The Columbus Wildcat basketball teams went into the winter holiday break on a high note by sweeping a home doubleheader with Wapello this past Friday.

The Columbus girls jumped out to a 15-6 lead in the first quarter and were still in front by nine at the start of the second half, but they finished the game even stronger with an impressive 30-5 run to secure a 57-23 win.

Point guard Ariana Vergara led the Wildcats with 15 points and five steals, while fellow senior Lily Coil had her second triple-double in as many seasons with 12 points, 10 rebounds and a whopping 10 steals.

Junior Naveiah Garza added nine points off the bench as Columbus remains undefeated in the North division of the Southeast Iowa Super Conference and improves to 8-1 overall.

The Wildcat boys saw their two-point lead after one quarter trimmed down to one by halftime. The game was back-and-forth all night, but Columbus managed to hold on for a 54-51 victory.

Ellis Hills-Carrier had another big night to captain the ‘Cats, piling up 23 points and nine rebounds. Fellow sophomore Drake Marin hit four three-point shots and poured in 16 points as Columbus pulls to an even 4-4 on the season, including a 2-3 record in conference play.