The Columbus Wildcat basketball teams were done in by Wapello in a pair of conference basketball battles Tuesday night. The Columbus girls actually led 15-9 at the end of the first quarter, but Wapello immediately turned things around to pull within two by halftime. The Indians would take a four-point lead by the end of the third period, and the Wildcats could never recover in a 43-38 loss. Columbus sophomore Lily Coil posted a double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and four steals, while classmate Frannie Sosa had one of her best games of the season with 10 points and five rebounds, but the Wildcats still fall to 6-8 in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference North and 7-11 overall.

The Columbus boys fell behind 21-6 at the start but were able to at least cut the margin down to seven points at the half. A 13-5 run in the second half restored Wapello’s double-digit advantage, and the Indians went on to win 53-41. ‘Cats senior Grant Watson had one of his best games of the season, hitting three three-pointers and notching a double-double of 19 points and 10 boards, but it was not enough to keep his team from dropping to 1-11 in conference play and 2-15 overall. Both Columbus teams next play tomorrow evening at home against Winfield-Mount Union.