Boys basketball: Black River beats Columbia for first winning season since 2009

COLUMBIA STATION — For the first time since the 2008-09 season, the Black River boys basketball team is going to finish a regular season with a winning record. The Pirates marched into Columbia on Friday night for a Lorain County League game and beat the Raiders 69-52 to improve to 12-9, 7-7 with just one game remaining before the postseason. "It's more for (the players) than for me," Black River coach Kyle Dack said. "I'm new here, but I love that they get to experience it. I got to see the work they put in firsthand, so it's really exciting when young athletes get to see the rewards from doing hard work." After the Pirates got off to a quick start, leading 15-8 after one quarter, the Raiders climbed back into the game, taking the second 17-14 to send the game to the break with the Pirates leading by four. In the first half, Columbia junior Dylan Fisher scored 14 points and knocked down a trio of threes, while Black River leading scorer Parker Broadsword had been held scoreless. In the second half, those narratives flipped. The Pirates held Fisher without a point until he hit a three late with the game out of reach, while Broadsword scored 12 and hit three threes. "He's a great player, so for us, it's always a tough assignment," Dack said of Fisher. "We were switching everything and our communication wasn't great in the first half, so he got loose a few times and knocked down some shots. We just discussed it at halftime — No more open shots — and we really honed in on him." Broadsword, meanwhile, heated up. "I started just pushing through the pressure," he said. "I just got more confidence, and it helped to come out here and shoot during halftime. I found my rhythm there." As Broadsword went, so did the Pirates, outscoring the Raiders 40-27 in the second half, a margin that could have been even wider if not for a couple of late Columbia buckets. "We had a slight size advantage tonight," Dack said. "Our kids started to notice that, and they got the ball inside." Zane Kristophel led a balanced Black River attack with 14 points, Hunter Varney had 13, Zane Bungard scored 11, Wade Mangan added nine and Dom Bell contributed eight. Broadsword made sure to shout out the seniors, who had seen the team go 14-55 over the previous three seasons. "It makes me so proud for our seniors," he said. "They've never had a winning season, and I know they're on top of the world right now. We couldn't have done this without Coach Dack coming in and totally turning this program around." Contact William Cunningham at sports@medina-gazette.com. Black River 69, Columbia 52 BLACK RIVER&emsp;15 14 21 19 — 69 COLUMBIA&emsp;8 17 14 13 — 52 Black River — Parker Broadsword 4-1-12, Zane Kristophel 7-0-14, Austin Pamer 0-0-0, Zane Bungard 5-1-11, Hunter Varney 5-1-13, Wade Mangan 3-0-9, Dom Bell 4-0-8, Carson Steidl 0-0-0, Kage Petruzzi 1-0-2. TOTALS: 29-3-69.Columbia — Jack Washburn 3-0-9, Logan Menge 4-4-15, Dylan Fisher 6-1-17, Graham Ross 1-1-3, Ambrose Beach 2-2-6, Ryan Smith 0-0-0, Mason Bledsoe 1-0-2, Noah Scarf 0-0-0. TOTALS: 17-8-52.3-point goals — Mangan 3, Broadsword 3, Varney 2, Fisher 4, Washburn 3, Menge 3. Rebounds — Black River 20, Columbia 25. Records — Black River (12-9, 7-7), Columbia (11-9, 5-9). Junior varsity — Black River 53, Columbia 47.