Too hot to handle

"Not a bad night's work," said Bruins Coach Steve Larsen of Ridgefield's offensive performance. "They were quick, fast and aggressive. And once they started making shots, they didn't miss many."

In contrast, his CHS team struggled to put the ball in the basket, shooting 40 percent from the field (16-40, including 5 of 33 from 3-point range) and 36 percent from the line (4-11).

Moreover, the rebound totals reflected who was hot and who was not, as Ridgefield out-rebounded Columbia, 26-10.

"They were on and we were off," Larsen summed up.

In the first half, the Spudders used full-court pressure and a half-court trap to force numerous CHS turnovers (18 in the game) that led to easy breakaway baskets.

They opened the game with 11 straight points and closed the first quarter with a 9-0 run to amass a 29-8 lead.

Cory Lampe scored for CHS to begin the second quarter, and Tom Shrum made 1-of-2 free throws to make it a 31-11 game.

But Ridgefield, capitalizing on sloppy Bruins ball-handling, countered with a 14-0 surge that widened its lead to 45-11.

Jason Thomas finally broke the Bruins' scoreless spell with a bucket 2:01 before halftime that began a 7-3 run and brought CHS within 48-18 at the intermission.

The Spudders continued their torrid shooting in the third quarter, scoring eight in a row after an Eric Crause trey to increase their lead to 57-21.

The remainder of the third and all of the fourth quarter proved academic as Ridgefield scored at will in padding its point total.

"We played as hard as we could, but we played shorthanded," Larsen said, noting sickness prevented starting guard Adam Neff and backup post player James Cowan from suiting up for the game.

"When you take two players out of your seven-man rotation, it makes for a long night," Larsen added.

Crause led the Bruins in scoring with 13 points, nine on three 3-pointers. Lampe added 12 points.