The Explorers withstood a game-high 33 points from Wagner, a five-star Kentucky signee, pulling away late for the signature victory after dropping eight spots in the MaxPreps Top 25 this week.
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Cian Medley free throw put Camden up 4-2 before the Explorers responded with a 9-0 run.
Cayden Boozer started the spurt with a floater, before senior
Garyn Bess converted a layup and Boozer hit a 3-pointer from the left wing as
Cameron Boozer capped the burst with a rebound and putback to make things 11-4.
Wagner scored his first basket of the contest midway through the first quarter on a left-handed layup after breaking down the defense. The teams traded baskets down the stretch of the quarter as Columbus led 20-10 after the first period.
The Boozer brothers connected on a backdoor hookup before a
Malik Abdullahi putback slam ignited the crowd and Columbus led 24-10.
Dasear Haskins halted the run with a right-corner 3-pointer for Camden as Wagner answered a Cayden Boozer layup with a 7-0 run of his own to bring the Panthers within five, 30-25.
Cameron Boozer's layup and Bess' trey ended the half with the Explorers leading 35-25.
Top-ranked sophomore Cameron Boozer finished with 22 points and 16 rebounds as No. 11 Columbus beat No. 4 Camden 75-66 on Wednesday. (Photo: Pete Wright)
Out of intermission, Wagner hit a floater before
Cornelius Robinson brought down a dunk after a steal and Camden cut the lead to 35-29 early in the period.
Cameron Boozer found
Kevin Noriega in the left corner for 3-pointer before Boozer threw it down himself off an assist from Bess to extend the Columbus advantage to 42-30.
It appeared Camden had some life late in the third quarter, as the Garden State powerhouse went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 46-42 late in the closing minutes of the third quarter. A free-throw line jumper from Medley was followed by a floater from Robinson. A 3-pointer from the right wing from Wagner cut the deficit to four points.
Cameron Boozer gave Columbus a 51-44 advantage heading into the fourth quarter after converting an old-fashioned 3-point play on a driving left-handed layup and free throw.
The Explorers opened the final period on a 9-2 run to open a 60-46 lead as Abdullah scored five straight at one point with just over five minutes remaining in the game.
After the two teams traded baskets to open the fourth quarter, a pair of free-throws from Bess extended the lead to 55-46 for Columbus before Abdullahi scored five consecutive points to give the Explorers a 60-46 lead with just over five minutes remaining in the contest.
After a timeout, Wagner's floater cut the lead to 12, but Cameron Boozer imposed his will down the stretch for Columbus, scoring 10 of his team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter.
Abdullahi knocked down a 3-pointer from the left wing on an assist from Cameron before getting an assist off the backboard from his teammate Bess to force Camden to take a timeout. The highlight of the contest came late in the fourth quarter when Boozer
blocked a shot before grabbing the rebound and going coast-to-coast for
a basket on the other end through contact for a foul and a converted
free throw to make things 71-58.
Despite scoring 14 of his team's 17 fourth quarter points, including a pair of late 3-pointers to cut the deficit to single-digits, Wagner was unable to lead the comeback.
Cayden Boozer finished with 19 points, four assists and three while Bess provided a spark with 17 points, six assists and five rebounds and Abdullahi tallied 11 points, six rebounds and three steals.
Both teams return to action on Friday as Columbus (11-3) hosts Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), while Camden (7-1) takes on No. 13 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) in an intrastate showdown.
Senior Garyn Bess tallied 17 points, six assists and five rebounds in the victory. (Photo: Pete Wright)
