After a frustrating first half on offense, it looked like Port Clinton was pulling it together.
The Redskins trailed Columbian 25-12 at the half, and shot just 5 of 25.
But Port Clinton came out hot in the third quarter, making 5 of 6 shots going on a 13-2 run. When Carter Rumball converted a layup with three minutes left in the period, Columbian's lead was just 31-29.
TC coach Bill Beaston called a timeout.
"Defensively there, in the beginning of the third quarter, we weren't as sound as we were the rest of the game," Beaston said. "Credit to them, that's when they took advantage and made their run."
After the timeout, Columbian's defense resumed shutting down the Redskins. Port Clinton scored just one point the rest of the quarter, and didn't score another basket until Kyle Wilkins' jumper with 1:24 left in the game.
Fact Box
Columbian 54,
Port Clinton 36
Port Clinton (0-1): Dylan Webb 2-0-4; Brock Moore 2-0-4; Chris Stokes 2-1-5; Kalib Shiets 1-0-2; Kyle Wilkins 1-0-2; Jason Mueller 1-2-5; Carter Rumball 2-1-6; Nathan Stubblefield 1-0-3; Drew Fedor 2-1-5; Ian Kyle 1-0-2. Totals: 15-5-36.
Columbian (1-1): Alec Demith 0-0-0; Bryce Lonsway 3-4-11; Josh Flint 4-1-9; Connor Conley 1-0-2; Donovan Walker 0-3-3; Ryan Lynch 2-2-6; Taylor Warner 0-0-0; Derek Dryfuse 8-0-16; Cody Daniel 3-0-7. Totals: 21-10-54.
Port Clinton 7 5 18 6 - 36
Columbian 12 13 16 13 - 54
Field goals: Port Clinton 15-55; Columbian 21-47.
Foul shots: Port Clinton 5-15; Columbian 10-15.
Rebounds: Port Clinton 27. Columbian 37 (Lynch 8)
Turnovers: Port Clinton 16; Columbian 18
By that time, the Tornadoes had established a commanding 52-34 lead, and coasted to what became a 54-36 win.
"They went on a heck of a run after we cut it down to two," said Port Clinton coach Troy Diels, whose team was playing its first game Saturday. "We talked at the half; we felt we were a team that could go on a run, and put some points on the board in a hurry, and we did. The problem is we only went on one run throughout the game."
Beaston said his team handled the Port Clinton spurt well.
"I thought our kids did an outstanding job of regrouping, getting back to those defensive concepts," Beaston said. "Keeping them on the perimeter, forcing contested shots, and most importantly we boxed out and rebounded. They were one-shot possessions, and that fed our transition so we could extend the lead again."
The main scorer for Columbian in that transition game was Derek Dryfuse, who made eight baskets for 16 points.
"Derek did a nice job of finishing tonight," Beaston said. "He had a lot of wide open looks down there."
TC point guard Bryce Lonsway also had a nice game, with 11 points, while Josh Flint had nine. Ryan Lynch had eight rebounds to go with six points.
Columbian improved to 1-1.
"We're a young team," Beaston said. "Of our eight-man rotation, six of them played their first varsity game [Friday]. We're relying a lot on Bryce and relying a lot on Connor [Conley], and their experience to help us through some of these growing pains...I like the way that our kids kept working, continued to battle and just found a way to get their first win."
Rumball's six points led Port Clinton.
