Basketball Recap: Columbus International's Win on Tuesday Extends Winning Streak to Four

A well-balanced attack led Columbus International over East in every quarter on their way to victory on Tuesday. The stars were shining brightly for the Columbus International Lions in a 50-32 win over the East Tigers. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 261st, while the Tigers are ranked 700th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Columbus International's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Marley Benson, who went 10 for 16 on her way to 21 points in addition to seven assists and six steals. Benson is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last four games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Leila Carter, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 14 boards.

Benson wasn't the only one working in the assists department: Columbus International was working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as East only racked up five assists.

East's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kaliyah Barron, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 12 boards. That was a full 62.5% of East's points, marking the sixth time in a row she's posted more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Makeda Inman, who put up eight points and ten rebounds.

Lions

Previous 4 Games

12/17/24 @ East	50-32
12/13/24 vs Linden-McKinley	64-37
12/11/24 vs Westerville North	51-32
12/10/24 vs Northland	71-36

The win was the fourth in a row for Columbus International, bringing their record for this year to 8-2. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.0 points per game. As for East, they dropped their record down to 1-5 with the defeat, which was their third straight at home.

Columbus International didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 34-32 victory against Delaware Christian on the 19th. As for East, a feisty cat fight will be fought when the East Tigers duke it out with the Beechcroft Cougars at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.