COLUMBUS -- Big Timber sure didn't make it easy.
The Sheepherders held a 36-23 lead over Columbus entering the fourth quarter of a non-conference girls basketball game on Saturday night, before holding off a furious Columbus rally to win 49-38.
Columbus scored the first 11 points of the fourth quarter, trimming Big Timber's lead to 36-34 with 3:30 to go. Big Timber got a bucket inside from Alyssa Boshart and a 3-pointer from Bailey Finn to give the Herders some cushion before they iced the game at the foul line.
"We just got a little complacent on defense," Big Timber head coach Kim Finn said of the fourth-quarter run. "We got a little complacent, our intensity dropped a little bit. ... They got a lot of easy shots. ... This is a good team to play. They're very dangerous and have several good players. ... I was really excited to play this game. I know they're top in the Southern division and we know we have to beat them to move on, so it was a good game."
Big Timber was led in scoring by Finn's 18 points. Emily Cooley added 11 and Boshart had 10. Brooklyn Wylie was the lone Columbus girl in double figures with 15.
Big Timber continues its perfect season and now stands at 13-0. Big Timber will visit Whitehall on Friday looking to extend its winning streak.
The Big Timber boys, however, couldn't close the deal on a double-digit lead entering the fourth quarter as Columbus rallied for a 52-49 victory.
Big Timber led 47-36 entering the final quarter, but that lead evaporated over the course of the quarter. Columbus scored the first nine points of the quarter and trailed just 47-45 with less than two minutes to play.
Big Timber picked a good time for its first field goal of the fourth quarter, as Tristin Matzick's layup with one minute on the clock gave the Herders a four-point lead.
Columbus scored on its ensuing possession to trim the deficit to 49-47 with 36.1 seconds left, and then Big Timber threw the ball away, giving Columbus a shot with 29.4 seconds left.
Trey Stampfel went baseline and scored with less than 20 seconds left, then Tommy Campbell stole the ball in the backcourt and scored to give Columbus a 51-49 lead with 10.5 seconds left.
Big Timber got a great look, but Matzick was unable to finish at the rim, forcing the Herders to foul Campbell with 2.3 seconds to play. Campbell hit one of two free throws and time ran out before Big Timber could get a shot off, sealing the Columbus win.
Columbus will host Joliet on Friday.
