It started out so well for Columbian.
Jocelyn Cole hit two 3-pointers and had eight points in the game's first 3:10. Megan Moore hit a driving layup at the 3:42 mark of the first quarter, and the Tornadoes staked themselves to a 12-2 advantage over visiting Lexington.
And then ...
"Things just fell apart," said Columbian coach Katie Fazekas.
Moore's basket was the last one the Tornadoes scored until a Cole 3 with 3:27 left in the third quarter. TC's only scoring in the stretch between baskets was a Marissa Ward free throw in the second period.
After their 12-point outburst in the game's first 4:18, the Tornadoes managed just eight points the rest of the contest, and were held scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Fact Box
Lexington 34, Columbian 20
Lexington (1-3): Gabrielle Adams 0-1-1; Theresa-Ann Jedra 4-1-10; Emily Stephens 1-0-2; Kelly Rhodes 7-0-14; Alex Fitzpatrick 1-1-3; Jordan Kindinger 2-0-4. Totals: 15-3-34.
Columbian (2-2): Sidney Baker 0-0-0; Marissa Ward 0-1-1; Megan Moore 1-0-2; Jocelyn Cole 5-0-13; Valesha Province 0-0-0; Michaela Miller 1-0-2; Paige Smith 1-0-2; Laura Heminger 0-0-0. Totals: 8-1-20.
Lexington 7 10 8 9 - 34
Columbian 12 1 7 0 - 20
Field Goals: Lexington 15-44; Columbian 8-29.
Foul shots: Lexington 3-10; Columbian: 1-4.
3-point goals: Lexington 1-7 (Jedra); Columbian: 3-16 (Cole 3).
Rebounds: Lexington 30 (Rhodes 14); Columbian 23.
Turnovers: Lexington 12; Columbian 17.
And while Lexington was far from an offensive juggernaut - the Minutemen didn't score in the first 5:32 of the fourth quarter either - it still generated enough offense to leave Tiffin with a 34-20 win.
"We got complacent where we were, we stopped doing what we do," Fazekas said. "I don't know. We stopped running the offense. I don't wanna say it was selfish, but (the offense) looked discombobulated"
Lexington coach Daryl Uhde, whose team won its first game Tuesday night, said the key was his defense resolved to stop Cole.
"We put Theresa-Ann Jedra on her, and said, 'don't help. Get in (Cole's) face. If she makes it, fine,'" Uhde said. "'We're not gonna let her have wide-open shots.'"
Cole finished the game with a team-best 13 points, including three treys. Her last one came in the third quarter, snapping a 5:38 scoreless streak and made it 22-16. Paige Smith's jumper with 2:57 left in the period cut Lexington's lead to 22-18.
But Lexington got a key 3-pointer from Jedra on the ensuing possession, and Columbian managed just one basket the rest of the way.
Kelly Rhodes, a 5-foot-8 junior, led the Minutemen with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
"She had a great game," Uhde said. "She's a hard worker. She outworks everybody. That's how she gets the job done."
Jedra had 10 points for Lexington (1-3).
Columbian slipped to 2-2. The Tornadoes' Michaela Miller left the game at the 5:19 mark of the third quarter with an injury, but Fazekas said she was OK.
No Tornado, other than Cole, had more than two points.
"When you hit three shots in the whole second half, you're not going to win many games," Fazekas said. "It's hard to put a run together when the ball won't go through the hole."
