Columbus’ new starters seek ‘time to shine’ in follow up to title

It is often said that the first championship is the hardest one to win. Joe Cherrone and the Columbus girls basketball team took care of that last season, but in order for the Lady Blue Devils to repeat, some new faces will have to get the job done.

Cherrone and his players delivered the pinnacle moment in program history on March 10 when Columbus topped Carver 69-67 to capture the Class 4A state title. The championship was the ideal send-off to five standout seniors, but if the Lady Blue Devils have winning another one in mind, they have to fill those vacated roles.

Columbus will get its first chance to play since that title game at 6 p.m. Friday when it hosts Spencer. For Cherrone, the reloading process for this team starts with senior point guard Nasya Williams and senior forward Thallon Howard.

Cherrone said Williams had considerable improvements over the summer, and her speed coupled with her outside-shooting skills can make her a dangerous player. The 6-foot-1 Howard has the challenge of controlling the glass like Ariyah Copeland, the Columbus star who is already making a name for herself at Alabama.

“Winning that title was a great thing for our program,” Cherrone said. “We did lose five major players on our team, but these two (Williams and Howard) have really stepped up and took the role of being leaders. We’re ready to compete throughout the region and get back to that state title game.”

Williams and Howard might not have had starring roles on last year’s squad, but it’s not like they are in uncharted territory. They each received playing time throughout the 2016-2017 season, and their three years playing under Cherrone should have them prepared for the task.

Though they are the defending champions, Columbus has little guaranteed considering it is in the same region as state runner-up Carver. The Lady Blue Devils face a rare situation where despite winning it all in the spring, they are seemingly starting over.

For Williams, the doubt from others just adds fuel to the fire.

“I feel like we have a lot to prove,” Williams said. “It’s motivation to see what we can do. We just want to do it again.”

Like Williams, Howard knows she is part of a lineup that is new to the scene. Last year’s championship will no doubt be a hard act to follow, but each made it clear they are in no mood to be held back.

“It’s our time to shine since we had five players who went D-I and played the majority of the time (last season),” Howard said. “We’ve got something to prove, and we’ll show y’all exactly what we can do.”

This story was originally published November 16, 2017 at 11:21 AM with the headline "Columbus’ new starters seek ‘time to shine’ in follow up to title."