TRI-COUNTY LEAGUE Cippers rally past top-rated Sebring

Columbiana overcame a 10-point deficit with a 14-0 run, then won, 48-45.
By ERIC HAMILTON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBIANA -- When the Columbiana High boys basketball team started preparing for the season, it expected to be in the thick of the Tri-County League championship race.
But to do so, the Clippers knew that the toughest task of all would be to beat defending champion Sebring.
Mission accomplished.
Columbiana used a 14-0 third-quarter run to overcome a 10-point deficit Wednesday, and held on to knock off the Trojans -- the state's No. 1 team in Division IV -- 48-45.
Columbiana (9-4, 5-2) climbed to within one game of Sebring (11-1, 6-1) for first place in the TCL. The Clippers also accomplished a goal they set nearly seven months ago.
Goal to beat Sebring
"All summer we talked about Sebring," Columbiana coach Jeff Hammond said. "All our scrimmages were set up to get ready for Sebring, and all season we talked about things we needed to get better at in order to beat Sebring.
"There was a lot of buildup for this game and them being No. 1 in the state just added more fuel for us," Hammond said.
Columbiana did all the little things right when it mattered the most, coming up with nine offensive rebounds in the second half, chasing down loose balls and playing solid defense.
The Clippers also had a shooting touch, making a season-high six 3-pointers on seven attempts.
Columbiana's bench play was also a factor, outscoring Sebring's reserves 11-0.
The Trojans connected on just three field goals in the third quarter as their 10-point lead vanished.
Long dry spell
Matt Ferguson's basket gave Sebring a 37-27 lead with 6:05 remaining in the third quarter, but the Trojans didn't score again until 7:06 remained in the fourth quarter.
"We just went cold from the 3-point line in the third quarter," Sebring coach Brian Clark said. "To Columbiana's credit, they beat us on the hustle plays. They got all the loose balls and offensive rebounds and we didn't.
"We made some defensive mistakes that we normally don't make," Clark added. "We needed to play better down the stretch. We didn't attack them; we let them attack us."
Senior Austin Couchenour scored nine of his game-high 16 points in the third quarter for the Clippers.
The fourth quarter featured two ties, and neither team led by more than three points.
With 2:57 remaining, Couchenour made a 3-pointer to put Columbiana ahead, 46-43.
Sebring closed to 46-45 on a pair of free throws by David Scarpitti with 1:42 remaining but that was as close as the Trojans would get. Ryan Schmidt sank two free throws with 42 seconds remaining to give the Clippers a 48-45 lead.
The Trojans' 3-point attempt at the final horn came up short.
Couchenour also had 11 rebounds for Columbiana.
Sebring's Joe James and David Scarpitti scored 13 points apiece, while Dan Scarpitti added 11.