The Columbia Tigers will head out on the road to take on the Baker County Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Columbia will be strutting in after a win while Baker County will be coming in after a loss.
In what's become a running theme this season, Columbia gave their fans yet another huge win on Tuesday. They blew past Fort White 42-12 on the road. With Columbia ahead 38-6 at the half, the match was all but over already.
Columbia got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was MARIAH COX out in front who dropped a triple-double on 11 points, ten rebounds, and ten steals. That's the first time this season that COX pulled down eight or more rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of JOLENA GARDNER, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Baker County has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They were outmatched by Ridgeview at home and fell 72-37. Baker County was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 36-16.
Despite their defeat, Baker County saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Yamise Haygood, who scored 12 points along with five assists and five rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Haygood is absolutely dominating the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Zaniah Blake was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with seven rebounds.
Columbia is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a massive bump to their 9-6 record this season. As for Baker County, their loss ended a 14-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 10-4.
Everything went Columbia's way against Baker County when the teams last played back in December of 2023 as Columbia made off with a 54-34 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Columbia since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
