Bruin girls off to a 3-0 basketball start

“This is a great way to start the season, and I hope we’ll continue to grow as we prepare for Trico League play [Dec. 18],” said Coach Justin Frazier. “Our freshman point guard Mckena Carlock [seven points] played really well against Goldendale in her first ever high school game.

“We have some challenging non-league upcoming contests against some very good teams, including our next game at Corbett.”

The Bruins will play OSAA 2023-24 Class 3A state champion Corbett on Dec. 12 at Corbett. Columbia plays at Trout Lake on Dec. 16.

Against Goldendale, Columbia took control of the game with 31-8 second quarter advantage to take a 44-18 halftime lead. Juniors Sara Miller (17 points) and Halle Kock (16 points) each scored career highs. Kock had 11 steals, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Sophomore Taniah Barajas added 13 points for the Bruins.

Columbia came from behind against Hockinson, trailing 15-11 after the first quarter. The Bruins outscored the Hawks 46-18 over the final three quarters. Kock scored 13 and Miller added 12 for Columbia. Junior Joella Posini led the Bruins in rebounding with nine.

Playing back-to-back games, the Bruins notched a third consecutive win over Riverside in Boardman. Carlock and Kock each scored eight points.

“That was our third game in four days, so we played everybody an equal amount of minutes to help carry the load,” said Frazier. “It was a good experience for our bench players, too, who all contributed with some quality minutes.”

The Bruins outscored the Pirates 13-4 in the third quarter to build a 27-12 advantage and take control of the game.