Girls basketball: In a repeat performance, Firelands beats Columbia to win LCL showdown

COLUMBIA — Second verse, same as the first. In a battle of Lorain County League contenders, Firelands proved its lopsided victory over Columbia in December was no fluke. On Saturday, the Falcons did it again, winning 53-34 to snap the Raiders' nine-game winning streak. Firelands (12-5 overall, 9-1 LCL) has won four straight going into Tuesday's game against Black River. Columbia (12-5, 8-2) will try to regroup at Keystone (16-1, 9-1) Tuesday. The Raiders own the only blemish on the Wildcats' record. Like the first time around, Firelands used its defense and superior rebounding to get the big win. In the earlier game, the Falcons held Columbia to just three points in the first half and 14 for the game in a 33-14 romp. They outrebounded Columbia 35-28 in that one. "It was just our preparation and our game plan," said Firelands coach Onyx Lopez. "We're going to miss shots, that's our game, but if we can rebound and get putbacks and get up the floor and get easy ones, that helps us, too. It was just the effort across the board, one through eight. My kids give a lot of effort." Firelands owned the boards, hauling down 48 rebounds, including 15 offensive, to just 23 for Columbia. The Copley sisters had a lot to do with it. Senior Jordan Copley had eight rebounds and her junior sister Dilynn grabbed seven. "I have five seniors who are all seasoned and experienced," said Lopez. "They felt it was their time, so they just went out and did what they were supposed to do." The other seniors along with Jordan Copley are Micah Lee, Lexi Schrader, Emaley Burnworth and Kyle Sutorius. Copley and sophomore Addie Schrader combined for 30 points. "We knew we had to come in and play hard," said the senior Copley. "We knew what was at stake and on the line for conference. We knew they'd be tough. We beat them the first time, but they had some players back (from injury). We really focused in on defense and being aggressive." For Columbia's Faith Williams, it's back to the drawing board. "It was just one day where you take one step backwards," she said. "We're just going to learn from that. We're not going to let this bring us down. It was definitely not what I was hoping for as a coach and not what we had prepared for." Senior Bella Herhuth (12 points) and sophomore Natalie Miller (11) led the way for Columbia. "We could not make shots," said Williams. "We wouldn't shoot the last time and then in this game, nothing would fall. We didn't get a lot of clear shots in the first quarter. Maybe that was nerves. Honestly, it was just one of those days. We held them good on defense. It was just our offense." Contact Tim Gebhardt at 329-7135 or timothygeb@msn.com. Firelands 53, Columbia 34 FIRELANDS (53): Jordan Copley 5-4-14, Dilynn Copley 1-2-4, Addie Schrader 6-3-16, Micha Lee 1-2-4, Lexi Schrader 2-0-5, Stella Frederick 2-0-6, Kylie Sutorius 2-0-4, Emaley Burnworth 0-0-0, Sophia Sonner 0-0-0, Ava Mulica 0-0-0, Khole Meinke 0-0-0, Natalie Smith 0-0-0. Totals 19-11-53. COLUMBIA (34): Alyssa Goebel 2-1-5, Natalie Miller 4-1-11, Allison Boardman 0-0-0, Kenzie Shackelton 1-0-2, Bella Herhuth 5-2-12, Lexi Miller 0-0-0, Abby Elgin 2-0-4, Ira Lavinder 0-0-0, Morgan Andrews 0-0-0, Bernadette Beach 0-0-0, Honey Wilson 0-0-0. Totals 14-4-34. Firelands 14 19 8 12 — 53 Columbia 4 11 7 12 — 34 Three-point goals: Firelands 4 (Frederick 2, A.Schrader, L.Schrader), Columbia 2 (N.MIller 2). Free throws: Firelands 11-16 (69 percent), Columbia 4-10 (40 percent). Rebounds: Firelands 48 (J.Copley 8, D. Copley 7), Columbia 23 (Goebel, Herhuth 5). Turnovers: Firelands 33, Columbia 21.