decisions with the ball and executed our offense. What we weren't able to do was keep from wearing down at the end."

Senior Andrew Culp, who played all 32 minutes, led the Bruins with 12 points and sophomore Kent Shelley equaled his career-high of 11 on a night when CHS shot 47 percent from the field (22/47).

"This was a game we really needed," Kasenga said. "The guys played as a unit for four full quarters, which really boosted their confidence."

Columbia's performance was in stark contrast to the effort it put forth in its first meeting with Ridgefield (6-1, 10-5).

Back on Jan. 4, the Spudders rolled over the Bruins, 60-34, in the Trico opener for both squads.

The second time around, Columbia stayed in contention for its first Trico win by controlling the backboards. It finished with a 22-20 rebound edge.

"Rebounding was the key to our success," Kasenga said. "They missed plenty of shots and we were able to capitalize."

Columbia owned a 15-12 lead after one quarter but the Ridgefield came back in the second to tie the score at halftime, 28-all.

In the third quarter, neither team blinked. Each scored 11 points, setting the stage for what promised to be an exciting finish.

Next up:

Woodland visits White Salmon this Friday for the rematch with Columbia. The Beavers beat the Bruins, 67-51, on Jan. 9 in Woodland.

Next week, Columbia travels to Hockinson on Tuesday, then hosts South Wasco County of Maupin, Ore., on Thursday.