Paul, Col. City beat Huntington

January 18, 2012

Post and Mail photo / Nicole Ott

The Columbia City student section wore “Got Paul? —WE DO” shirts Tuesday night in Huntington.

HUNTINGTON — Austin Paul, former Huntington North hoopster, joined Columbia City’s basketball squad this season as a senior and a starter.
Paul faced a little extra anxiety Tuesday night when the Eagles traveled to Huntington for his first game against his former teammates since the transfer.

Despite the anxiety, Paul helped the Eagles to a 64-48 win over the Vikings.

“I was really nervous at first. I didn’t know what the environment would be like,” Paul said.

Huntington outscored Columbia City 21-12 in the first quarter, despite Paul’s four points. But the lead wouldn’t last long, as the Eagles rallied to score 21 second-quarter points and held the Vikings to seven.

“After the game got going I settled down and played my game,” Paul said.

Eagle Drew Benedict closed the nine-point gap to one with three consecutive buckets, including a 3-pointer and a 3-point play.

With a 33-28 lead at halftime, Columbia City continued its pounding, outscoring Huntington 31-20 in the second half, winning 64-48.

Senior Daniel Woll had four blocks and five assists to go along with his 12 points.