The Columbia City High School girls basketball team celebrates after winning the Northeast Eight Conference championship last Friday night at home against New Haven.
The Columbia City High School girls basketball team celebrates after winning the Northeast Eight Conference championship last Friday night at home against New Haven.
COLUMBIA CITY – It’s been almost a year since the Homestead Spartans eliminated the Columbia City girls basketball team from the 2021-22 IHSAA Class 4A sectional tournament with a 62-51 loss in the semifinals.
The 20-2 Eagles have a chance to avenge that loss Tuesday night when the two teams meet in the opening round of the Class 4A Huntington North Sectional.
The Spartans, ranked No. 12 in the final Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association Class 4A poll, are 16-5 and have lost three of their last five games, with those losses coming to Northrop (52-49 on Jan. 27); George Rogers Clark of Kentucky (48-42 on Jan. 16); and to Snider (68-62 in overtime on Jan. 13).
The Eagles, meanwhile ranked No. 6 in the ICGSA poll, are on a roll, winning seven straight since a Dec. 29 loss to No. 1 South Bend Washington. The biggest of those wins came Jan. 24 at Northrop, when the Eagles defeated the No. 8 Bruins, 73-69.
Columbia City had its final tuneup for sectionals last Friday night at home against New Haven. The Eagles defeated the Bulldogs, 77-32 to cinch the Northeast Eight Conference title with a perfect 7-0 mark in conference play. It was the first outright conference title for the Eagles since the 1995-96 season.
Tipoff Tuesday night at Huntington North between the Eagles and Spartans is slated for approximately 7:30 p.m., 20 minutes after the conclusion of the first sectional quarterfinal of the night between 2-17 South Side and 2-18 New Haven.
The winner of the Columbia City-Homestead contest advances to a Friday night semifinal against 15-7 Wayne at approximately 7:30 p.m.
The other semifinal will pit 18-4 Huntington North against the winner of the South Side-New Haven game at 6 p.m.
The sectional championship contest is slated to tip off Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.
After last Friday night’s NE8-clinching win over New Haven, Columbia City head coach Amy Shearer said on WJHS radio that this year’s title was a long time coming.
“This is something that our coaching staff has worked for,” Shearer said. “It’s very special.”
That varsity staff includes Shearer and longtime assistant Jenny Zorger, with Brandon Marshall coaching the Eagle JV. Karrington Lamb coaches the Eagle frosh.
After a brief break to savor the NE8 title win, it was right back to work for Columbia City on Saturday with the sectional showdown with Homestead looming large.
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