After flying high against the Crestview Rebels on Thursday, the Columbiana Clippers came back down to earth. Columbiana fell 70-61 to Heartland Christian on Friday. Columbiana was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Heartland Christian apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in December of 2022.
Columbiana's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Devin Daugherty, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 12 rebounds. Those 12 rebounds set a new season-high mark for him. Ian Less was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with six assists.
Columbiana's loss dropped their record down to 5-3. As for Heartland Christian, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 5-3.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Columbiana and Mineral Ridge will face off at 7:00 p.m. on January 2, 2024 without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Mineral Ridge will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Ohio Rankings (they are ranked 753rd, while Columbiana is ranked 306th). As for Heartland Christian, they will play host again and welcome Newton Falls, where tip off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
