Columbus Lady Blue Devils dominate Carver in decisive victory

Columbus had a chance to avenge an early-season loss against Carver on Friday night in a matchup of two of the best AAAA teams in the state. The Lady Blue Devils not only took advantage of the shot at payback, but did so in a hurry.

The Lady Blue Devils (14-3, 8-1) handled the Lady Tigers 77-53 on Friday night. The road victory for Columbus was set in motion from the start, as the team jumped out to a commanding 10-0 lead early and nearly never looked back.

Columbus grabbed a quick lead in the opening quarter thanks to its defensive pressure. The Lady Blue Devils forced the Carver (15-3, 7-1) to make errant passes and turn the ball over almost off the opening tip, which allowed Columbus to build a 10-0 lead.

“We didn’t press them early on last game, and we allowed them to have the energy to go down court and make some plays in the half-court set,” Columbus head coach Joe Cherrone said. “We figured we’d bring some pressure to them, get a bead on the ball. That jumpstarted our run.”

Carver showed no signs of life until midway through the second quarter. Led by Alycia Reese, Carver found its way back into the game via 3-pointers. A 3-pointer before halftime left what once seemed an insurmountable lead for Columbus sitting at 33-28.

But at that point, Tatyana Wyatt turned it on for Columbus. She was the driving force behind a 22-point third quarter that left the final buzzer as nothing but a formality.

Wyatt finished with a game-high 17 points along with seven rebounds.

“She was huge,” Cherrone said. “She didn’t have a great first half. I made it at a point at halftime to get her and Ariyah Copeland the basketball because they’re so dominant.”

Copeland, who missed the first matchup with Carver on Dec. 21, also proved to be a difference maker. She finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists in the victory.

The victory gives Columbus a five-game winning streak as its regular season slate shrinks to five games remaining. With a matchup at Shaw on Saturday coming quick, Cherrone made it clear he thinks another game against Carver is in the cards.

“We’ll see them again, I’m sure, in the region championship,” Cherrone said. “I think a lot of people thought we were off our game that first time we played them. We just had to regroup and understand what it took to win a region championship against them last year.

“It took three games, and it’s going to take the same effort that we needed then to win another one.”

This story was originally published January 20, 2017 at 8:48 PM with the headline "Columbus Lady Blue Devils dominate Carver in decisive victory."