Basketball Recap: Columbia Skates Past Black River with Ease

Raiders

Margin (Wins)

01/15/25 @ Black River	57
12/04/24 vs Black River	44
01/11/25 @ Open Door Christian	36
01/04/25 @ Oberlin	35
12/09/24 vs Elyria	26

You can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Columbia's strategy against Black River on Wednesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Columbia Raiders blew the Black River Pirates out of the water with a 67-10 final score. The Raiders have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five contests by 26 points or more this season.

Columbia found their leader in freshman Natalie Miller, who went 9 for 15 en route to 18 points and six steals. Another player making a difference was Bree Heidecker, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Columbia smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in seven consecutive matchups.

Columbia is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.4 points per game. As for Black River, they are on a 16-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 1-13.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Columbia will face off against Wellington at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Columbia knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past three contests -- so hopefully Wellington likes a good challenge. As for Black River, they will take on Keystone at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Keystone will roll in looking for their 14th straight win, something Black River surely won't give up without a fight.