Basketball Recap: Columbus Extends Home Winning Streak to 17

Explorers

Margin (Wins)

01/15/25 vs Coral Park	56
12/19/24 vs Great Crossing	51
12/20/24 vs Grayson	37
12/11/24 vs Edgewater	36
11/30/24 vs Wheeler	34

Columbus came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25.4 points) and they left with even more momentum. They were the clear victor by an 86-61 margin over the Westminster Academy Lions. The Explorers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 contests by 20 points or more this season.

Columbus got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Cameron Boozer out in front who dropped a double-double on 20 points and ten rebounds. Boozer is becoming a predictor of Columbus' success: when he posts at least ten boards the team is 18-1 (and 1-2 when he doesn't). Caleb Gaskins was another key player, going 8 for 17 on his way to 19 points and seven rebounds.

Columbus was working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Westminster Academy only racked up two assists.

Despite the loss, Westminster Academy still got an impressive performance from Alexander Lloyd, who went 12 of 22 en route to 40 points and five boards. That was a full 65.6% of Westminster Academy's points, marking the third time in a row he's posted more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Brandon Sharpe, who had ten points and eight rebounds.

Columbus pushed their record up to 19-3 with the win, which was their 17th straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 82.4 points over those games. As for Westminster Academy, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 11-10 record this season.

Columbus has already played their next matchup, a 70-47 victory against Link Academy on the 31st. As for Westminster Academy, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 78-59 defeat against Saint Andrew's on the 30th.