State 2B boys: Columbia overcomes cold shooting to fend off Freeman in physical showcase for title

For the majority of the third quarter in the boys State 2B championship game Saturday night, the rim looked more like the size of a golf hole to top-seeded Columbia.

As the Coyotes’ scoring drought hit seven minutes though, something clicked and Columbia caught fire.

“I told the guys that we just have to keep shooting and they’ll start falling,” Columbia coach Todd Schumacher said. “You can’t let your head down in those cases and it also helped that our defense was getting almost as many stops on the other end.”

A barrage of 3-pointers from Caden Ross and Quincey Scott proved to be the difference as Columbia held off second-seeded Freeman 47-45 at the Arena to claim the first title in program history.

Ross finished with a team-high 17 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Scott added 12 points and nine boards.

“Percentages find a way to even out and we knew that while the shots weren’t falling that it would all work out, especially in a big game with high emotions,” Ross said.

Credit for the offensive woes go to the stout and physical defense played by both sides in what was as much a 12-round prize fight as it was a championship basketball game.

“I can’t even tell you how many guys have blood on their jerseys or had to get taped up from both sides,” Schumacher said. “But we knew this was going to be the case with them and how tough of a team they are to play.”

The Scotties (23-4) were paced by senior standout Tanner Goldsmith’s 21 points, while Colton Wells added 13 points and 14 rebounds.

It was the second time this season the teams met, with the Coyotes (27-1) also claiming a tough 54-50 victory back in December.

“We wanted to schedule the toughest nonleague we could and our athletic director was able to make it happen,” Schumacher said. “We played Northwest Christian, Freeman and Colfax early in the year and then saw all of them again in the last week and that was really an advantage for us to know how hard these teams are to play and beat.”

After the first three quarters left little to separate the two best 2B boys teams in the state, it was Ross who made the biggest splashes down the stretch. The senior guard hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions as Freeman was also finding the bottom of the net to keep the Coyotes on top.

“We knew this was going to be the type of game we would get against them and it really came down to hitting the big shots at the right time,” Ross said.

Wells got the Scotties to within two points in the final 30 seconds after hitting a runner in the lane, followed by a pivotal stop on defense. But with 3.1 seconds remaining and the ball, the Scotties were unable to get a shot up.

“We made winning plays tonight,” Ross said. “We got on the floor, we didn’t give anything up and I am so proud to be a part of this team and do it alongside these guys.”