Columbia High eked out a 48-47 victory over Stevenson here Monday to win the season series with its Trico Division rival.
Sophomore Ericka Ziegler led the way with 16 points and 16 rebounds.
The Bruins (2-9 in Trico, 8-11 overall) trailed 44-40 with 2:01 remaining, but finished the Bulldogs off with a 8-3 closing run.
CHS's rally began with a basket by junior Jenny Pulido and a free throw by sophomore Mackenzie VanLaar that trimmed Stevenson's lead to 44-43.
With 1:08 to go, Pulido made the defensive play of the game for the Bruins.
Her tie-up of Stevenson junior Rylee Walker in the Bulldogs' front-court resulted in the ball being awarded to the Bruins.
On the ensuing possession, Ziegler was fouled. With 55 seconds to play, Ziegler sank both free throws--she was 4 for 4 in the final period and 8 for 10 on the night--to give CHS a 45-44 lead.
Freshman Amanda Stump tied the score at 45 seven second later, making the second of two foul shots and setting the stage for a climactic finish.
Columbia broke the tie with 31 seconds left when junior Kelsey Kidd flashed into the paint, took a pass from Ziegler in the high post and netted a 5-footer over Walker.
Junior Chelan Weiler added a free throw with 13 seconds to play for a 48-45 CHS advantage.
Free-throw shooting and offensive rebounding proved to be the differences in the game.
Columbia converted 17 of 29 from the line while Stevenson went 11 for 24.
Under the backboards, the Bruins collected 22 offensive rebounds (10 by Ziegler, five by VanLaar), resulting directly in three second-chance baskets and indirectly in numerous trips to the line.
Stevenson (0-11, 2-17) had things going its way early-on, however. The Bulldogs led by seven points on two occasions in the opening period as Walker and senior Amy Collins combined for 10 points.
But the Bruins, sparked by the scoring of sophomore Shannon McNallan and Ziegler, ended the quarter on a 9-4 run to pull within 15-13.
The second quarter was more of a defensive struggle as both teams had trouble finishing off opportunities. The only points in the last 2:26 of the half were three free throws by CHS junior Chelan Weiler that forged a 22-22 deadlock.
Columbia's first lead of the night came 28 seconds into the third quarter. VanLaar rebounded a CHS miss and put it back for a 24-22 edge.
Another putback, this one by Ziegler, gave the Bruins their biggest lead of the game (26-22).
Stevenson stayed in the hunt, though, and trailed just 33-31 entering the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, the Bulldogs regained the lead (34-33) with 5:45 remaining on a turnaround jumper by Walker.
Junior Courtney Dudley extended that lead to 39-35 with a 3-pointer and two free throws.
But the Bruins had enough game left to prevent the Bulldogs from pulling away.
Commented