Mackenzie Parrow tallied 12 of her game-high 16 points in the first half and Krisa Colvin scored all 14 of hers in the second as the Columbia Lions (27-3) rallied from an early 8-0 deficit to win 55-43 against Sunnyside Christian (22-5) to earn third place in State 1B for the second consecutive year.
Unable to get anything going for the first three minutes, Parrow jumpstarted the Lions with her 6 of 10 shooting to help them take an eventual 18-16 lead, their first of the game.
"She was huge in the first half," Columbia coach Mindy Flett said. "She's only been back for five or six games now and for her to come out and show that confidence like she's been on the court the whole season, that was great."
Flett added that Parrow is one of seven girls she can count on to step up in big spots and in the second half, it was Colvin and Julie Ann Larrew's turn, as the duo combined for 22 second-half points.
Colvin also went 5 for 5 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, helping the Lions push the lead out to 12 at 48-36. In the third quarter, it was the Larrew sisters, Julie Ann and Elizabeth, who scored eight as Columbia opened the second half on an 8-0 run.
Leading the way for Sunnyside Christian were Stormee Van Belle and Analisa Van Oostrum, who combined for 29 points and seven rebounds. But after taking the lead early, the Knights struggled, scoring just 17 more points in the next 20 minutes.
"We felt we were a better team than we showed (Friday)," Flett said. "Today was key and we felt we needed to defend our title in a way since we finished third last year. We really wanted to secure it again and the girls played their hearts out."
Scoring
Sunnyside Christian
Haak 2, Van Oostrum 14, D. DeGroot 0, Newhouse 0, Long 0, J. DeGroot 2, Den Hoed 2, Morrow 0, Broersma 4, Van Belle 15, Wavrin 4, Dalrymple 0