Even though the Dakota Ridge Eagles have not done well against the Columbine Rebels recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Dakota Ridge came out on top against Columbine by a score of 76-65. Given Dakota Ridge's advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 65th, while Columbine is ranked 267th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading Dakota Ridge to victory were Nathan Bantock and Ethan Berninger. Bantock scored 18 points along with nine rebounds, while Berninger scored 26 points along with seven rebounds and five assists. The match was Berninger's seventh in a row with at least ten points. Andrew Schneider was another key contributor, scoring 14 points.
Despite the loss, Columbine saw an underclassman step up: Cash Boykin dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten rebounds. Boykin scored a full 27.7% of Columbine's points, the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Carter McCoy, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Even though they lost, Columbine were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Dakota Ridge has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a massive bump to their 4-3 record this season. As for Columbine, they still haven't won a game yet this season and fell to 0-4.
Dakota Ridge will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Vista PEAK Prep at 7:00 p.m. on January 3, 2024. As for Columbine, they will take on Northfield at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Northfield knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past six games -- so hopefully Columbine likes a good challenge.
