Colonels drop overtime decision at Columbia
The Cass boys basketball team led most of the game Saturday night at Columbia High School in Decatur, but the host Eagles rallied with a 30-point fourth quarter to send the game to overtime and escaped with a 78-75 Class AAAAA state tournament win to end the Colonels’ season. Cass led 10-7 after the first eight minutes, 27-19 at halftime, and 43-35 through three quarters before Columbia came storming back. The Eagles outscored the Colonels 30-22 in the final eight minutes to knot the score at 65 at the end of regulation. Columbia’s Devin Longstreet and Julius Coleman paced the Eagles with 20 points each. Kawasaki Ricks and D’Kwan Harris also reached double figures with 11 points apiece.
Zaylan Chaney, who had to leave the game briefly due to injury in the fourth quarter, led Cass with 19 points. Braxton Benham and C.J. Pipkin followed with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Andrew Glaze contributed nine points. Jordan Ford and Zay Jackson chipped in eight apiece. Jaquan Ford added five points for the Colonels.
“We worked so hard,” said a disappointed Cass head coach Sean Glaze after the game. “That was a gut-wrenching loss. We built an 11-point lead but let it slip away in the second half to their offensive rebounds and uncontested threes. I’m so upset for our seniors.” The three-point loss in the state tournament ends the Colonels’ season with a 16-13 record. It also marks the completion of the high school basketball careers for seniors Jordan Ford, Jaquan Heard, and Alfred Washington. Columbia (17-11) advances to the Sweet Sixteen in Class 5A and will host Bainbridge Thursday in Decatur. Bainbridge, a 4-seed from Region 1AAAAA, upset Riverdale Saturday in a low-scoring contest 36-33.
